[Archived] House Training A Puppy

[T4E]

My other half and I have just bought a new puppy, he's a Bichon Frise x Shih Tzu and is extremely cute and good fun the majority of the time. We picked him up yesterday morning.

However, I am having a couple of problems.

Firstly, predictably, is with toilet training. We've put him on a schedule of eating first thing in the morning, taking him out to go to the toilet about 30 mins later, then feeding him again around 6pm and doing the same again. He seems to go to the toilet outside without too much problem, although it does take a while. Unfortunately he hasn't had his jabs yet (scheduled for Wednesday) so once that's all done we'll be able to walk him and that'll likely get easier. The problem is, he seems to need to go a lot in between eating, and whilst he realises the need to pee outside, he's managed to find a place in the corner of the front room for doing the other (lets call it "Eddie-ing"). I've tried picking him up and taking him straight outside as soon as he does it, but he still seems to like having an Eddie in that area. I've cleaned the area thoroughly but he's still attracted to it.

Secondly, last night he howled all night. It was his first night and we fed him quite late, so that was likely the problem there. Miraculously when I got down to see him this morning he hadn't Eddied anywhere. I've been looking on the net and have got some advice, so today we bought a small clock that makes a semi-loud ticking noise to soothe him, a radio tuned in to 5 live all night (apparently constant talking helps), a night light, a few more toys and I've thrown a t-shirt of mine in there with him, as I'm told the familiar smell of me will help calm him down. He's been in there for a good half hour now and so far so good, we've heard very little noise from him. I've left some water in there for him, but am reading in other places that doing so may not be a good idea. Anyone have an opinion to share?

If anyone has any good ideas that might help then PLEASE do share them - he's really cute and it's really hard to take when he's in there crying all on his own. Here's a picture that will hopefully prompt you all to help me for his sake if not mine!

Tomorrow we are both working, my mother in law will be over around lunch time to break the day up a bit, but that should be a good test of how to go forward. No doubt I'll come home to a house covered in Eddies.......

[Eddie]

As a someone who's always had a dog/been in a family with a dog I was going to pass on some good tips, but I'm horribly offended and I'm going off to bed to cry myself to sleep. I hope your dog loses total control tonight.

[American]

He's so cute!

This actually might be a good opportunity for you. If you put a litter box in the spot he likes to Eddie, you might not have to worry about taking him out. Have heard of people doing this, but haven't done it myself.

I was pretty lucky in that we got a dog who is very fastidious by nature, so doesn't like to Eddie inside. At the beginning, though, you should be taking him out every couple hours, if you can.

[Paul]

Don't have a dog any longer but have had several over the years. You seem to have everything right. The crying when he is left at night is something you HAVE to ignore now. If he realises you respond he will not stop. It's much harder to untrain a dog than to train it. On the Eddie business, our method was a gentle but surprising blip on the nose (needs to take him by surprise, not hurt him) when it happened in doors and lavish, over the top praise for outdoors. Alternatively take him to the indoor spot whenevre it happens and tell him very sternly how bad he is.

[Alan75]

Maybe a bit late now but the best way to stop a pup from crying when left alone is, a security towel/blanket.

When you pick him/her up from the breeder, take an old towel and get the breeder to thoroughly wipe the towel over the pups mother. The smell of his/her mother on the towel will reasure the pup during lonely times.

Toilet training is something you have to work on, bit difficult if the pup is left on its own for long periods though. No offence but leaving him/her all day wont help the situation. Think of your own bowels if you cant get to a loo

[S15]

The first step to soothing your problems require a gun license.

Post again when when you've applied and I'll tell you what's next.

[thenodrog]

If you want to train a dog you need to think like a dog. Dogs have pack instincts whereas ours are tribal. Paul is spot on when he says "It's much harder to untrain a dog than to train it". Put rules in place now and always stick to them. Jumping up at people, jumping on chairs, running upstairs all need punishing with consistency i.e. a sharp smack and a stern voice. Consistency is the key! The dog will see the family as the rungs on a ladder with some higher than others and will position itself accordingly. NEVER let it think that it is higher than any family member or it can become a biter. Therefore if you knock it off chairs for example but it's allowed on when you are not in the dog is confused and believes itself higher than the other family members who allow it liberties.

Put effort into training it properly now and in the next few months and you will have a friend for life but cock it up and you will have a millstone around your neck till either you or it croak. Many a good dog has been spoiled and put down because of nothing else but bad / stupid owners.

Finally. Beware! If you have young kids your work is likely to be doubled!

[Nuclearsox]

I think I see the problem - he's only got one eye which makes judging gaps very difficult. He's probably aiming for the front door, mis-judging the gap and finding himself in close proximity to those curtains. I would howl if that happened to me... ...and I'd quite probably Eddie in the corner too.

[Flopsy]

should have got a cat.

[T4E]

This actually might be a good opportunity for you. If you put a litter box in the spot he likes to Eddie, you might not have to worry about taking him out. Have heard of people doing this, but haven't done it myself.

I read that somewhere else too - apparently this breed are quite open to litter box training, I'm going to pick one up today and give it a go.

Don't have a dog any longer but have had several over the years. You seem to have everything right. The crying when he is left at night is something you HAVE to ignore now. If he realises you respond he will not stop. It's much harder to untrain a dog than to train it. On the Eddie business, our method was a gentle but surprising blip on the nose (needs to take him by surprise, not hurt him) when it happened in doors and lavish, over the top praise for outdoors. Alternatively take him to the indoor spot whenevre it happens and tell him very sternly how bad he is.

He was absolutely superb last night. We put him in the kitchen at about 10pm, he whined for about 30 seconds and we didn't hear another peep out of him until 6 this morning. The radio seemed to help, and when I checked this morning he had pee'd a lot but all in one small space on one of his absorbant training pads. This morning I took him in the garden and he dropped an Eddie straight away, then another about 10 mins later. Only hiccup was he pee'd on the living room carpet, but I think that was my fault for playing with him indoors before I let him out.

Only problem I've had today is that he wouldn't eat all of his food this morning. He had about half, in between the two Eddie's, and then wouldn't take any more. I've taken the food away while I'm out as I read somewhere that was the thing to do, although I've left him lots of water.

Maybe a bit late now but the best way to stop a pup from crying when left alone is, a security towel/blanket.

Toilet training is something you have to work on, bit difficult if the pup is left on its own for long periods though. No offence but leaving him/her all day wont help the situation. Think of your own bowels if you cant get to a loo

I'm thinking about wrapping the t-shirt I gave him in a hot water bottle tonight, to see whether that is more comfortable for him.

No offence taken - I'm pretty worried about leaving him all day. To be honest I don't mind if he goes indoors, I'll get the litter box and hopefully he'll take to that.

Finally. Beware! If you have young kids your work is likely to be doubled!

You must be joking - this is my way of getting out of kids - no way is she having both!

[Ray-Von]

With the housetraining - make sure you stay with him outside in the garden/backyard whilst he does his business. As soon as he makes a deposit, give him a small treat and plenty of praise. It worked wonders with our lab puppy a couple of years ago.

Try and take him outside every hour or so and wait with him until he produces the goods so to speak. I didnt really mind, it gave me an excuse to indulge in a crafty smoke!

[BiggusLaddus]

Lots of good advice so far. We are in the same boat as you, but about three weeks further down the line.

Something that would help with training through the night is using a crate. We weren't too keen on the idea, but it was recommended by everyone who we knoe who works with or trains dogs, and it is so much better now we have it.

She made a mess in the crate (a big mess) the first night she was in it and got very upset about it. Since then she has gone all through the night every time and whines to be let out in the morning. The crate also gives us somewhere to let her calm down if she gets too much for us during the day.

Our puppy was quite old when she left her mum (~14wks) so took a bit longer to adjust to being alone. The noise at night was terrible for the first week we had her, but now she has pretty much stopped.

[Mr Creosote]

We've got a seven month old (quite large and growing! ) Labradoodle. She has chewed all sorts but seems to have now got over that. Her toilet training has gone backwards however - just when we thought she'd cracked it there have been an increasing number of "accidents".

We are going for the "moving the paper closer to the door" method which is supposed to result with your mutt parking his/her breakfast outside. Sceptical but I'll update if successful.

[broadsword]

You need to watch the dog whisperer on Sky 3 - I believe the bloke, Cesar, has a book out as well.

I don't think it's necessary to smack a dog, but I do agree you need to be consistent with it. It will eventually learn.

I think the smaller dogs don't respond to training as well. Some small dogs won't even come when you call them. I'm sure they must have been inter-bred with cats at some stage.

I'd love to have a black lab at some stage. Either that or an African Grey parrot. I'd teach it to swear like a navvy.

[Ray-Von]

We've got a seven month old (quite large and growing! ) Labradoodle. She has chewed all sorts but seems to have now got over that. Her toilet training has gone backwards however - just when we thought she'd cracked it there have been an increasing number of "accidents".

We are going for the "moving the paper closer to the door" method which is supposed to result with your mutt parking his/her breakfast outside. Sceptical but I'll update if successful.

We used the training pads at night time - a good idea, but ours just came to rely on them. One night I just thought "sod it" and took them away - result was a dry night. I think you have to be brave and hope for the best!

It does work best if you can confine the pup to one area at night - not necessarily a crate, but if they are in say, the kitchen, leave the door open but put a baby gate on the prevent them wandering about the house.

[broadsword]

Why do you need to stop them wandering around the house? Weird.

They're not going to raid the drinks cabinet and put some disco music on.

[Mr Creosote]

We've been a bit "free and easy" with ours, allowing her the run of the house at nights. Might be a bit late for confining to certain areas but it's an option.

Despite her being a pain in the arse at times we love her to bits and she is hilarious. She's chasing a fly as I type!

[BiggusLaddus]

Why do you need to stop them wandering around the house? Weird.

They're not going to raid the drinks cabinet and put some disco music on.

So that you don't wake up to find ###### on walked into your carpet and your furniture ripped up.

[AussieinUk]

Can only really speak on the 'crying (for the dog) at night'. Puttting a hot water bottle (wrapped in a blanket), along with a ticking clock, should work and she/he should go to sleep. Its worth a try.

[roversmum]

Just puppy sitting for daughter's 16 week old labrador. She's absolutely gorgeous, black and getting relatively big now very fast! Just came on to the computer to see if anything going on, went back into the sitting room and she was sitting in a pile of earth in the middle of the carpet! She likes playing with empty flowerpots and had picked up one from the garden with a plant in it and brought it in to play with!

[Hughesy]

House training is easy.

If the dog does his/ her business outside then praise it alot.

If he/ she does it inside then pick it up, take it to the mess and ask it in an angry voice what it is. If it is a number 1 then its simple, rub his/ her nose in it each time, followed by leaving it in the back garden for 10 minutes or so.

A number 2, then again tell him/ her off, but dont dunk his/ her head in it, Again put the dog outside for a while.

Someone else made a valid point too - always make sure it is treated the same by all members of the family, or you could get behaviour problems later on.

[adopted scouser]

Just puppy sitting for daughter's 16 week old labrador. She's absolutely gorgeous, black and getting relatively big now very fast! Just came on to the computer to see if anything going on, went back into the sitting room and she was sitting in a pile of earth in the middle of the carpet! She likes playing with empty flowerpots and had picked up one from the garden with a plant in it and brought it in to play with!

Yeah, but what about the puppy ?

[T4E]

If it is a number 1 then its simple, rub his/ her nose in it each time

I read that by doing that you'll lead him to believe that it's the act of going to the toilet that is wrong, resulting in him trying to hold it in too much and damaging himself.

[Alex Rover]

Swap him for a kitten, job done

[den]

I read that by doing that you'll lead him to believe that it's the act of going to the toilet that is wrong, resulting in him trying to hold it in too much and damaging himself.

No it wont do that, but you don't really have to actually touch his nose in it, - just hold his nose close to it, tell him sternly "NO" two or three times, then put him outside.

It's not fair to any dog though, if the dog couldn't GET outside. As a puppy, it should be able to get outside on numerous occassions during the day. Not to allow that is unfair.