Tomorrow we pick up our new pup - Mini Schnauzer.  I am bubbling with excitement!  I can't believe that after our 7 month wait, she will finally be here.  She visited with her mum and sis earlier in the week, (the breeder wanted to check that our home and garden were suitable - I'm glad to say we passed!) and she made herself at home immediately by leaving a puddle on the kitchen floor - such a little puddle, the sweetie.  Anyway, I am determined to put the time in to toilet her outside from the word go, without paper, by taking her out into the garden every 30 mins.  We pick her up on the first day of spring and I was imagining sunshine, a little breeze, the birds singing, and our little Poppy sniffing her way around joyfully on the grass.  But look at the weather!  Rain and howling winds.  What I want to ask is - as she has learnt to toilet on paper with the breeder indoors - will she be reluctant to go outside in this wet weather?  Or is it a case of when you gotta go, you gotta go?  I'm quite prepared to do the drowned rat impersonation, but do you think she will be?  I don't really want her to think that it's OK to go indoors. This is such a great site - I've learnt so much (in theory anyway!)

Alido
I just had to say hello, as your post made me laugh. Its lovely to read how excited you are :)
I'm no expert, but their traits vary so much. Some of my friends dogs refuse to go out in this ghastly rain, but the majority of them don't bat an eyelid...in fact mine thrives on getting drenched through.
IMHO, she'll be far better equiped to deal with rain by taking her out, rather than the paper training method. It will just be a case of 'wait and see'.....something else to look forward to learning about little Poppy :D <lovely name btw>
Take Care
Jo

My dogs unfortunately loathe the rain (except of course when it's time to go out for a walk and then miraculously sp? forget it's tipping it down!) so trying to housetrain the 2 7mth old pups over the last few months when it's been pouring with rain has been interesting to say the least!  I've done my drowning rat impersonation impression a few times over the last few months I can tell you!

Eventually, 7 months down the line, the boys have finally worked out that if it is raining, the quicker they do their business, the quicker we can all come inside again!

All I can say is I hope she doesn't mind the rain, but if she does, then patience, patience and a bit more patience!  Take her outside every half hour, ignore any accidents indoors and then take her out again half an hour later.  The minute she performs outside, then go totally OTT with praise for her...she'll pick it up pretty quickly I'm sure.

Good luck and remember, enjoy her...

Yes I am excited, and I know that on CD I'm not alone.  Non-doggy friends are pleased for me, but I do see them glaze over after a while!  Everyone here knows that wonderful sense of expectation, so thank you for your good wishes.  It's been doubly difficult to contain the excitement, as I have misled my children into thinking the pup will arrive in two weeks' time. We're going to tell them tomorrow morning - boy are they going to shoot out of bed?!  And yes, I'll just get Poppy used to the rain straight away - this is England after all!

ive trained my last two dogs in this way!nellie was a summer baby so no rain probs,but flynny arrived in January last year!
i had two weeks off work to settle him in,& took him into the garden,every hour plus if he just woke up,had a feed or a big play.this included in the night every 2-3hours or if i heard him being restless. he slept by my bed so i could hear him if he woke up. i was a zombie BUT he NEVER had a accident indoors & on day 3 was asking to go out. he will also wee on command. as long as you dont mind being knackered its a good way to do it. i would do it this way again. he never minded going out in the rain & cold, i did though! but i only had to escort him right out for the 1st 2days,then i was able to go by himself while i stood on the porch!

I'm planning to sleep downstairs for the first few days, so that as you say, in a zombie-like fashion I won't have to stumble down the stairs to let her out at night!  In many respects it will be like having a new human baby in the house, and so I'm preparing myself for the broken nights and bleary days.  Sadly we don't have a back door porch, so I'll be there with my brolly and slippers!

I just wanted to say congratulations on your new arrival Alido.  She sounds like a little gem, very lucky to have a new mummy and sister who want to take such good care of her.  Having just got a puppy at the beginning of the year, after our 14 year old boy was pts, we're going through the motions of toilet training.  We take her outside every hour or so now and she's getting quite good at holding it in (apart from the odd accident :rolleyes: ).  She doesn't like the rain much so on bad days she goes out, does what she has to do as quickly as possible and runs back to the door.  They just have to get used to it I guess, so as well start them off young.

Let us know how you and Poppy are getting on!  I wait with baited breath to see what time your entries are - maybe in the middle of the night given your new circumstances!! :D

out of interest,flynn was 8weeks when i got him,& had a very hit & mainley miss affair at the breeders with paper.so he was used to just going whereever, but i didnt ever have a problem,he is a special boy though!

Hi there. Lucky you getting your mini.  I've had mine for just over a year now and can remember the little ball of fluff at eight weeks old.  I kept a wee/poo schedule for the house training phase.  Ensuring that I noted the time of each event and the timing of feeding.  You can begin to see a pattern really early so that you don't have any surprises.  Oscar didn't like the rain and certainly would not go out into the garden without one of us being there.  When it rained, I used to stand outside with my umbrella whilst he tried to shelter at the doorstep just watching me.  With a little help from my husband, who used to gently close the door on his bottom to move him from the step, we'd coax him into the garden in all weathers.  I think it is a great benefit having a puppy at this time of year so they get used to all weathers.  Oscar never hesitates to go out now whatever the weather.  My sister had her puppy last summer and so he didn't really get used to the rain at an early age and now he has to be forced outside and cries when it rains.  Good luck and enjoy your schnauzer - they are adorable (IMO).

Hope you are as lucky with your puppy,as we have been with Spice! Toilet training outside was a complete doddle,getting her to come back inside though a different story :D the neighbours must have been splitting their sides hearing my hubby at 10.30pm calling her back-in " here Spice,come Spice,look Spice it's your favourite toy,where's mummy Spice?" not much worked to begin with,then suddenly after about 3weeks it all just clicked.

After a couple of nights in her 'new crate' though,where she'd wee and poo!!we gave up on that idea and resorted to a playpen and have never looked back.
Her playpen is now her 'den' she comes and goes as she likes,we no longer shut the door on it,she is now 5months and we don't get any 'accidents' in the home at all.

At night when we go to bed she goes for her last wee and then settles into her 'den' until the morning.

I just hope she doesn't revert to puppy stage 1 when she comes into season!

Well she's been here for 24 hours now, and Poppy has completed our family.  What a calm, affectionate little character she is.  We are all seriously smitten.  Far from worrying that she wouldn't want to go out in the wind and the rain, Poppy has been racing around catching leaves and raindrops as she goes.  It's her favourite game!  We are learning the signs when she wants to toilet, and she's gone outside on more occasions than inside.  What a star!  Last night she cried in her crate for about 10 minutes and then settled down until 5.00am.  I let her out, she did her stuff and then snuggled down with me on my campbed in the sitting room until breakfast.  She's such a dear little thing.  We've made a good start