I have a 12 week old Westie who is driving me to dispair and I was just wondering whether I am a failure as a pet owner or whether it is just normal to feel this way. Firstly she is not treat orientated or fuss orientated and therefore I am struggling with house training. I take her out every 30 mins but as I have said on here before she will just lie down in the garden and completely ignore the reason that she is out there. When she does perform I reward her and get overjoyed with her but she eats the treat but doesn't really seem that bothered. I am confident that she understands that she should pee outside but even when the door is open she does it in the house. I do not get angry with her just clean it up so it is not the fear factor that is stopping her performing. I feel like I am forever telling her "no" to everything i.e, biting, barking etc. How can you train a dog that isn't bothered about whether she is treated or not? I am seriously suffering from the puppy blues! Does or did anyone else feel like this with their puppies?

you sound so sad and you should be enjoying your little puppy. i'm not an expert at all but i have an 8 month old border terrier and everyday is fun and it would be great if you felt the same.
are you taking her out into the garden even if she doesn't need the loo ?. if so she probably doesn't know why she's out there. my pup always needed to tiddle after he had eaten, played or slept. if you pop her outside fairly soon after these three activities you should catch her. then you can reward her and make a fuss.
good luck and i'm sure things will get better soon.

val

OK, you have done a good job at training yourself into a corner of frustration. Relax, 12 weeks is too soon to expect your pup to be clean, I know, your friend has one that is. Tell you what, someone always does. Calm down, it's not a contest, carry on as you are but accept you may not get there until the pup is 6 months. Now I am sure you will get there before that but if you tell yourself 6 months then you will be pleased if it turns out to be 4.

Forget the training, enjoy the pup, they don't get to 3 month again. Loads of time to become house trained, but a pup of 12 weeks only comes this way once. And whats a misplaced pee between really good mates.

Poor you, you really have got the blues, haven't you? :( Honestly, it does get better. Have you any books on puppy training? If not, "The Perfect Puppy" by Gwen Bailey explains many things very simply and is easy to understand.

We have all felt like this at one time with our little darlings. Please don't give up.
:)

Edited to add: Soon you'll be able to take pup out for walks which will help. :)

Just a very quick note to let you know that most new puppy owners feel the same way :) Puppy Blues I think the term is :D I loathed Hudson for a while , but it DOES pass ...she WILL get the idea of house training ...she WILL remember what no means ...stick at it and you will be rewarded :)

Melody :)

Bless your heart PJB. I know EXACTLY how you feel. I have a 6 month old Yorkie and she was not treat oriented either. She was not completely housetrained until she was 4 months old either. I remember posting on CD feeling the same way you do. I was told the same, it will get better. It's hard to believe at the time, because you are so frustrated, but indeed it DOES get better. Someone on CD suggested that I cook liver and cut it into small bite size pieces. Liver was the key to my success at housetraining. She loved it and everytime she did her "business" outside I would give her a liver treat. The other thing that worked for me was that I took her out in the garden on her lead. That way she wouldn't just walk around and sniff and want to play. I would just keep repeating "go potty". I know it's hard and your not alone. I think everyone has felt the way you feel. So don't dispair, it WILL get better, I promise you. Shirl :D

I also sympathise, PJB, I know just how you are feeling. Personally I never enjoyed the puppy stage that much as there seems to be so many things you need to focus on to make sure your little one develops into the kind of dog you want him to be. Sometimes you can simply forget to have some fun.

But gradually things will click into place and you'll be over the worst. The bond between you will grow and grow and before you know it you'll be head over heels in love :D

Best of luck

Joyce

This has been an often repeated phenomenon on this board. It seems to be a bit like baby blues, especially when the puppy has been long awaited and planned for, it is like the reality is a bit too much, and dare I say a bit of a let down.

A lot like parenthood!

If you use the search facility on this site you will see similar posts. Can't hink what word s to use, tryt coping with pup and see what comes up.

Honest just persevewre anbd it will get better. Most pups are housetrained by 6 to 12 months.

H
Like the others I would say 12 weeks is much too young to expect a dog to be fully housetrained .
Gus was pretty good day and night at about 4 months although every now and again he will still do the odd pee in the house.
Dont be angry or upset with pup - he is a baby still . Enjoy him and all his little antics :D
Lel
Ps
dont compare yourself or pup to others either . You always meet someone who says "my pup did this at such and such an age etc" .
Dont feel put down by this - remember all pups are different just like children
And NO!!!! you are not a failure !
Enjoy pup - everything comes in time

neither of my two were housetrained before 6 months.;). they could be outside for ages and then run in and go straight into the hallway and wee. :). dont despair!.

I agree,don't compare your pup with others.I have a 3 year old staffie girl and she house trained so quickly i don't even remember it,but i have a 4 month old staffie boy as well now and he is a nightmare,behaviour wise he is doing great but the toilet training is a pain,if the back door is open he will go out,if it is closed he will do it on the paper during the day but at night he thinks he can go wherever he likes,the paper rarely gets used.I get really frustrated but don't show it as i know the day will come when he'll be fine and i probably won't even notice that it has finally happened!!Good luck with your pup and as everyone has said-enjoy the puppy months,they don't come again and it doesn't last forever.:)

Hi Angeleyes
I am another Staffy lover .
Gus is 6 months old now - what colour and lines are your two from ?
Lel

it makes life so difficult when your dog is not treat or fuss orientated. Luckily mine likes treats but to this day fuss means nothing to her, weird. Try and find a toy or game that pup likes and use that as a treat. Having a puppy is very difficult but i'm sure you are not a failure. My family were always laughing at me because i was forever shouting "megan, no!" all day long. However once you get through toilet training things start to get better.

You do sound sad, don't worry though, terriers can sometimes be a little difficult with training and housetraining after all is training. They have a mind of their own and because they are quite bright little dogs, they will pick up on things.

You might be feeling angry and without you knowing, be passing these vibes onto her. Dogs are very sensitive to our feelings, even if we try to hide them.

Firstly I would ask what you are feeding. I have done a basic course on canine nutrition and you will be surprised what food does to dogs. If you are feeding a tin (wet) food, check the labeling and see if they mention "meat and animal derivatives", if this is the case......change your food!! M and D derivatives basically means all the nasty bits that no-one else wants, these unfortunately include feet, feathers, horns, teeth, beaks etc and there is not only very little food value in this meat, but also a lot of waste. The same goes for the complete kibble (dry) foods, always stear clear of M & D derivatives. Also look out for the word "fresh", this basically means the whole animal, which includes very food meat, all the nasty bits and also water. If you think that our body is approx 80% water, although the food may be baked, ie. dry, what happens to water when you cook it.....it disappears. So all you are left with is the meat/bond/nasty bits etc which doesn't leave a lot of goodness in each meal.

All the nasty bits are not digestable and therefore will produce a lot of waste. The " better quality" foods, and there are lots out there, you just have to search hard for some of them, contain human grade meat and only the digestable bits, therefore less waste.

Hopefully I haven't rambled on for too long....but this may be your problem. Another thing I would suggest is to confine her to one room/area, which is easy to clean up and watch her. This area needs to be near a door and then when she looks remotely like she needs the loo, rush her out the door and keep her outside for about 10-15 mins. If she lies down and is silly, sit on the floor and ignore her (unless it's raining, then try and find something to hide in or under), don't say a word until she either goes (in which case calmly praise her, give her a very tasty treat, maybe a bit of cooked liver) and take her indoors to play. If her time is up, don't get cross, just take her indoors, place her in her confined area with some toys and ignore her for about 15-30 mins. If she goes in the pen/crate, ignore it until it's time for her to come out and then clear it up, BUT if it's poo.....don't laught at this.......punish the poo!!!!! Really get cross with it, shout at it, tell it it's dirty and take it outside, still telling it off and throw it away. I know this sounds completely crazy, but trust me it works. I have had a few clients who have tried it and it has worked everytime, some take a little longer than others, but it has worked.

Good luck and please enjoy your puppy and don't think I am mad!!!!! :D

manda
XX

Cheer up,
I have a 7 month old lurcher pup, and he is STILL not housetrained. I do know why though, and it is mostly down to the fact that he sleeps in my kitchen, and doesnt get the idea that you go before bed time, and not in the night!
Also, he is very scared to go into the garden at night, as my dogs have suffered several attacks in the dark by a neighbours GSD cross! So i dont blame him!

Still, it is VERY upsetting when what you thought would be fun, turns out to be misery.
I can only echo what the others have said, DONT pay too much attention to how well other peoples dogs are doing, they are not your dogs, nor are they in your house, adn lets face it, there are not many people who will admit that a pup is not clean in the house!!!!!!

Apart from food (where all i can say is feed raw, i do, its great!!!!!!!!!!), is it possible that you are paying your pup TOO MUCH attention?
Puppies at 12 weeks get tired very very quickly, and need a lot of sleep, in short bursts usually. On the one hand, you dont want to be leaving the pup too long on its own, but there again, if you are paying it attention all the time, day in day out, it will both come to expect it, and also not be all that interested in you as a source of fun, and reward!

Have you crate trained her?
Not all puppies take to it, but most do (not my irritating lurcher pup though, any one want him, going spare!!!). Pick a crate that is not too big, it should be big enough to let the pup lie down comfortably, and turn around, sit and stand. But, if it is too big, then the pup can also poop in it, and you want to avoid that!
Then, once you have made the den a safe, and cosy place to be fed, and sleep in, you can use it when you cant watch the pup, or want it to have some alone time (very important, unless you want the pup to need you with it 24/7 for the rest of its life!!!).
This time alone, in a crate is great. As long as the pup is not left so long that it is forced to toilet in there, then that will be the one place it will hang on in!
Then, after every game, feed, sleep, crate time, let the pup out into the garden. But, only for a few minutes. If it goes, praise and treat, along with the word you want to use to ask it to perform later on in life. If not, back in the crate for a little longer, or keep a very close eye on it.
Another good tip, is to clean the areas the pup has accidentally soiled inside the house, with washing powder, NOT ammonia based cleaning products, as these will attract her back to that spot.
also, if she does mess in the house, transfer that mess to the spot outside that you want her to use, and leave it there for a couple of days, that should attract her to that spot.

You can start other kinds of training this young, i use the clicker training method, and it has worked briliantly with stubborn lurcher puplet Dill. I hate to brag, but at just 8 weeks (i did have him from 6 weeks old) he had an excellent sit! all using clicker training.
Just remember, only do a few minutes training a couple of times a day, they do learn much faster at this age, but also, brain exercise is as tiring as physical exercise!!!!!!

Good luck, but mostly, dont panic, it will happen, just dont stress out about it!

Emma

Hi Lel,my girl is white with a black ear and my boy is black/brindle with a white nose,white chest and white socks.They are both pedigree but with no papers(purely pets not show dogs!)

Hi Angel
my boy is black brindle too with a white chest
What have you called them both ?

"Been there and done that" ... puppies can be very frustrating.

If Westies are anything like Cairns, and I expect they are, they will not have enough bladder control until they are about 12 weeks old to be able to hold it in waiting to go outside, even if she tried.

Do not be concerned if your Westie does not seem overjoyed about food or praise. The reason house training works is routine and habit, not the rewards. I got my Cairn when she was 10 weeks old and immediately started housetraining with a food reward. On the second day she was already squatting outside -- no wet spot -- just to get the treat. Very smart and very food oriented. Did she housetrain any sooner because of it? Nope.

It is tiring and incredibly boring and frustrating -- but she will eventually figure it out. Biting will take some time - don't expect her to stop until she is well over teething. She should start to get her adult teeth in another month or so. Keep telling her no, of course.

Patience. Have some fun with the puppy and relax a bit!

Stacey

Hi All,

Just wanted to thank all of you for the kind words and encouragement. I think that I am just getting to hung up on the whole thing. I have to admit that I think reading books is just making it worse. I put in a lot of research before getting the puppy so that I didn't go in "blind" and I guess I just thought things would be a bit easier. I have never understood until now why people have puppies and then give up on them so soon after having them but maybe we judge these people too much. Don't worry I will be perservering with my little one. I guess that we should just be grateful of the things that she does get right like sleeping through the night until 6.30am from the second night of having her and not be so down on the other bits. Anyway sorry to ramble on and thankyou to all of you again.
PJB

I sympathise with you, just when we think Sydney is behaving, yesterday hubby wakes to find Sydneys version of the close encounter mashed potatoe episode (cept it aint mash) on the kitchen floor. Then later the same morning he goes and leaves another mountain (he really is getting good at them has the little walking trails carved out as well) on the carpet for hubby to clean up (lucky it was hubby te he he) what made it worse was the backdoor was wide open.. Then decides to water the carpet the same afternoon, perhaps because its green he thinks its grass. . (once again hubby on duty gotta grin though). It can be really frustrating and a disapointment when they are naughty. Sydney wasnt really food orientated at first, but he loves his lion, howver I cant take it everywhere with me to training as it a draught door thingy about 2 1/2 feet long.

Cheer up and just have a look at that little bundle that has only you, - for comfort, guidance and a loving hand. I always look at my pups lovely brown eyes and little face and everything else dissapears.

Hi PJB ,

I think all us puppy owners are going through the same . I also thought we had Oscar off to a tee but then he starts going a toilet in the house , wherever he seems to have no preference . I take him in the garden on a lead and say "go toilet" that way he cant wander off and dig the garden up . Not been nice today though rain and mud everywhere .
Anyway we went out today and got the book "The perfect Puppy" by G.Bailey - they had two copies though one was first published in 1995 and costs £12.99 and the other published last yr for £4.99 , anyway got the £12.99 one! Is this the one everyone has been talking about ? Has words and illustrations?
Oscar isgoing through this nutty stage though his 10 weeks and i feel about 100.
Good thing is kids are back to school monday and Oscar can start going out on wednesday so should use up some of that energy .
Oscar is not that food orientated either and is too laid back for fussy praise , though i have found that he responds really well to the clicker we have.

If your anywhere nr worcestershire your more than welcome to bring your pup round perhaps they can wear each other out LOL :)

Gwen Bailey has written "The Perfect Puppy" (usually £12.99) and "The Ideal Puppy" which is a smaller book and is probably the £4.99 one. The Perfect Puppy is definitely the better book training-wise once you've got your puppy - the other one seems more about how to choose the puppy in the first place.
:)

Great that the one I got .

Hehe Jacky, had to chuckle when I read your post!

Hi Lel,my girl is called Angel and my boy is called Tyson (was going to be Tyler but changed at the last minute!)

good name ( Tyler ) my little boy is called Tyler after a race horse as it goes!! and no I'm not a gambler:D

Alison

can i just add that my little finlay was a pain to train - still not there - most days if the door is open he will go out, but in this rain - he won't ask, and if i forget to put him out every hour or so then i get puddles etc. On the training front - as in commands - i despaired over training him - if i got down to train him he would just lie on my lap and fall asleep, nothing worked, praise - treats, nothing, until i decided to make up the liver cake that everyone raves about - my god - within 5 minutes - both dogs (finn and his mum) knew the pot they were in and can't do enough to get the treats. He is still a puppy and still gets it wrong at times but it worked - we have sit and laydown off to a tee now, and gis your paw, his recall in the garden was terrible - he jsut went deaf totally, few times with a liver treat and he will come every time now.

NIkki xx

Hi
Can you offer any of the names for dog food as suggested or anyone else here! As our dog has "fresh" on his . What type should we look for ? He is on a complete dry food.

Hi Nikki
Liver cake? Please let me and other novices/chefs into the secret. I would love to know the recipe.Anything to bribe a pup.........
Here's hoping, Sandy

if you do a search you'll find the recipe, but I can't do that link, I'm too tired....
:)

well the recipe i have is -

8oz liver - preferably lambs
4oz self raising flour
2 eggs
2 cloves of garlic

mix it all well
then cook for about 30 -40 minutes at about 200 degrees

also to make crispy treats - cut up really small - put back in oven at a lower heat until crunchy - my dogs love both

Nikki x

Yes- I have found that if it is still soft you have to freeze it and only take it out in small quantities or it goes mouldy. If you bake it longer and it goes crisp, then it will keep - like biscuits - for much longer just in a tin.

Daisy

OT but not really you can substitute 2 cans of sardines for the liver and proceed as before
Anne

I'll try that :) Our older dog is really good at agility, but only if I have a bit of liver biscuit in my hand as we go round :) Otherwise his speed drops considerably. (We don't do competitive as he is nervous in an unfamiliar location :( )

Thanks for the tip

Daisy