Barney is having his puppy booster in two weeks' time (or around that time). He has had his first injection but I wonder if it is okay to let him out in the garden to have a pee and to get him toilet trained as he pees all day (mainly on his doggy nappy pads luckily) but he knows if he goes he will probably get a small treat so that is not working so well now as he pees all the time looking for a treat!! Can we take him outside to see if he will pee there and give him a small treat outside instead of in the house? I am asking this cos the vet said not to let him out until he has had his booster. A quick reply would be helpful as the doggy pads cost a tenner a packet and because he is quite fluffy he walks in the pee if it is on newspaper as it doesnt soak in very quickly and he keeps getting yellow feet !! LOL

Think your vet must have meant out in a public place, I would say of course you can let him our into your own back garden, I've never considered keeping mine in and as I know my dogs are covered I allow free access. Hope I'm not wrong, could be one lives and learns. JH

yes you can let him in the garden, but make sur that you are with him, make sure that no other dogs come in the garden.. Your vet meant take him out in the park for the like as that is where he may encounter dogs that are not vaccinated and may carry nasty things. The garden is fine. Do away with the nappy pads as all you are teaching him to do is go on them and then you will have to re teach him to go outside.

Best of luck with your puppy

Lynn

Thank you Jackie and Lynn. Will follow your advice and take him out often now! Bit late now but as my husband gets up first he can have the first trip in the morning. Arent I nice!! Have read EVERYTHING on this site about toilet training so hope it works soon. Barney doesnt pee on any of the wooden floors just on every rug so hope he saves a few for outside. LOL. thanks again, Gina

Gina, Not only would I be letting my pup out into the garden, I would carry him out into the street to talk to people, not dogs, if he is to big to carry & you cant do that make sure you invite lots of people of all ages into your home to talk to the pup. If possible people without dogs. Don't expect him to be house trained too soon it may take 6 months + it may be sooner but don't expect it. Hope he brings you lots of joy as well as soggy rugs. JH

Hi Gina:)

My labrador puppy hasn't had her second vaccination yet, but by carrying her out and about I am socialising her to the big wide world. Traffic by day, also at dusk going into night. Up the road to the local school when the hordes go home. Plenty of kids young and old, want to pat her. Today the local comprehensive (at the back of my house) held the fortnightly under 16s rugby match. So plenty of shouting from the lads, plenty of vocal female support, my puppy was a bit perplexed initially but soon came around to all the noise. Just kept moving closer gradually.
So even though she cannot walk outside there's plenty to do. I must admit everything I am doing for my puppy has been gleaned from a couple of well written books, also reading previous posts off this excellent board,
All the best with yor Barney. David:)

Just a quick reply to thank you all. Barney is getting used to loads of people as we have loads of visitors every day. He doesnt like being carried at all so shant carry him about until we can let him down after his booster. He has been out in the large garden now since I first posted and loves it. He wont pee out there yet and waits until he comes in but we are patient people although it will be nice when he does decide to go outside instead of 40 times a day indoors!! He has a small hernia which will be sorted out when he is spayed (or whatever the equivalent is) so that may be the reason he doesnt like being carried. He is picked up a few times a day though carefully to get him used to it. He is brilliant and cant wait to take him for small walks as we have loads of commons around us. By the way he is a lhasa apso. Again thanks all and if anyone thinks I am not doing things right by way of toilet training or if there are any tips for getting him to pee outside I would be grateful. If not I shall just have to wait as he is worth all the "bother". Gina

Pop him outside the minute he wakes and go with him and if you posibley can stay out until he pees and then be very pleased with him. Also after he has eaten or had a play session. Apart from that about every hour until he gets the idea, don't forget the praise. JH

Wondered why you have decided to castrate him, do you have a lot of bitches visiting your home? Not realy my business but it's a big step and I'm nosy. JH

Gina

I'm glad Barney is getting to see lots of people. That's really good, but I do think you need to persevere in getting him out of his home territory. It's not just people he needs to get used to. He needs to get used to cars, lorries, shops, noise, lights etc etc As he's only a small dog, you need to take control over being boss at carrying him. There could be other occassions where you have to carry him so he needs to get used to it. so carry on doing what you are doing, have some treats to hand etc. I understand he has a hernia, but if that is causing him distress, maybe it shouldn't wait until you have him castrated.

hth

Pam n co

Thanks again for the replies. I dont think the hernia is upsetting him at all as I can rarely feel it when I tickle his tum but the vet said he had one and it could be sorted at 6 months. He is going back tomorrow as he had a bit of an ear infection which glad to say has cleared up, but I am one of those people who keep the vets happy cos if I think there is ANYTHING wrong I go straight to the vet as of course my animals cant tell me what is wrong with them and as he is a baby and I am still getting to know him I like to know he is okay! We were going to have him castrated cos I thought that was the done thing to stop unwelcome arrivals (other people's bitches obviously) and we are thinking of buying another larger dog (or bitch) in the new year when Barney is settled and not such a pup. Will probably be back on line here to make sure the one we want will be okay with a smaller dog!! Also, and please dont take this the wrong way anyone as I dont want to be shouted at like some poor people are on this site somethings......I dont want him sort of....well you know...mounting people cos I think he is trying to at the mo and I hate little dogs doing this - perhaps he isnt but I am almost sure he is. Little dogs seem to do this sort of thing and I thought castrating him would stop it. PLEASE let me know if I am wrong and how to stop it as I have been embarrassed with other people's dog doing it to me over the years !!! Thanks again hope to hear from you in reply. Regards Gina. PS Isnt this a great site I am afraid that all the others I usually visit for chats with people on gardening and fish etc etc are not getting a look in at the moment as I cant stay away!! LOL

Hi Gina

Glad you're finding the site useful. Dogs and bitches will mount legs, soft toys, cushions other dogs etc. It's not about wanting sex, it's about dominance. In boys, castration can help reduce it if they are partcularly bad, but I would wait to see how your little boy grows up before deciding if you need to get him castrated or not.

Neutering of dogs and bitches is really good if your dog might come into contact with the opposite sex and un-wanted puppies the result. if you know you can control your dog at all times, then don't rush into castration because of something he might do when he gets older. See if he does it first then see what your options are. You should also know that castration does not necessarily stop unwanted sexual behaviour although in many cases it will. If you have friends with bitches coming, then you should ask them to leave their bitch at home if she is in season. It's only fair on Barney.

As for you getting another dog in the new year - I would wait a bit longer. Let Barney grow up and really settle in and for you to enjoy his puppyhood which is such a short time then look for a pal for him. I'd wait until he was about a year old. That way you get the full enjoyment out of two pups rather than the problems you can get with trying to train two pups together. Beleive me, they don't learn the good things of each other - they just seem to double up or more on the not so good. My year old Cocker boy turned back into a real naughy boy when we got number two - and they are sooooooooooooooooo naughty - they both go looking for trouble!!

Look forward to hearing lots more from you and Barney :)

Pam n co

Thanks Pam. Shall see what happens before I do anything drastic to Barney, By the way, before I go, he is not talking to me at the moment cos I told him off an hour ago for biting too hard and as we will have children of different ages visiting over Xmas I dont want him nibbling them too hard. It is amazing how they can ignore you when they know they are in the wrong isnt it!! I will probably give in in a minute when I come off line though as he has now come in and keeps looking at me!!. My husband is with him most of the day as he works from home but guess who he likes best .... big headed arnt I but it is probably cos I am a soft touch!!! LOL Gina

A puppy i bred was inclined to this behaviour and was castrated. he still did it, so had to be trained to behave. I think basically training is the main way of stopping it, though castration will cause him to be less sexy in the long run, but it is often a learned behaviour, as it gets him attention :) We wouldn't possibly shout at you, I am a big girl, I won't let them hit you promise :D

Regarding the Hernia, if you cannot feel it , it may more properly be a late closure. If you can only feel a small swelling, say the sizew of the tip of a finger, and it cannot be pushed back in, but seems to be tightly trapped, it has probably closed, leaving just a trapped piece of subcutaneous fat. These types of Hernai rarely never need anything doing, only if there is still and obvious hole where the hernia slips out and can be pushed back, and shows no sign of closing. This is the reason the vet is telling you it can be done at 5 months, as by then it will be obvious if it has closed on its own.

Socialisation with other canines is most important for small dogs, as they need to feel confident around other canines so that they do not learn to react in fear, by running away or attacking other dogs. I would enrol in a training class, and just go and watch, until he is old enough to go after his jabs.

Castration may cure the problem you are worried about but may not, it may also cause problems or it may not. I have three males one of which I had castrated at 13 months, I would never do it again except for health reasons.
Pesevere with picking up your pup he must learn that you have the right do pick him up, groom him or any other service you decided he needs. He is just trying to assert himself don't allow it. Oh! and no one is going to shout at you, we all love being asked for our advice and opinions. Jackie H

PS. I have no problems with my 2 intact males, yes they are interested in bitches and are far two big to pick up but they have never caused me any serious trouble and they don't mount me either, one another, Yes, but that is their business. JH