Hello! Is there anyone out there who can give me some advice on how to house train my 6 month old Patterdale X terrier? He is a fantastic puppy, and absolutely brilliant with my five year old son, but I am at my wits end as to how I can get him to go outside. Daytimes are not too bad at the moment because I am home for the majority of the day, and I can just stand outside with him when I think he will need to go, but whenever I leave the house (even if it is just to go and get something out of the shed) he will take the opportunity to go on the floor. Nights are also a huge problem - I come downstairs reasonably early in the morning to let him outside, only to find he has already been several times!!

What I need to know is whether I am expecting too much of him at this stage? 6 months seems quite young still, but many other people I know have puppies younger than him who are already 'dry', or at least able to hold their bladders for more than a few minutes when their owner leaves the house!

The most disconcerting thing is that I have heard so many bad stories about Patterdale terriers since I got him - a lot of people have just told me that it is 'impossible' to train a Patterdale, and that they just try and escape the whole time. I have to say that my puppy (Woody) doesn't do this, and certainly isn't difficult in any other respect - I just wish I could stop the messing!! A couple of Patterdale owners I have met have had to resort to keeping their dogs in an outside run because they couldn't cure the housetraining or escaping problems, but I would like to avoid this option if at all possible.

If I thought that there were at least some other Patterdale owners out there who had successfully trained their dogs, it would give me some small ray of hope!

Many thanks

Lara

Hi lara ?
Patterdales are no harder to train than any other dog. If you say he wees a lot, maybe a trip to the vet will rule out any urine infection, which would explain increased urination. Try sleeping him in a cage at night, use it as his bed. Most dogs are reluctant to wee on their beds and can provide a good start. Other than keep putting him outside, I can't really suggest anything else. Loads of praise when he wees outside etc... Do not get up in the night, he expects that and you are drawing attention to him, that in itself may be a problem. Others who have had a little more experience may suggest other things for you. Good luck, and keep your Patterdale mentally stimulated, to keep his mind active, as a working Terrier it is essential.
Dawn.

Hi Dawn

I've had him checked out by the vet, and he doesn't have any infections. I did buy a cage for him, but I didn't know whether it was being too unkind to shut him in it at night, so I will certainly give that a try!

I was so glad to hear that as a breed, Patterdales are no different to train than any other dog - you wouldn't believe how much 'negative' information I've received since getting him! I am certainly going to keep persevering - thanks a lot for your ideas.

Lara

hate to say it, but as someone with a fair bit of experience with patterdales, I tend to disagree with dawn. they are generally more difficult to train! :(
good luck
sam

Strange that Sam, I have worked around them for about 16yrs and I don't find them any more difficult as dogs than most others. I do however (as we have said before) think they are primarilly a working Terrier and their temperament is typical of that, perhaps getting them into trouble easier than other dogs if not kept in check.
Dawn.

Thanks for your comments Sam and Dawn. Tried keeping the cage door shut last night (I went to bed around midnight so that he wouldn't be shut in too long). Nightmare - he just pooed and weed as if it were any other part of the house! I suppose it was at least contained in a very small area! I didn't hear any howling or whining in the night, so I don't think having to mess in his own sleeping area bothers him much!

He gets plenty of exercise, mental stimulation and attention during the day, and I'm still watching him constantly to try and spot signs of him needing to go outside. I take him outside after meals, play sessions, sleeping, etc, and reward him as soon as he does anything, but the message just doesn't seem to be sinking in (I've been doing this for months now!)

Can either of you tell me how long it took to housetrain the Patterdales you have known? Thanks.

well the 4 that belong to my family...2 took 12 months or so & the other 2 never! Spoke to my friend who breeds them & he has one (out of 20ish!) that comes indoors the rest are kennelled & not reliable in the house training dept.

The ones I board are fine, but they are all house pets, not workers and I would imagine no problem in the house training department, the ones that belong to friends and the ones I work with are workers and live outside so I don't know how they would be indoors.
Dawn.

Oh dear :(

Thanks a lot for the information - I am clearly going to have to re-think how we deal with him in the house (or whether he may need an outdoor run or something similar). Had a terrible day with him today - in addition to what happened last night, he did the same on two more occasions today, and I only left the house for half an hour each time!

Lara

Hi Lara

How long it takes to housetrain a puppy is up to the individual dog whatever breed it is! Some pick it up straight away - others take a little longer and others take simply ages. Regressions in training are perfectly normal though so you can expect misshaps without feeling a failure.
Back to the drawing board and start from the beginning! Clean everywhere he has eliminated with something like bleach to take all the odour and residue away making him less inclined to use the scent to go where he has been before.
You are doing the right thing by standing with him when he is out and praising him when he goes. Carry on like that - it's just going to take a little longer for the penny to drop! Pop him in his crate when you go out if you are only gone for half an hour then take him straight out to potty if he wants to. Leave him a toy in his crate to keep him occupied while you are gone. Don't feel like you are being mean - it's a means to an end! :)
The habit of eliminating in the house has to be substituted for the habit of eliminating outside.
Good luck
Lara

Hello Lana. First of all, let me just give a big huuug. Poor you!
My experience of Patterdales - I have only met one who belongs to my sister. She has virtually given up on him because of this, even though he comes back to her when he is off the lead, he does not damage things and is just a lovely little dog. Amazingly, his name is Woody too! These people have been offering good advice and I feel it is early days for your puppy. Give him time. xx

Oh my God!
Sorry to hear of your troubles Lara.
Im afraid I have no advice for you but a message that you may not be alone.
We have just been given a 6 month old female Patterdale,today!! to look after for a week with a view to a permanent home.
So far so good, she has weed outside on the lead once, has been great with our 4.5 year old boy and is friendly and exceedingly cute!
After reading this thread I have been looking at her in a different light and wondering what I am going to find in the morning!!!!!
Good luck with yours and I will try to let you know how we get on
Jonah

Thanks for the messages of encouragement!!

I am definitely feeling more positive about the situation this week - Woody is after all still only quite young, and it may just be that he will take a lot longer than most other dogs. As far as I am concerned, he is definitely worth the effort :) Does anyone have any thoughts on whether changing the diet makes any difference to how often they need to go? At the moment he just eats one of the less expensive dry 'complete mix' foods.

Good luck with your new puppy Jonah - I hope you didn't find any nasty surprises this morning (unlike me!) Where did you get her from? I agree that they seem to be amazingly friendly dogs - Woody is brilliant with my five year old, and he too is just so cute. Would love to hear how you get on.

Lara

If it is a cheap cereal based food, then dogs often poo a lot more. Try a small bag of Burns or a very good quality other brand to see if it makes a difference.
Dawn.

Thanks for the suggestion Dawn. I went to the vet's today to enquire about a better food for him, and they recommended 'James Well Beloved' (organic). Have tried a bit of it with him tonight, mixed in with some of his old food. Fingers crossed! :)

Lara

Hi Lara,
I know its a while since you posted your problem on the notice board - but I have to know how you've got on with your patterdale's house training. We have an 18 month old patterdale bitch and she was no bother to house train. In fact that was the easiest thing to teach her. She goes to training classes every week with our other dog (dachshund/border terrier cross) who's very good. She's been going since she was 12 weeks old and is very good at heel work on the lead (not so good off it though) can see no point whatsoever in any kind of stay work (sit stays are hard when you've got a spring up your bottom) out for walks she will chase any thing that runs but I have almost sucessfully trained her to come to a whistle for treats and that usually works well. She is a terrier and has that 'terrier thing' that makes them so special and frustrating and an acquired taste! She loves most people and likes nothing better than to sit on your knee and watch animal programs on the tv. I hope you don't feel that you have to keep your dog outdoors because I think people who do that must miss out on a lot of what their dog has to offer. stick with it if you can some dogs are slow learners but they get there in the end!
Judi