How do we House Train our Puppy????

[Neenee]

Can anyone suggest the best way to get our Puppy to do his toilet duties outdoors instead of indoors? He is a West Highland White Terrier. We had him at 10 weeks old and he is now 17 weeks old. We started him indoors on Puppy Training  Pads which were a huge success, so much so, that he now will not do his business outdoors. He can be out with us for the day for up to 5 hours, will not do any business and come home and look for his training mat and go to the toilet immeadeately. we have taken the mats away and put them outside by our back door and he just chews the mats when they are outside and plays with them!! We put him in the garden first thing in morning and each time he will come back inot the hosue to do his business!

Any ideas how we break him of this habit and get him to go to the toilet on his daily walks???

[woofgang]

See now this is why I think its not a good idea ever to train anyone to do anything you will want them not to do at a future date!!

Can I suggest that you put dirty mats outside near the back door and see if that helps to tell the little fella where to go?

[ezapf]

Ditto to woofgang.
You may have to move the training pad gradually from its normal location to the back door and eventually outside. Once he is doing his thing outside you will have to start cutting the pads or getting smaller ones so that there is less of a target each time he goes until eventually the pad is gone. Remember praise, praise, praise for going outside.

[rinkytink]

 

You could try moving the mat a little closer to the back door each day / couple of days, eventually moving it outside completely. Also another essential thing when toilet training (although this may be a bit late for you) is when you take the dog outside to go to the toilet you must stay outside until he goes. Once he does go give loads of praise and a small treat.

It's also important that you don't tell him off for going inside the house. Just give loads of praise/fuss and a treat when he goes outside. He'll soon get the message.

[Neenee]

thanks for all your advise . .  some of which we have done. we have taken the training mats outside and he just plays with them and chews them. he doesnt do this to the mats in the house he just uses it for his toilet needs. we have now taken up the mats and we do go out the garden for lengthy times with him, plus we take him for daily walks which we can be out of the house for long periods of time and he just holds himself until we get hom and now is going in the spot where the training mats once were!!! we have even purchased a "PEE POST" which i have to say has proved not to be a success! he doesnt even go anywhere near that part of the garden anymore even though we take him outside to sniff the "pee post" once he has done his business on the carpet.  

[kaktus]

When you take the mat outside, do you move it gradually, as suggested above, or do you just take it outside? If you just take it outside he won't get the idea, it has to moved gradually! Good luck

[Cristo]

Try taking a soiled piece of the mat with you on the walks and on the way home rub it or place it on an area suitable for him to do his bizz. if he shows any interest do not be in a hurry but let nature take its course.

try placing soiled matting outside the house as well. I would at the same time try a product to mask his smells in the area of the mat inside the house.(NOT disinfectant).have never used these mats but have had similar problems. Good luck.