puppy toilet training!!

[blue eyes ;)]

my puppy is nearly 5mths old and hasnt had paper down indoors for a few weeks now.i take him out every hour when im home to do a wee/poo and every time i come home for lunch/return home from work i take him straight out.he holds it all night and i dont leave water down for him while im away or at night.(i never leave him for more than 4 hrs at a time)he gets locked in my hall which has a wooden floor at night and whilst im out.he occasionally goes to the toliet whilst im out on the floor or if im at home and miss him looking at the door!this morning i got straight up at 6.00am to take him out and he just woke up and weed in his bed!!anyone know why they would do this?also he has occasionally weed on my car seat even though i have given him plenty of opportunity to go before putting him in the car.also what should i do when i catch him in the act of weeing/pooing in the house.as of yet i dont know whether to tell him off or will that frighten him in to doing it hiding round the house?i always treat him when he goes outside.i know hes only a pup and these things take time but is there anything im doing wrong?help please xx

[doglady]

The best thing you can do when you catch him weeing or pooing in the house is to say "NO", grab him, rush him outside, and make a big fuss of him when he does it where he is supposed to. Even if it's just a tiny little dribble of wee!!

As you know, there is no point in telling him off if you don't catch him in the act.

Have you taught him a command to get him to wee. Make it a word you wouldn't normally use in conversation, so you don't confuse him by mistake, and use it every time you see him weeing in the garden (we use "trapdoors" for one of our dogs, and "bombs away" for the other one). He'll gradually learn that that means you want him to wee, and you can then get him to do it any time you like. He doesn't know you want him to get on with it because he'll be in the car for a while. You need to be able to tell him what you want him to do.

You should really leave him with water all the time. What if you unexpectedly couldn't get home? Surely it's better to have to clear up a wee than have your dog suffer because he is thirsty. I can totally see your thinking behind it, but I do think you're better to leave water down.

Has he been acting up any other way recently? It's very unusual for a dog to wee in their own bed - maybe he just made a mistake and couldn't hold on. Also in the car, maybe it was excitement that made him go.

Let me know, and I'll have a think about it.

Good luck

xxx

[shaneystar2]

Nothing to add really to dogladys excellent answer but he is still young and male dogs tend to take a while to gain control. All pups often tiddle from sheer excitement ..they are so pleased to see you. It could be a bit stress related too ..separation anxiety when he left for a while. Also if he keeps doing it and there is no sign of an improvement then do take him to the vets to rule out any urinary tract infection.
Good luck with him.

[kita1]

Agree totally with the other answers, just one thing though I noticed with my male dog when he was about 5/7 months old he started refusing to 'go' when he was not on his own territory. I had him out over the fields for an hour one day and when I put him back in the car he instantly peed and pooed in the car!

I think the problem was that he was becoming aware of other male dogs and scent marking and because he was a young adolescent he did not want to cause offence to other bigger older male dogs. (A bit like a 15 year old boy would not go into a pub and start chatting up a girlfriend of an 18 year old!) The problem cured itself after a couple of months when he gained confidence in his own strength and adulthood. Now he will not go in the back yard but insists on being taken out to mark his territory!

He would go in his own back yard (and in the car) but not in the street during this period.

He has been an exceptionally clean dog ever since!

I never had this problem with bitches, and I have had friends with similar experiences with male dogs around this age.

Your dog will probably grow out of this stage very soon.

Good luck, enjoy your pup!

[orange-gnome]

visit www.orangdog.forumup.com
in the behaviour and training section there is a great detailed explanation of 'potty training' by one of our trainers on there Drgnrdr.

[blue eyes ;)]

thanks guys for your help,ill use the advice given and i guess its just a case of perserverence!!hes teething quite badly at the mo so maybe its causing him to wee more and play up.xx