Hi All,

I have recently got a Patterdale puppy. We have had her for nearly 3 weeks now and she has been really good with toilet training. At night she sleeps in a pen downstairs and as soon as I get up the first thing I do is let her out and we go into the garden so she can do her business. For the first week she used paper and she rarely missed and learnt really fast. For the last 2 weeks we have had her going into the garden and she has been really good until yesterday. She went to the toilet in the kitchen and then this morning I came down (no later than usual) and she had done a wee in her pen which is something she hasnt done before. So we went into the garden as normal and she went again and then about an hour later she went on the mat by the front door. During this last week where the weather has been really nice I have had the back door open constantly and she has been going in and out no problem?? I am not sure why she is doing this? I have taken her outside as soon as she has been inside but just wanted some tips???

I thought I had cracked it and she has been so good up until now!

Thanks

Michie xxx

Sounds like a bit of a "blip" and nothing to worry unduly about, this does happen.  Keep up with what you are doing and make sure you're taking pup out regularly, you should be OK.

Even though the door is open to the garden you still have to accompany her out to the garden so you can praise and treat her when she toilets in the garden. You will also then know when she last went and so can gauge when you need to take her out again.

With regard to night time you may need to get up in the night to take her out and thus help prevent accidents indoors. I am not a huge fan of paper training myself as, to my way of thinking, it tells the puppy that it is okay to go indoors when what you are actually aiming for is for the puppy to learn it doesn't go indoors. At some point you will stop using the paper and the pup has to learn all over again :) I know some people do use this method but it seems to be twice the amount of training to me.

Your puppy is still very young and is bound to have the odd accident. Never tell her off just clear it up, rinse with biological washing powder, and keep a constant watch for signs she needs to go out, such as circling and sniffing and whip her straight out into the garden.

Could she have been drinking a lot more than usual due to the warmer weather of late?

Also surely leaving the door open constantly to the garden could cause you a problem when the weather is bad as the pup will expect the door to be open and wont know what to do if it isnt???.  Our door cant be left open constantly and my 11 week old pup has learnt that by knocking our cat flap or wining at the door it will be opened for her, where she will immediately go out and wee.

Ok so I think this has just been a blip as she waits by the door when it is shut and hasn't done anything in her pen since. Constant praising has done the trick and she is even great at my Mum's house!