Having sat and read all of the posts on this subject, I am still of the opinion that like training, what will work for one person/dog, will not necessarily work for another ;)

Having had several dogs over time, some different breeds,  it's amazing how much they differ in their attitude, maturity and intelligence (sshhh, not meaning to dwell on the intelligence part with my current boy :D )

I've been fairly consistent with my training methods, probably improved as time has gone on because of experience and good advice from people, some on here ;) But, like people, they are all different.

My current pup was clean in a very short time of having her, yet my boy, who I spent the same amount of time with and trained in the same way, took until he was 6 monthsish before I could completely trust him. :)

I have never paper trained but I'm not condemning those that do. As Michelle says, whatever works for you.

I hear alot of people say,including my vet,not to expect a properly housetrained dog until they are 6mths. old,if they still arent trained after this time then something has gone seriously wrong??

I remember puppy class,there were 3 little dogs and about 6 big ones,mostly labs and goldens.By the end of the class,4 weeks, the majority of the big dogs were housetrained and those who wernt were well on their way. Then there were 3 :o,my dog and the 2 other littlins who were no where near housetrained!

My first dog when i moved out of home was a lab,she took me a little over a week to housetrain,i can barely remember it,it was that quick and easy.I used the exact same technique's on the little guys but they each took months rather than weeks to get it right,but once they did, they  never did their business inside again,not once!

I dont know if small dogs are thicker or smarter than their larger cousins.I cannot understand why it takes smaller dogs longer than larger ones

Does anyone have any theories?

I think, as regards small dogs, that it all depends on the individual dog, different circumstances etc, rather than size. I have a Papillon who has been asking to go out ever since he was 8 weeks old. But I'm very lucky, because we are able to have the patio door open pretty much all the time (it opens up into a fully secure run for my cats and the 2 small dogs, my big dogs are separate) and with the weather good, he just walks outside whenever he needs to go. (I just did the usual stuff -carried him outside each time he had been fed and when he'd played or slept or looked like he needed to go, and he got the picture.) If the door is shut (he's 10 ½ weeks now) he will ask to be let out, but of course he can't hold on indefinitely, so has accidents if I'm not quick enough when the door is shut due to rain.

Yet I've had big dogs that took much, much longer.

I'd also say the time of year can play a big part! It's not so nice to go out into wet and mud and rain and wind.

Marianne

I am no expert on the paper training issue. Over the years I have certainly moved towards taking my pups out frequently followed by rewards for success. Frankly all that soggy newspaper brings back bad memories.
We were visiting my gran who was reading her favourite newspaper "The Chistian Herald" which she put down on the ground by her amchair while she made a cuppa. Of course my super-smart Jack Russell pup watered it lavishly like a good paper-trained pup. "Oh! I hadn't finished that!" said gran not at all phased and then she proceeded to mop up the worst of the puddle with kitchen roll and spread the paper out to dry so she could read it later.(Family exits stage right both disgusted and amused)

What a wonderful gran.

Lillith,

We haven't got our puppy yet, but these sorts of threads are fantastic for people in our position, you learn so much from other peoples mistakes ;) My personal situation is that when we have our pup the only time I will need to go out is to literally walk across our road twice a day to take/pick up our son from nursary, so I will not be paper training, it will be out in the back garden every 30 mins and the rest of it, for our pup.

As for people saying that it 'only' took 1-2 weeks for their puppies to be trained, I say well done, if we could have our pup trained in that time I would be giving my self a HUGE pat on the back, and certainly not letting anyone tell me that I make others feel inferior (sp?). If the people who can get their pup trained in so little time, give their advice to others, and have their own points of view as to how a puppy should be trained, then instead of making your own excuses for not being able to do this yourself, you should be listening to their advice and then try to follow it yourself. Surely you would rather follow their advice and have a trained puppy in a couple of weeks (or less) than try to make them feel bad, and make mistakes yourself through out the 3-4 months (or more) it takes you to train your puppy?

I don't mean to cause offence, but it really bothers me when someone gives their best advice they can, just to have it thrown back in their face by someone who thinks that anyone who has more experience than themselves, should be quiet because they makes others feel bad!

Good post Natalie :)

I found a crate very handy in the training of my pups (although it took the second a few days to realise crates werent for peeing in :rolleyes: ), he was only ever shut in if we were around to hear him cry to be let out as if we were out and he cried he wouldnt connect crying with being let out and would also start to soil the crate.  Within a week - 2 weeks both pups were sticking thier head through the cat flap to let us know they wanted to go out - if however you are in the shower and dont hear, then puppy will piddle on the floor because when they need to go they need to go so have to be let out straight away :)

Not sure what I'm being told off for.  I didn't mean to offend anyone or criticise anyone's advice - you have misunderstood one of my posts or mistaken one of someone else's for mine.  The 3-4 months thing you quote was certainly NOT me.  When do you think I was making excuses?  What do I have to make excuses for?

I have not said one single word on the subject of PAPER training nor talked about any of my experiences of housetraining - this is why I think you have mistaken me for someone else.

Please tell me which of my comments you have misinterpreted as condescending or critical - please quote it back to me and I will explain what I was meaning - it certainly was not to hurt or offend.

"All that stuff earlier about house training within days feels a bit competitive to me!  No offense, but people might feel they've failed if they don't crack it that quick ... or think their dogs are a failure or a problem."

This is from a post on page 2. I did realise after I had posted I had kind of picked on you, and I really do apologise for that but I was reading the thread from the begining, and just couldn't understand why every one was having a go at every one else, and I got to your post, that to me did sound like you were saying that people who have had mountains of experience (and therefore know what they talking about) shouldn't be trying to advise people who are doing the wrong thing, just incase someone else thinks they are showing off, and I did take it all out on you, like I said I am sorry.

Also, please don't feel like I was telling you off! Maybe I have taken your post out of context, but I just think that if someone has asked for help, and someone tries to help them, why should they then be told that they are a 'know it all', and to basically shut up! I know that wasn't exactly what you said but it implies the same thing. :)

Thanks for that Natalie.  What I meant, as I think you have realised, is "whilst I agree with the method and know that it is possible to housetrain a puppy very quickly, every dog is different (as you also said ClaireyS) and some take longer than others.  Try not to worry about it, the pup will get there in the end.  If you are trying your best but someone else's dog is trained quicker, then don't feel that there's a problem with your dog."

I don't know whether you are being sarcastic or not - sometimes it is difficult to read things as the poster intended it to be.

I have said I was sorry for taking it all out in a post that was firstly directed at you - that will teach me for not re-reading what I type :D

Having said that, what I said in my first post still applies, not directly to you but to certain others on here. Every one has their own opinion, some of which is facts, some of which isn't! I just don't like to see the long standing members on CD, who like I said have years of experience under their belts, being made to feel like their advice isn't worth the page it is stated on because others see them as showing off.

I would just like to point out that I am not a long standing member, and I have nil experience of owning dogs (other than the ones I grew up with :) )

No, Natalie, I was not being sarcastic.  I am genuinely trying to clear up a misunderstanding, which has been quite hurtful to me.  I accept your apology and thank you.

That's all.