Hi everyone,

This is my first post. We're getting a puppy in a couple of weeks, this will be our second after our first dog sadly had to be pts.

We're looking to do more training in regards to pulling on the lead we didn't fully achieve with our first dog. I've read that heel training should start off lead, before its first walk, by using treats and encouraging the dog to walk to heel following its treat. This all makes sense, and i understand that training without a lead first is better because the lead is a distraction.

We were all set to do this, but now i've been thinking about toilet training. With our first dog we put her on the lead from day 1 to take her to her toilet spot rather than have her zooming around the garden exploring. How do we go about toilet training without a lead? I don't want to put her on a lead just for toileting, because i don't want her to become familiar with being restrained by a lead pulling on her neck. I'd rather teach her 'heel' is normal rather than 'pull'. The problem is various books and articles give tips on how to toilet and lead train, but putting them together causes issues!

Any advise?

Thank you!

Hi

Sorry to hear about you previous dog, it is always horrid to lose a pet. I hope you have as much fun with your new puppy when it arrives.

How wonderful you are thinking of all these things now, I don't know whether your other dog was elderly, but if it is a long time since you had a puppy, it is a bit of a shock again!! (here speaks one who recently went through it!).

Firstly, get the book 'perfect puppy' by Gwen Bailey, it has lots of sensible easy advice.

You don't need to put your dog on a lead to toilet. Just let things happen naturally!!!! If you want it to be in one place, you will need to sort of take her to that area and try and concentrate her there, by using your body lanaguage to manouvere her, but initially I would just let her choose the spot.

When it is time to go out, it really is better to her rush around the garden sniffing - this stimulates all the senses and encourages dogs to eliminate. You may have to be out there a little while, but if you time things for when you know she needs to go i.e. after meals, upon waking, first thing in the morning, you will get a result. As soon as she 'performs' give lots of praise and if you can a treat and make a big fuss and then have a play. Don't play with her before she has been, so she knows to get on with it before the good stuff.

If she doesn't go, take her back in, keep her with you in the kitchen, so to restrict her freedom, it may be worth thinking about crate training, as this can be a good help with a puppy, but it isn't for everyone. By keeping her with you, this enables you to pick up any signs of her wanting to go and 10 mins later repeat the exercise.

As she does 'go' use a word, whatever you like 'be clean' 'busy' etc. She will then start associating the action with the word and in a few days you will have the action on command.

If you want her to go in a special spot, pick up some of the poo and put it where you would like her to go, this can work really well.

Regards the heelwork, initially in the garden just let her follow you, you don't say what breed, some are better at this than others. Everytime she is following, give her a little treat of fuss, so she knows that this is the right place to be. All puppies will naturally follow you to some extent. Don't overdo it though.

After a while put a really light lead on her and use food to encourage her to walk forward, rewarding as she moves a few steps. If she knows to be next to you, you won't have to worry about pulling in the future. As she grows if she pulls you, then stand still, or walk backwards or in another direction, and when she is back with you, reward where she is.

By the way, I never allow my dogs to toilet on the lead. This means if I am out and about in town, or walking down the street, they won't go. I take them into my garden before I go out to toilet on command and then know I am fine. They will however toilet off lead in a park etc. I also never allow them to sniff on the lead. We go to on walks two or three times a day where they can sniff to their hearts content, when they are on the lead they walk, loosely by my side.

This means there is never any confusion with wandering down the street pulling away and toileting.

Kate

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I think you should take the dog out on the lead to toilet because it shows the dog that it is going out into the garden to toilet rather than play. My dog goes out in the garden on a lead to toilet so he doesn't bark and he doesn't play, cos he needs to know that he's out there at that moment in time, for one reason, to toilet.

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I don't put Murphy on a lead for him to toilet .He has naturally found his spot and goes in the same area .He used to chew his lead and mess about with it rather than toileting so I kept it just for walks

Thanks everyone. K8t, we already have the book and have been reading it lots! I totally understand Seven Pets that it's goot to let your dog know that it's going out to toilet, not to play, but I can't help thinking i'd rather spend 10 minutes extra outside for her to have a sniff then spend forever trying to correct a pulling on lead behaviour which she will learn when toileting on the lead.

I'm hoping that introducing the puppy to the toilet spot first thing when she comes home, and after every meal/sleep/play we'll pick her up, walk out, put her down and do not fuss her until she does her business.

Fingers crossed!

Hi

Best of luck! When they are very little and wake up from a sleep it is a good idea to carry them outside, if it is a long way, as very often they 'tiddle' on the way there, (movement causes movement!!) but it really is best if your puppy learns to walk to the door as soon as able to.

This can be done by running backwards to the door, calling your pup.

Have fun!

Kate

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