What were your house training methods?

I've had 5 month old Archie for just over a week now and he has settled in nicely. He is wonderful with my 4 & 6 year old, is very laid back with us all and sleeps through the night but its just the toilet training I am struggling a little with.

His 2nd jabs arent due till next week so cant take him walkies yet but am taking him into the garden every 1/2-1 hour but he just trotts out, sniffs around and then wants to go back in. When he does he then has a wee or poop indoors!!

On the odd occasion when he has gone outside I really praise him and give him a small treat. If he does anything indoors I dont say anything just clear it up, so I am trying to get him to realise that he will gain from going outside not indoors but he hasnt yet caught on.

He sleeps in a basket in the utility room which has newpaper by the door and he will wee and poop on that but he will also wee anywhere & everywhere!!

I am trying to keep him contained to the kitchen, hall and utility room (only living room at night time with hubby & me there) but he does follow me upstairs I keep bedroom doors shut but he keeps weeing on the carpet on the landing!! I am trying to persuade hubby to put the kiddies stairgate back on but he isnt keen cause he has just decorated!!

Now, it has only been a week and I am prepared for the long haul as I knew he wasnt house trained when we got him but being new to owning a dog I could do with a little advice, thanks

 

Instead of letting him trot about and do stuff outside rather than his business pop a lead on him and take him, stand with him until he does go and then praise and reward. Take him to the same spot too so it is clearly associated with where the toilet is and taek him out a bit more often if you have to, you can never give them enoguh opportunities to go

 

Not sure if the this applies with younger dogs, but I think so.

Are you cleaning up after him properly, as in using an odour eliminating spray, I can recommend the rug doctor one, or others on here use biological washing powder, if not he can smell the urine in the places he has gone before and is likely to carry on doing it. You need to make sure you get rid of all traces. We thought our old boy had developed incontinence and started getting up in the night, taking him for proper wee walks at bedtime, restricting his water at night etc but as soon as we managed to get a product that cleaned up properly after him he stopped.

 

My house training methods

Eyes like a hawk
Crated when unable to directly supervise
Regular trips outside after waking, eating, playing
On a lead
Once emptied, reinforced for so doing by interaction with me, being off lead etc.

This means I never have to wait for long for my dogs to empty as play is contingent on emptying and, when older, it means I have to carry very few poo bags about as they empty on command in the garden before I go out etc.

 

Dougie was already used to a crate at his breeders so carried on with one. He always went in there to sleep so as soon as he woke up, outside for a pee. He was like clock work after a meal, always 10 minutes later so was out in the garden - we had a puppy pen so popped him in till he pood. Rest of the time watched him like a hawk, you get used to the signs he was about to do something. He did learn very quick and only had a couple of accidents which were our fault for not watching closely enough

 

I'm starting to get used to the signs and do watch him with beady eyes but he is so quick the second (and I literally mean second!!) that I go to do something he has a pee!

I do take him on the lead when we go into the garden and I take him to the same spot where he has had the odd pee but I think I will have to go more often every 15 mins or so to start I think.

Thanks for the advice on the odour eliminator, I have been using water and then an anti-bac spray on the carpets and kitchen sofa and disinfectant on the hard flooring but will use something else in the future.

Have also persuaded hubby to put back stair gate which is a result

 

This is what i have done (apologies if repeating) and not had any problems for a while now:
- outside for hourly toilet trips, does not go back inside until something has come out!
- any accidents cleaned up immediately with biological washing powder.
- when he wees outside he gets his cue word (wee wees ) followed by treat and lots of praise
- crated when left for ANY period of time
- straight out of the door first thing in the morning, no stopping for a drink/ sniff around as this was when we'd often have an accident!
- straight out for a wee after; food, nap, training, play session.

I would also suggest losing the newspaper- this is just introducing an unnecessary stage into his training. Once you've trained him to go on paper inside, you then have to train him not to!

 

Thanks for that although I am doing everything you have suggested he still wont go to toilet outside.

Am taking him out every half hour, I am spending ages outside with him and praising him loads if (occasionally!) he goes outside and no praise whatsoever when he goes inside.

I do feel in the 2 weeks he has been with us there is a bit of progress, because although he is going to toilet in the house he will only go on the newspaper and only has the odd accident if the kids hype him up too much, so I am a bit apprehensive about loosing the paper and ending up with more mess but do get the point about having to retrain him to go outside but was hoping that when we start going for walks next week he would naturally want to go to the toilet during these walks (I intend taking him at least 2 times a day)!

Just wondered if anyone has had success with putting newspaper down?

 

What I did with mine was to take her out every hour. or everytime she woke up, ate or drank. she was never crated, and to begin with never told off for going inside BUT, once I knew she had the idea then if she started to go she was removed to outside (and yes you do get a few trails) she's always on a lead when we go out to pee, so there's nothing interesting she can do to distract her, number 2's were always harder, not that she did them inside, but that they take longer to happen she does her once daily poo on our walk now, which is nice, as plenty of dog bins around this area.

 

Start moving the paper outside so he associates the paper with going outside?

 

I will start to move the paper out of the back door.

Today wasnt such a good day lots of accidents but that was because Archie didnt want to stay outside for long. We live 10 miles from a garrison town and they were letting off their guns all day and I think it spooked him.

Has anyone had any luck with puppy training spray or is that just a bit of a gimmick? Was wondering if I sprayed that on some cloth/tissue and left it on on a designated area in the garden he might go there?

 

his own urine smell will do. Use cleaning spray as recommended above on the areas where you don't want him to go. Even if he goes on newspaper indoors its better than him using carpets.