We have a fourteen week old standard dachshund. He arrived trained to use newpaper for his toilet, which he has been fairly reliable with, but although he will use the garden when taken there he shows no inclination whatsoever to go out and use it himself. He's also started to pee and poo away from the newspaper since we cut down the area of floor covered. Any ideas how we can encourage him to use the great outdoors? We've tried putting soiled paper in the garden, pegged out with bricks - he ignores it.

Hello Sweetpea and welcome to the Forum. You can use the Search facility here and type in House Training as this subject is often talked about ;) :) . One of the most useful old threads can be found here [link http://www.champdogs.co.uk/cgi-bin/board/topic_show.pl?tid=14670&hilite=House%20training#93836]House Training[/link]

HTH

Melody :)

Hi Sweetpea,
How are you enjoying your puppy?

We also have a new daschund, (a miniature smooth hair )who is also now fourteen weeks. We have had her six weeks now, and I decided to only leave the paper down for the first two weeks. I started off by putting her in the garden every hour and a half, and after every sleep. Don't worry if you have to keep taking him outside, he will get the message :). Our little one is already standing by the back door waiting to go out now.

Are you at home during the day, and how old was he when you got him?.

I take all her toys outside (not everytime, but quite often), so that she doesnt feel like the garden is just for doing her business. Take advantage of this good weather and maybe give him a nice chew to munch on outside so that he can spend some "enjoyable" time in the garden.

Is he holding himself all night yet? because Lottie went every night in the kitchen when we put the paper down, but stopped as soon as it wasn't there. We put her out for the last time about 11 ish and already she can hold herself all night until we get up at seven, so maybe its time to be brave and try not putting that paper down!

Best of luck though, I know they are all different, but what fab little dogs they are! Just keep praising him when he gets it right, and you will get there. Keep me updated on his progress, Jools

Hello Jools
The problem might lie with the fact that we didn't let George out into the garden until he was twelve weeks old ( we had him at eight weeks ) on advice from our vet, as we do get a lot of fox visits and he didn't complete his innoculations until twelve weeks. We've tried moving the paper nearer the door to the garden, but he's responded simply by ignoring it and doing everything on the living room carpet! He does occasionally go outside by himself, but not as far as we can see because he needs to go to the loo - simply because he fancies a mooch. We have a catflap which he's still small enough to get through, and he uses that freely, so it's not as if he can't get out there!
He does hold himself most of the night, nearly always waking at about six - we take him straight into the garden, where he performs nearly every time, but if we don't wake quickly enough he barks to let us know that the carpet has already received its free gift!

Jools, you seem to be right - George is gradually making progress with his house training, perhaps we were expecting too much from a puppy who is, after all, only three months old. I still think we could have cracked the problem long ago if he'd been able to go into the garden earlier, but the vet said he shouldn't so we stuck by that. Now, if we could just stop him barking at the cats............

re barking at the cats - get a spray bottle of water or a water pistol and when he barks at them squirt him! Trust me he won't like it.

Wendy

Have you tried fresh paper in the garden instead of soiled ???
Lel

Jools, you're sooooo right, they are fab little dogs.
I'll never be without a dachsie, they are such characters, so stubborn and willful for such a little dog.
Life is never boring with them, they're always up to something.
Sweetpea, is this your first?
I've got three minis, one of each coat. I am completely addicted to them and anything to do with the breed. They're fantastic.
You'll get a lot of pleasure out of your little one.
Good luck with the toilet training, they're not the easiest of breeds. Just remember, lots of praise when he does go outside.

George is our first Dachshund, our first dog ever in fact, other than when we were both kids. He is a real character, and we wouldn't be without him, in spite of the housetraining problems.
We did have a vision of enjoying the garden, beavering away at the flower beds, while George got on with his own doggy things, or simply sunbathed and watched us. The reality is that, while we do the work, George takes himself indoors and sleeps on a bean bag!
He very much enjoyed his first trip to the coast a few days ago, digging in the sand - he's finally discovered what those huge shovels on the ned of his front legs are for - and meeting other dogs, he does socialise very well, and is fabulous off the lead - follows us everywhere. He wasn't too impressed by the sea, though - he stood at the edge, but didn't realise that it was about to chase him up the beach, not until he was up to his very low slung chest in freezing cold water!

sweetpea, is he long/wire/smooth?
My three love the beach aswell. People often think they are lap dogs, but they can walk for England, these little chaps.
What made you decide on a dachsie?
I got my first when i was 12. I've had 6 in total now. My first lived to be nearly 16, and it was her that got me hooked.
My mother has a standard smooth and my friend has a standard wire, which came from rescue. There are quite a lot near me, but otherwise they're not a breed that you often see.
George sounds like a lovely little character.

Dear Snoopy
George is a smooth coated, standard black/tan. We're Chris and Mandy, sweetpea is actually the name of one of our two cats, but all the other possible usernames were taken! Mandy had always wanted a Dachshund since she was a young girl, as a neighbour had one, so we all chipped in for her 40th birthday and George arrived on 15th February.
There's one other dachshund in our village, a miniature smooth black/tan, but alas his owners aren't all that friendly so swapping notes isn't possible. I (Chris) used to work in Henley on Thames, and there are a few there, one lady in particular being well known around town for her two miniatures, which she was utterly devoted to.
George is a bit young for long walks at the moment, we don't want to risk his back or hips by overdoing it, in fact his walk along the beach last weekend was really a one mile walk to a cafe followed by a backbreaking carry back, with George hiding inside my coat and moaning about the wind in his face all the way. Actually, he doesn't enjoy walking on the lead at all, so any tips you can give to encourage him would be welcome.
Your mother's friend was lucky to find a rescue dachshund - we visit the Battersea dogs home at Windsor regularly, and they say they've only had one in the last six years. Perhaps that's a good sign , that the people of Berkshire look after their Dachshunds!
Today has been averagely successful - toilets outside, but a couple of 'spot' wees on the carpet as well, plus one poo on the one remaining piece of indoor paper. But still no inclination to go out under his own steam and perform.

Don't worry Chris, he will eventually.
Bronwen, my friends rescue, came from dachsie rescue. I'd just lost one of mine and was put on their waiting list. You could be on it for years depending on what you want.
I got a phone call from the lady in Herefordshire who does dachsie rescue, stating she had a standard wire looking for a home. I'd only just arranged to pick up a dog from a friend of mine, who breeds, so i couldn't take her. My friend was looking for a dog at the time and she has had a dachsie in the past, so it was arranged that she would adopt her. We had to drive down to Sheffield to pick her up, which is nearly 3 hours from Durham. So if you're prepared to wait, don't mind which size, coat or sex, and are prepared to travel, then you're probably not going to wait as long. But yes you're definately right, there are few that get into rescue, fortunately.
Dachshunds are renowned for being stubborn so persevere with the lead walks, he will get used to it, he's still very much a baby. My dogs have generally been six months or older when they've come to live with me. They've come from breeder friends who haven't been able to show or breed from them, but want a good pet home.
Have you got George insured? As you are aware, they have back problems. Two of mine have needed surgery for their backs, and it has cost an awful lot of money, the last time it was just under 1000pounds.
Anyway good luck with the toilet training and the lead walks, you will get there.:)

Hello again Snoopy
George certainly is insured! We've had both our cats insured for years, ever since one of them was knocked over by a car and the vet's bill came to over 700 pounds, and knowing of the breed back problems we wouldn't dream of not having him insured.
His breeder - who has two bitches, and only breeds every second year - tells us that she has had three dachshunds before, and hasn't had any back problems yet. Whether this is just a good sales pitch, or the honest truth, is anybody's guess, but our gut feeling is to trust her - she's a genuine dachshund lover, and a nice lady. I wonder what proportion of dachshunds suffer from back problems? Perhaps it's time for breeders to start being realistic and get those backs a bit shorter, while keeping the other characteristics! Their faces are one of their nicest features, along with their characters, so we wouldn't be loosing much.

your right there Chris.
I was recently talking to a breeder, who stated she'd never had any backproblems either.
Most of mine have come from small time breeders. The one i've got now Biddy, who has had the back problem, her mother possibly came from a puppy farm. She was rescued by the lady who i then got Biddy from.
I think it's more common in miniatures as well.

A minor triumph today - I pointed to the catflap, Told George to go in the garden, and he immediatly popped out through it, pee'd, and came back in. That's the first time he's done that without someone taking him out there!

Yeh :D

Knew he would get there, he just wants to do it in his own time :D

Hows he getting on in other ways? Do you have children at home? Lottie has become best friends with our British Blue Cat, who is massive. They play fight and wrestle for hours at a time. It is absolutely hilarious to watch, you cant really believe it until you see it, but they are definitely getting on well!

Congratulations, its great when a plan comes together isn't it? Lol.
Hope he keeps up with it. :D

no kids, just the two cats, one of which is deaf following a road accident so when George barks at her she just thinks he's an enthusiastic mime artist. The other cat is a huge thuggish tabby, who could easily see him off, but in fact is terrified of him and we hardly see him indoors during the day - he sneaks in at night and stomps about on us in bed as a form of revenge for introducing this yob into the house. It did look promising at first, with dog and cat sniffing each other in an interested sort of way, but as soon as George found his bark all hell was let loose.
Other than that he's doing fine - the trip to the beach has started him digging, which meant today that the vegetable plot got a double-dose of cultivation, one from me followed by one from George. He's also obsessed with pulling canadian pond weed from our pond and eating it, even the tadpoles are complaining.

Dear all
Thanks for everyone's help in the past week. We're pleased to say that we shouldn't have worried, George has made his own arrangements and is now officially HOUSETRAINED!

:)

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He's lapsed, after several perfect days, he's started to pee in the house again, and even poo on occasion! Always on newspaper when it's been available, but it would be much nicer if he'd stick to the garden!

Sweetpea,
Don't worry, so has Lottie!!!

She has done exactly the same as your little man!. Kept putting her out but came in and waited until we went out and then pooed on the kitchen floor (NICE!!!)

Its hard to not be angry at them, but I am going right back to basics. I just refused to look at her, said bad girl and put her straight into the garden. Then when she done something outside, loads of praise, (and a chocolate drop, when she finally done another poo outside!).

I guess what we have to remember is that they are still very young, but they seem to already be very good at lulling us into a false sense of security :D

Hows everything else going. Is he walking on the lead yet? or have you tried any training yet.

Keep me posted. Best regards, Jools

Puppies are like children. They learn something new and forget something else:D The only thing is to go right back to basics. Be firm and consistent and it will come back.

Pam n the boys

It's not only children, Pammy - my husband's brain is full now. If he needs to learn something new it means he has to forget something to make room. ;)

lol@JG

Thanks Pam. That's what we're doing, there's no other option, and yesterday we had a good day - although he still did a 'spot wee' indoors before we caught him! The annoying thing is, because we have a cat flap he has access to the garden at all times, and often takes himself out there to play, so there's no real excuse for doing anything indoors. Apart from having a warm bum, of course.

Frustrating though, isn't it? Made even more so by all the dachshund websites I keep seeing which say that gthey're difficult or even impossible to housetrain reliably. I can't believe all those nice ladies I remember when I was a kid who had dachshunds were constantly clearing up accidents in their spotless houses.
In every other way he's a lovely dog, very affectionate and fun. He's walking on the lead ( an extending lead - he didn't take to a normal short lead very well ) but even more so he walks perfectly off the lead! Never more than a few yards from us, and usually at our heels. Even on a beach with lots of distracting dogs around he stuck pretty much with us, and loved it. He does all the usual things which puppies do - pinching shoes, nipping hands ( we're getting on top of that though with lots of ignoring and time-outs ), and stealing the tv remote control, but he'll turn out to be a great mamber of the family, I'm sure.
If you fell you can trust the people on this site - and they seem a pretty nice bunch - put your e-mail address in your reply, and we'll send you some pictures of him!

Hi again Sweatpea, Yes I would love to see some piccies of the little man causing you all this trouble!!! jmcockayne@hotmail.com :)

I removed the paper altogether and placed it outside the door with curtain tied back so he could see it through the glass and bingo it worked even though he went on the garden instead of the paper so i killed two birds with one stone as they say

We tried that, but outdoors he ignores the paper completely - in fact, even indoors he will only use paper which is completely clean, paper with previous wee's on it to give him the right idea are rejected! But thanks for the suggestion, anyway.............