[peter.edwards]

We have been training are nine week old spanish water dog, yogi, the basic puppy training however after a day out to the seaside (don't worry we had him in a rucksack) it seems that all the things we have trained him has been forgotton.

We normally wake him fully up at 21:30 and play with him until 22:30 make sure he has water then take him outside for toilet after that we sit with him till 23:00 then put him in his cage, he is out for a few hours then he will wake up at 2:30am bark for 10 minutes then go back to sleep however since sunday he has been waking up at am and barking non-stop till 4:30 / 5am basically until me or my partner gets up. Also it seems all toilet training has been forgotton as well, usually he'll sniff at the back door to let us know he wants to go out but now it seems he will just go anywhere.

Because we are both back at work we can't get anymore time off to start the training again.

With the night time barking, do we preempt him and wake him up at 2am for toilet then put him straight back to bed or just ignore him altogether?

When leaving him during the day (for 4 hours max at a time) do we let him have the run of the kitchen or put him in his cage?

Any help or advice would once again be most grateful.

 

[Bearpaw]

Hi,I would go back to letting him out in the night for a toilet visit as this may be the reason he is barking.You could try leaving a radio on fairly quietly too,as this will break any startling noises he may hear that may wake him. What time is he last fed?
During the day,i would personally leave him in the crate when out.That way he is contained and cant hurt himself or trash the house.Make sure he has a had some play/walk before he goes in there and maybe leave him with a filled kong to munch on.He will probably sleep while you are away anyhow.Again leaving the radio on may help too.

 

[Aurelia]

Oh dear. It's a bummer when things go boobs up after coming such a long way.

I would do full on crate training from scratch if I were you. Including moving the crate to your bedroom at night. If you have it at a height where he can see you in bed, this should hopefully stop him barking, and if he starts jiggling around in his crate it will wake you and you will know he needs the loo. If he is in another room, you wont hear/see these signs, and it will lead to more barking, and one upset puppy. You can always move his crate out of there in a few weeks when you feel he can go longer without the loo in the night, so it's not a permanent thing if you don't want it to be.

It would be better to leave him in his crate while you are out during the day, but for a 9 week old 4 hours is a bit too long IMO, if you can half that, then you should be fine.

 

[peter.edwards]

Hi,

First off apologies for not replying on my last thread. Thank you for getting back to me one again

I have just been discussing the situation with my partner she thinks that the night toilet break could do the trick we'll try it tonight and report back 2moro. The last time we tried the radio it didn't seem to work, silly question but what is the best type / radio station for dog to listen to??

His last feed is at 8pm, speaking of feeding you'll be glad to know that he has start eating a full meal everytime now we have started mixing in a little bit of wet puppy food.

We have tried using the filled kong puppy toy but he doesn't seem to like it one bit, what is the best filling??

 

[leashedForLife]

pups have no ability to control a full-bladder or bowel until the sphincter muscles are operational at 12-WO...
before that, when full, they empty - it is automatic + not volitional.
they can exercise very little choice - like pee on the lino or beside it on the carpet?
but that is IT - every potty-error is a human fault, not the pups. sorry, but thats how it is.

approx 3-weeks after 12-WO... meaning 14 to 16-WO... most pups go thru an 8-hour night without needing to pee.
personally, i do NOT want the pup to learn, whining + barking get the door open... so i set an alarm each night for 3-am,
get up, throw outer-garments (with treats ready in pocket!) over PJs, slip shoes / boots on, take Pup from crate which is
conveniently to-hand in the bedroom, take the LEASH off the roof of the airline-kennel,
carry the pup outside - which shuts-off the waterworks temporarily - and set Pup down in a familiar potty-area, leashed.
then i WAIT - i do not play with, talk to, or distract the puppy.

when Pup produces?
warm sincere praise, a treat is under their nose just as soon as they stand from a squat - BEFORE
the pup takes a step, that treat is there! - we return indoors, pup on leash; Pup goes to crate, i peel-off and back to bed;
elapsed time, approx 10-mins. :thumbup: E-Z, pup is clean + dry, no-one is crying or frustrated, peace reigns.

U have approx 6-weeks before overnite-dry unbroken for 6 to 8-hours.
U have approx 11 to 16 weeks ahead before clean-and-dry DAYTIMES for 8-hours, if well-monitored and rewarded
for right-place, right-time voiding.

IMO +IME how quickly a puppy is housetrained depends considerably on how well-managed Pup is...
scheduling, prompt potty-trips after any trigger, confining when not closely supervised, and so on.
IME breed and size are also considerations, as the rapid metabolism and tiny bladders / bowels of toy-dogs
make toilet-training simply physically harder.

congratulations on the puppy,
--- terry

 

[Bearpaw]

May also be worth bringing his last meal back to about 7.30pm too,giving him more time to toilet before bed.Do you put water in his crate? if you do,maybe take that out,make sure he has a drink before bed but dont leave it in there,as he will sure want to wee if he drinks.
I dont think it matters what music they listen too really,its just something thats breaks up any sudden noises he may hear.One of mine used to hear the neighbours come back quite late on and bark,but the radio seem to help here.Probably doesnt work for all dogs tho .Is it possible that something is waking him in the night?(neighbours,foxes etc?),if not then its probably the need for the toilet,in which case a trip out in the early hours should help this.
Even though most use kongs,i tend to use raw marrow bones from the butchers,so cant help with the filling,sorry.Im sure others will come along with ideas,and if i remember right there is a thread in either chat or health with filler ideas,so take a look at that.
He is still very young,and the toilet training does take time,try and ignore the indoor accidents and tons of praise for outdoor toileting.You will get there

 

[leashedForLife]

We have tried using the filled kong puppy toy but he doesn't seem to like it one bit, what is the best filling??

hey, peter! :--)
put half of one of his meals in it, feed the other half in the bowl;
take him out for play, potty before re-entering the house, settle him with the filled Kong, walk away.

if he eats kibble, adding ONE-Third the volume of water to the kibble + putting it in the frig, covered, allows it to soften;
mixing in plain organic-yogurt, tiny pieces of whatever MEAT-protein is in the kibble (chicken-breast, trimmed-beef,...),
teeny bits of flaked-tuna from a can or pouch, LOW-fat cheeses grated or in tiny, tiny pieces - Mozz, Provo -
are all good additions.

grated carrot is nice if the pup has enjoyed a (washed) chunk of raw-carrot previously.
many dogs love low-salt baby-food mixed in - vegies, banana-puree, chicken + carrots, ___ .

no more than 1/3 of the total-volume of dog-food should be added in the form of goodies -
IOW 2/3 or more is dog-food, 20% to 33% is added goodies to get attention. U don;t want a fat puppy.
a carrot-stick or broccoli-stem sticking out the open end can often get the pup started...

once he gets the idea, U can freeze the Kong when stuffed, or weld the filling together with a small amount
of grated-Mozz stirred into the stuffing before packing; then pack and MICRO-wave for 20-secs - be sure to
let it stand to cool before giving it to the puppy - hot-spots are common in microwaved foods!
U don;t want to burn babys tongue, mouth or palate. welding or freezing the filling into a solid mass make it last longer.

i often microwave the stuffed Kong just before the final potty-trip, before leaving the house... pop Kong in the micro,
take the dog out, return, grab the Kong which was sitting in the micro for 15-mins or more;
dog into crate, hand-off the Kong, out the door to work, errands, ____ .

happy training,
--- terry

 

[Aurelia]

I was just gonna say that meal time sounds a bit late to me. I'd try bringing it back to about 6pm personally.

I also wouldn't provide any toys/chews at night either. That's the best way for them to learn it's sleep time, not play time.