can anyone give me any advice as to getting my pup to go to the loo in the garden he sneaks off upstairs to do it or anywhere you can see him. hates the wind and rain if i shut him out he just barks and whines at the door not even going anywhere near the grass.
also any tips on stopping him chewing my door frames and skirting boards in my kitchen i work nights so he stays in there on a monday and tuesday ive given him toys and puppie bones but he still does it
thanks sam >:)

For the house training bit I would suggest that you read the other posts on the subject first as they cover a lot of this

Best idea in my opinion is to take the puppy out into the garden every half an hour or do and give him a command (we use Hurry Up! for a pee and Be Quick! for a dump) keep him outside until he does something and then be lavish with praise and let him come inside. Each time he wakes from a sleep , has something to eat or drink take him outside. The idea is to help him realise that outside is good rather than inside is bad . He shouldnt be shut outside at a very young age especially as he doesnt know why he is there.

Have you tried crating him when you are out? Putting him into a crate and giving him his toys would save your kitchen furniture as long as you aren't out for hours and hours

Hope that helps a bit

:)

Melody

Tilly, you'll need to stay out with the pup until it does what you want - then instantly praise it (as mentioned in other responses to queries aboutthe same subject). Also keep a careful eye on it, and when you see it sneaking off upstairs, quickly take it out. You've really got to be on the ball with puppies - it is hard work, but the rewards repay it 100 fold :-) I'd say he's chewing the wooden door frames because they're the right 'hardness' to relieve his teething pains - you can try some Bongella on his gums to help relieve the pain, and see if you can't find other toys that have a little more 'give'.......... If you're working nights what arrangements do you have for him during the days when I assume you're trying to sleep?

Fran

crating is the trick to saving the kitchen, read up on it first, cause you can't leave puppies in them for more than there age in months plus 1 hour. So if the puppy is 2 months, only three hours and then they need to be let out for potty and play. Read up on the other posts about this subject.

So if your puppy is 6 months old then, you can leave it in a caged for 7 hours !!
I don't think so

My God if you dont have time to housetrain your dogs you shouldnt have one simple as that!!

A bit harsh Mattie, don't you think? Tilly has come to this site to ask for advice, NOT CRITICISM!!! She obviously cares, otherwise she would not have bothered to find the site. Come on, all you people out there - how about a bit of constructive REAL advice?!!!

Sharon

I wasnt aiming at Tlly as it happens I was aiming it generally,There is a lot of constructive advice on here and the toilet training has recently been well covered.
Puppies need consistency in their lives like babies,I feel that we should be prepared to put ourselves out a bit in the early days,I realise most of us have to work but if you cant give the commitment in the early days why bother buying a puppy. And that isnt aimed at anyone in particular.

Oh Leigh, sorry if you don't understand the method of proper crate training, maybe you should read up on the subject!
I endorse proper crate training which doesn't condone leaving a dog in the crate for that long of time, except at night.
I see in your other post that you don't believe in this method and that is just fine, I'll stick by my method of crating though, my dogs are healthy, happy, well adjusted and well loved!

>>>cause you can't leave puppies in them for more than there age in months plus 1 hour. So if the puppy is 2 months, only three hours and then they need to be let out for potty and play

Bumble : I think Leighs post was justified as it was made in response to the above you yourself put.
To me that says for example 4 months + 1 hour = 5 hrs.
I appreciate you do not probably mean this but I could read it as that and could well go by what you said "because I read it somewhere" being my justification.

Sara :)

I second that

The method used is to determine how long the puppy should be able to stay crated before having to relieve themselves, I also put to check on other posts, because there I mentioned a wonderful source on the use of crating dogs.Source being Purina.com.
Also I feel that a person who works can have a puppy and do just fine crating them for up to four hours, coming home letting them out, play, food, (say for 1 hour lunch) then back in crate another 4 hours till person gets home from work when they can spend all evening one on one. I don't feel that is a horrible thing.Sometimes when people post not every single word is exact. I think when I direct someone on crating and provide a further guide, that is fine. Too bad alot of you are so willing to think the worst case senerio. If a person is posting messages on here chances are they have the dog's best interest at heart. Scaring them off the site with falsely drawn conclusions and higher than thou attitude will surely make them think twice about asking questions, or (like me) giving advice.
I still stand by my advice by the way, even though some don't agree, that is fine with me!

well bumble I think you gave very good advice. The thing is some peple who work have dogs. no one is going to change their minds as to the rights or wrongs of it. so good advice on how to cope is the best way to help avoid the puppy becoming another casualty.

Bumble - I stand corrected on the fact you posted a further link when offering advice in a previous post. I have posted in the crate/cage thread that I am neither for or against when used correctly (which is debatable as to what lengths of time we each individually feel is suitable) and said that perhaps we should elaborate more when advising the use of crates - perhaps the link you gave (I'll search and take a look now) would be usefull for all posters to direct people questioning to.
We all have what we believe to be the dogs best interests at heart but that post I commented on taken on it's own came across in my mind as incorrect advice for working suitable lengths of time out.
Sara :)

Our 12wk old Cocker Spaniel is crated overnight, between 9pm and 6am. She sleeps all night, we have a baby listener set up and she never cries. Using your figures we should be waking her up every 4hrs and getting her out of her crate. Seems daft to me.

She sleeps in her crate during the day as well, the door is left open and she sleeps on the newspaper. I don't know why we bothered buying her a basket - she doesn't use it :D

Fiona

Please don't act on this until somebody else has sanctioned it, but what about the disgusting stuff you paint on children's nails to stop them biting them? I have no idea whether this is a suitable remedy to stop puppies chewing things - or even if it could do them some harm - advice please?

Sam, I have always used Oil of Cloves. Wet a cloth with it and wipe over the area. If the dog still persists, put a tiny drop on your finger and 'offer' it to the dog. It doesn't work for every dog (as I found out recently) but I had great success with it for many years before that :-)

mattie
my puppy is very loved and looked after as is her mum who i also have. i was only asking for a bit of advice to see if anyone could come up with something differant to what ive been trying but i do understand that it all comes with owning a pup.
but thanks to everyone for there advice it was very nice of you to post.
i dont think i will be posting anymore as i have noticed that people can be a little harsh on here.i dont feel i given any reason for anyone to think i dont care about my dogs as someone said i wouldnt have found the site if i hadnt cared. its a real shame as its been very helpful to me in the past. so again thanks for all the help youve all given me
sam >:(

Tilly,I did post that I wasnt aiming at you,I'm sure that you do everything for the best for your dog,please feel free to come back here if I offended you I'm sorry.Best wishes Glenys

Oh don't feel like that, it is normal to fall out or disagree with family and friends. I am sure that no-one meant to hurt your feelings, don't leave!! :)