Hello all, I have just booked a week in Keswick in the Lake District with our new pride and joy our bullmastiff puppy...........he is really well behaved and is coming on really well with training. He always goes outside for his toilet and will let us know when he wants to go. Do you suggest anything specific when going to stay in a different house........we have a cottage for the week, he will be 19 weeks old when we go. He still sleeps in his crate but the door is open at night and he has the kitchen to roam around in the night but we never hear a peep from him...........I just want to make sure I make the new location as comfortable as possible and he sees it as a new experience rather than being frightened..........

> He always goes outside for his toilet and will let us know when he wants to go

Sounds silly but make SURE he knows where the door to outside is, different rooms with a bunch of 'new' doors......... which one is out :-D
Have a great time and don't walk him too far :-)

Thank you.......I have read lots about not walking this breed to much as a puppy as he is growing and will be such a big and heavy dog to allow his joints to settle and grow. Can I ask a silly question..how far is too far.......we only plan on flat walks around the lakes and with plenty of rest stops for him (and us !) but is this based on distance or time ?

I would treat him as though he was still a small pup learning to be housetrained. They don't always associate what they have learnt at home to be the required behaviour in a different environment. Make sure you take him out after meals, play, drinking, sleeping etc to encourage the idea that house training applies to all indoor places.

I remember taking my puppy to my parents' house - brilliant at his housetraining so I had no worries about taking him on to their new carpet - and he promptly piddled on their carpet :-)

ETA - just noticed the walking question. The rule of thumb is to walk them for 5 minutes for every month of their age so at 3 months it would be 15 minutes walking, 4 months would be 20 minutes etc. Once they have fully matured they can walk as far and for as long as they can take :-)

At this age your puppy should average 20 - 25 minutes a day walking.  That literally means 10 mintes there and 10 minutes back.

At 19 weeks you'll still be all about the socialisation and not about the walking so - you can drink coffee by the lake, eat fish and chips on a town bench, feed the ducks, talk to old ladies, and generally hang around pub gardens.  What a lovely holiday!!

Seriously though do not attempt to go on walks, just pootling around the towns and villages, and watching the day go by will be quite enough.  Make sure to give him plenty of down time and allow for feeding on the move (carry a fleece and water bowl).  Have a nice time :)