I have an 11 week old White West Highland Terrier ,when I let him out to go to the toilet he just plays for ages then runs into the house and relieves himself on the floor! Has anyone any tips on how to get him to go outside? I have tried the ignoring accidents and rewarding going in the yard,but he still dos'nt seem to have the hang of things! Please help,I'm tired and desparate!!

I assume you have only had your puppy for about 3 weeks which in housetraining terms is no time at all, if you were to be posting this at 11 months there would be more to worry about. You say let him out do you mean you don't go out with him because if so you must go with him and give him an appropriate command i.e. hurry up or whatever you choose. Once he has performed you can reward him with praise and a game. Housetraining I feel progresses in direct proportion to the time and effort you put in ay first it can be a full time job. It sounds to me as if he thinks he plays outside and then comes in to toilet. If you could get a crate even on loan I find they make housetraining a lot easier, a great book to read is Gwen Bailey's The Perfect Puppy try your library if you don't want to buy it but it will be money well spent it is a comprehensive guide to living with and training a puppy, worth getting before the pup arrives as it gives loads of advice on what to get in advance.
I would go back to square one and pretend the pup has just arrived it is up to you to allow yourself as many opportunities as possible to praise for going in the right place. I always felt it was my failure not the pup's if we had an accident. Puppies are tiring I never expect a full nights sleep for a while as I used to go to bed late to allow last visit outside and also get up at night if pup squeaked you can't expect them to learn to ask out if you ignore them when it suits you. Make sure you are using a good clean up product sonosmell remains and also dip a bit of paper into accident and put it outside where you want pup to go. I never paper train indoors as I feel it gives confusing signals but that's just me. Hope this helps but don't be too hard on yourself and him
Anne

Yeah i agree i have the perfect puppy book, and although i havent got my puppy yet its full of usefull advice, and i think i will be better prepared now when i get my pup.
Jacqui
x

Hi Anne, I only joined this forum a few days ago. Was lucky enough to stumble on it the same night I got my (unexpected) 7wk old Staffie, I also have Tessa 10year old Staffie and also my best friend, and my 3 cats, aged 4,2, & 8mths. I just read your message and was interested in how you do not paper train indoors although I agree it does send confused signels. Charlie (new puppy) is not allowed out till 5 days after his last injection at 3mths (so Vet said) so what do I do in the meantime, or was your puppy older? Thank You Deirdre

Deirdre - usually by "allowed out" a vet will mean to a place where lots of dogs frequent. Your garden should be OK. I have always let my new ones out and about on my property :)

Took the words out of my mouth SaraW
Anne

Hi SaraW, Sorry my fault for not explaining myself properly, I share a communal garden, although my Tessa is the only dog who constantly uses it now as my neighbour had a dog but they moved last year. Also I live in a town house and have 13 stairs up to my living room so by the time I would get him down it would be too late. I remember now, with Tessa it was difficult because she was too scared to go down the stairs. Also i leave my front door open as I'm at home all day so Tessa & cats come and go as they please.I have a safety gate at top of stairs now. I am very lucky with Tessa as she has never tried to go out of her garden but if my neigbours dog ever got out it could take an hour (on a good day) to catch him. I'm hoping Charlie will follow Tessa by example. At the moment he is lying across my feet, which as I suffer with cold feet is ok by me also he's not allowed on the couch out of respect to Tessa as she needs her own space. Compared to other new puppy problems I've read Charlie is a saint. Better not speak to soon! So glad I found this forum. Thank you for your reply. Deirdre

It is my understanding (correct me if I am wrong here, plz) that puppies do not have full control of their, um systems, until they are about 5months old. Here is what I did when my lil girl had an accident in the house though.... I would say a firm 'NO' then pick her up and put her outside and say (in an excited voice)'yes, go potty here' and when she did she got extra praise. She is now almost 5 months old and hasnt had and accident in two months!!! I hope this helps... also make sure to thouroughly clean the spot on the carpet, expecially if he/she keeps using one 'special' area, the smell in the fibers (remember his/her nose is WAY better than ours) could be triggering the potty response! I am sure someone else with much better advice will come along soon and answer your question... just wanted to help as little I could.
QT

I agree with the other postings, 11 weeks is like expecting a12 month old baby to be reliably clean.

My mini schnauzer took months before we could relax with him on the 'best carpet' and even then he used to wee in excitement. I would say that now he is 16 months old I trust him fully. :)

Crate training is a wonderful tool, if the pup does not go toilet outside you could try putting him in the crate instead of allowing an accident to happen in the house, then try again 15 minutes later. I would say that prevention is better than cure.

But believe me it will click eventually, just chill out and only allow the pup access to easily cleaned areas, and don't get cross other wise you will just end up with a pup that wees on your feet as you put it outside:rolleyes:

Sarah and Zak

Mine wouldn't go in the room that she slept in at first so let's just say I ended up throwing my bathroom carpet out:o It used to niggle at me that all the others on here who got puppies at the same time seemed to have it down to a fine art and I was getting nowhere! Then one of the wiser owls told me to chill out since she would eventually get the hang of it and it was most likely that the others who seemed to do it would relapse. Needless to say this happened (where would we be without these wise one's eh):) Kassie seemed to pee all over the house until she was about 12/14 weeks old then it clicked all of a sudden- I've now had my carpets cleaned and we almost look normal again:D :D Give it a bit more time and don't worry:)

Stacey x x x

i think you are expecting far too much from your puppy, i have a westie bitch i remember at the time thinking my god ill never get her house trained and clean, she even once pooped in her bed once which id read almost never happens, my advice is relax stop expecting too much, all puppys do become clean,
Sheryl. westieways

For goodness sake, if you read about the rearing of puppies before you aquired one, which I would have thought you did, you would know that an 11 week old puppy had not got more control than an 11 week old baby. Just wait you will find that dogs are a lot more house trained than children. Ja:)kie

I agree, until you can trustthem 100% don't leave then un attended and that will save any stress.

My wee bitch was really quick at around 4 months my puppy dog still occasionally has wee slip ups at 7 months although few and far between.

There are always in my sight so a quick clean up and a stern no ( Not too heavy) and on you go with the day.

Puppies are Puppies until they are 1 year old.. some are really quick some are not..

Instead of blaming the puppy I would concentrate on the supervisory skills and getting the puppy out as soon as the bot goes down.

All part of the fun.. good luck

pam

"Puppies are Puppies until they are 1 year old."
And after that they're still not considered full adult until somewhere around 18 months to two years old. Their bodies might be full grown, but not their brains :) :)
toodles

Toodles I 100% agree I was mearly just refering to the piddly bit..Some dogs like my good freinds the boxers are puppies till around 4 or at least mine was..

Puppies need a chance..
Pam

Pam,
I know you know :D :D :D I was just making the point for the original poster :) Too many people honestly believe that all dogs are fully mature adult at a year old :rolleyes: Not here of course, but we're addicts ;)

I realized after I posted that I didn't mention the larger the breed, the longer it takes + some breeds are basically puppy until they drop dead from old age --- Boxers, Brittanys, etc... :) :rolleyes: I forget sometimes. Brain cells not fully functioning ;) :D

toodles

Toodle,

Yours may be not functioning :-) mines are still developing :-) I have however manage to make it to the loo now and don't spoil the floor I am in the loopy Boxer catogory... ( Imagine being described as a Boxer) .

For all my fellow Boxer lovers I mean that as a compliment have you seen how firm their butts are..

Pam :-)

For goodness sake, your puppy is only 11 weeks old, what are you expecting miracles, if you did not do any research into rearing a puppy before you bought it, why did you, did the breeder not tell you that most puppies are not house trained until after their 2nd teeth are all in, thats what I have found anyway, Dont scold your puppy at all, as you will confuse the poor thing and it will not know where it is supposed to do the loo, I have a 7 month old puppy and a 9 weeks old puppy just now, and Imust admit the breeder of the 9 weeks old one has been very good, letting the litter out into her garden and partially getting them house trained for the new owners, I had a clean and dry puppy pen this morning, and for the first time was not up at 3am to let my pup out into the garden for a wee. you just need to watch the puppy closely, every time she wakens up, lift her and put her into your garden, dont let her run out herself as she will just sit down and do a wee before she gets to the door, wait about 10/15 mins after she has been fed then do the same lift her outside. it is hard work housetraining, but the more patient you are the better the pup will be for you. Has your pup had its 2nd jab yet, if it has you can take it for a short walk outside, another tip for you to get your pup lead trained, is put on the lead in the house and let it walk about with the lead trailing on the floor just do this for about 5 mins maybe every two hours, it will soon get used to the lead, then gradually lift the lead up and leave it slack and call the puppy or use a squeeky toy and get her to walk on the lead, and give lots of praise.
Hope this helps you- Irene-Westyholm Westies

Im so annoyed I cant speak.... my minnie still has accidents at 14 months what do people expect of a tiny puppy

Think of it this way. Would you be cross with an 11 week old human baby, if it wet its nappy? No, of course not, and we are supposed to have more brain power than an animal, and yet human babies take ages.Think of how much work and repetition it takes to get a human baby clean and potty trained. Its no different for a dog baby, than for a human baby. Its just a case of vigilance, patience, and waiting for them to grow up a little bit more.

Scamparoo,

Please come back and post and we will try and help you hopefully when you had posted you were a bit worn out with more than just the pup. it can bre hard work but it will pay off and shortly you will not remember all the fuss.

Pam ( 2 westies also)

"HOW OLD" = BET THEYRE FAIR PUDDLES we do mean PUDDLES , dont we :D

Scamparoo

Your puppy is being very normal. Many like to run ring around us like this:D but he is still very young. YOU have to teach him where he should go and has already been said - it's not a case of letting him out - but putting him out and staying with him. Any puppy will have accidents and depending on the breed/consistency of the training - it could be over 12 months before they are totally house-trained.

With a new puppy start by putting him outside every time he has eaten, had a drink, a sleep or played for a little while and when he does something give him lots of praise and cuddles. Also look for the signs that he might need to go - sniffing the ground - going round in circles. It takes time but you'll learn to see the signs. When he has an accident indoors only scold him if you catch him doing it. After the event is no good as he will have forgotten. In this case - just clean it up with the right type of cleaner and be more vigilant.

If you do catch him - pick him straight up - say "NO" very firmly - no smacking or rubbing of noses - and put him outside and wait for him to finish - then lots of praise.

It can take some time as you'll already have seen here but unless you invest that time you'll never train your puppy.

It will get better and then you won't be so tired - but that is all what goes with having a puppy:)

hth

Pam n the boys

Well stated and good points --- both Pamela and Pammy :) :)

My 8 week old bassett puppy is going outside but also inside also `and sometimes he goes to the door and wants out and goes potty other times I am just constantly putting him out and say the same thing to him each time and he usually does.. he does not seem to know his name `even though I say it at least ...... a million (no a trillion) times a day. ha `and of course the biting and chewing is bad too `I have many things for him to chew on `bones and toys... and he has went in his crate `which I thought they weren't suppose to do.. it can be very frustrating ` but I am trying to do everything right. how do I get him to listen to me when I say no `bite that it means stop he keeps biting other dog I HAVE to physically break it up...and bassetts are suppose to be laid back `I know he is a pup `but I am trying to nip things in the bud any advice would be Welcome~

I never cease to be suprised that people expect a pup of 8 to 12 weeks to be house trained, puppies do not have the control to be clean at that age, there may be the odd one that will manage it but it is not normal to expect a puppy to have full control of their bladder until about 4 to 6 months, the bowel is usualy first to come under the pups control. Until they are aware that they need to go every time they can't be realiable no matter how much you wish it. Ja:)kie

Why cant replies just be helpful like 'it is too early to be clean, but try ......' instead of 'Oh for goodness sake' or 'why dont people read before buying a puppy'
You may think it but why write it? those sort of condesending replies can only put off other novice puppy owners asking questions and upset the ones who asked in the first place. It just isn't necessary.
Ted

If you use a kennel make sure it isn't to big or ur pup will just mess in it.It should be big enough to stand, sit, lay down, and turn around and put chew toys in there.
Keep your pup on leash this way everywhere you go your pup goes to, and you can also work on basic obedience. When you notice your pup doing alot of sniffing circling get your pup outside.Also after meals,play and wakin up. When you have time let your pup play off leash for awhile (when u r able to be there and watch). If you are to busy then kennel your pup. I have to agree that you have to take your pup out to the potty area,eventually puppy will go on its own but not anytime soon...Use lots of praise after going to the bathroom and take to the same spot that helps. Time and a lot of patience do not rush the little one.
I have 5 dogs and this is the method I used and found it worked great.

Point taken Ted, I supose it is because you have to bite your tounge about twice a week and you start to feel you will have to be a bit more forceful for anyone to take any notice. There are 2 such posts running on the board at the moment, at least I did not suggest that they fill the pups nostrils with it's own poo. Ja:)kie

Ted,
Sometimes regulars on here are not exactly the most helpful :rolleyes: But the problem of housetraining and puppies chewing on people's hands come up at least twice a week. I think they're probably the most common 'puppy' issues on here.

So I do think that there is a bewilderment on how expectations can be so unrealistic. I share in it. Jackie was only vocalizing what I was thinking when I read this.
It also sometimes becomes rather numbing reading identical problems so often. Doesn't anyone read puppy books or at least talk to someone who has experience before they obtain a puppy? The other really easy thing to do would be to run a search on House training before posting.

Oops, before someone jumps on me, yes there are problems to share and discussions on how exactly go about tailoring training...it's the complete dearth of basic information that I really wonder about at times. And I'm not trying to offend or pick on anyone here. I can't help but be concerned when I read certain posts --along with massively confused. :(
toodles :Cool:

jubilee is now 17 wks old and she is just about fully housed trained it has taken a lot of work.
i would take her out in the garden and stay with her every time, one night i was out in the garden for a hour and a half with her and she finally did go.
she came in and was so proud of her self and so was i.
all i can say is you must keep taken him out,you will get used to the signs when he needs to go,and if he leaves the room your in follow him,i found that works as well.
good luck your get there in the end.

I got my oldest dog when he was 10 weeks old and he was toilet trained by 11 weeks old. My youngest is 5 months and he still won't tell me when he needs to go out so I'm just watching him like a hawk for any little signals no matter how insignificant they seem at the time. He is clean during the night so some progress is being made but I always have at least one puddle to clean up during the day.

How did you potty train in just 1 week? please please share L:>)

Sammy, wish I knew and then I wouldn't be standing in any unexpected puddles every day!!!! I was only 13 when we got him so I didn't take any part in housetraining. Maybe should have stayed off school that week and took notes!

Hi Sammy
Our black lab who was 18months old this week although having problems all his life was housetrained in 3 days apart from one wee 2 weeks later. We have always started with the newspaper and then progressed to outside but with him it was outside more or less from the start. The paper was ripped up in a few minutes. We have always watched them closely and also taken them out very late at night, during the night and very early morning. Out of the six Lab puppies we have had over the years he learned the quickest and four of them were bitches. I must add though this is the only thing that he has been the quickest at learning. They have all been smashing dogs but he is also the most loving. The same but all different if you know what I mean. He was 101/2 weeks when we got him. As everyone has said, you'll get there in the end.
Good luck (and hard work.) tangle.

my name is Joanne and my westie is now 18 months old. I had similar problems very early on where she would go on the paper all the time in the house but would not do anything outside.

I was advised by a dog trainer to put the paper outside and then she would know where to go. I did and within a day she was going outside. She has not done anything in the house since.

Hope this helps you a little.

Joanne

come on the lot of you. its a new person asking for help!!!! and its xmas, season of goodwill :rolleyes:
hung-drawn and quatered sprung to mind!!!!! we might be hearing the same thing lots-but its theyre first time of asking :D

Sorry must be pre-Christmas dementia, what new person, first post is from Sept which I answered. What came up as a new post bar your 2 Dizzy was someone offering suggestion
Anne

ok, ----forget xmas then---they where too soon!