house training

[weecoffeecup]

Me again,the house training with my paterdale is going really well about 75% of toileting done outside,however when do you stop giving treats for peeing outdoors, he is going to end up about 50 stone lol !

[woofgang]

the answer is simple and means you can give treats ad lib for any training or just to give the dog a nice suprise. Make sure that the treat is a small and nourishing one and put less in his food bowl at meals! I estimate that our dogs get about a quarter of their daily ration as training treats (now 1 year old and we are working to keep reliable off lead recalls during adolescence!)
I wouldn't stop the treats until you have 100% outside but i would be looking at why 25% are still happening in the wrong place....how old is the dog?

[bigmamma]

Hi weecupofcoffee , you don't need to keep giving treats honey , just lots of praise and congratulatory words repeated to him when he does his bits outside . xxx

[weecoffeecup]

Hi woofgang he is about 8months old ,but we have only had him for just over a week and he was not housetrained ,he was abandoned so we have no history. already have an older dog 14 years but he was also a rescue dog and was 8 years when we got him so no experience of training a pup! although i'm trying my best ,reading as much as I can and hoping to take him to puppy training ,however that wont be happenning till after christmas now and just want to do best I can for wee pup

[fredpuli47]

He'll soon learn how lucky he is, having a kindly caring owner ! It may take a while, but you are surely doing just right. Yes, and he doesn't need treats.Your obvious, expressed, approval when he does right means more to him than treats.Treats are just a little food.Your approval, his pleasing you, is paramount in his mind.

[zzxxee]

my dog is a patterdale jack russell cross try rewarding him with some low fat treats such as small peices of apple (just occasiionally though) or play with a toy and really make a fuss of him for 10 mins throwing a ball or just lots of praise good luck

[woofgang]

I think it might be a bit early for him to value your praise as he's been with you such a short time so I would carry on with the treats, just make sure that you reduce what's in his food bowl so his total intake remains the same.

Interestingly the cats and Dogs Trust is working to make thir residents' environments more stimulating and satisfying and they are suggesting lots of the same kind of strategies...dividing meals up into smaller more frequent amounts, doing things like stuffing kongs, scattering dry food around the enclosure for the dog to sniff out and so on.

[weecoffeecup]

mmmmmm i think you might be right woofgang,thanks .

[weecoffeecup]

hi zzxxee, how old is your dog,is he well behaved ? i've read some stuff that says there are really diffiult to train,will run away etc, I've booked mine in for puppy training classes in the new year,