House training

[sausagedog1]

We have two 6 month old dachshund puppies who are both from the same litter (yes everyone has told us that was a mistake to get two from the same litter!!). They are still not house trained and seem to be making little progress to being so!

Since they arrived with us we have been training by putting them out on a regular basis and they now know that they need to go outside but they do not seem to be making a connection between going to the door and asking to go out or barking or something. Sometimes we are lucky and get them outside at the right time so they perform outside but sadly they go inside as often as outside. We are getting a bit fed up with it! We also have puppy pads down in their favourite areas and they will go on those sometimes. Things are so bad that we now callthe room where their crate is the "dogs' toilet. They tend to do their business in there as frequently as they go outside. We have tried being nice but is the time coming when we need to be harder with them?

[RobD-BCactive]

Puppy pads indoors train dogs to go indoors...

Rather than re-type common advice I'll post link to a thread with lots of House Training advice in it, and suggestions for common issues Housetraining your pup or older dog - Pet Forums Community

There's no way round supervision, if you want a house trained dog!

[nick_j007]

Hi. They were right when they said to avoid litter mates

What sexes are they please?

Not a case of needing to be harder, but a few tweaks and to manage them better.

I suggest:

Lift up the toilet pads! These are encouraging/training to going in the home. I dislike them, and see them as more a problem than a solution. This will put you under pressure to manage them more as a result.

Thoroughly clean the indoor areas to remove the urea smell. Look for a product called urine off. Here, I'm all heart today Urine Off

Now the next step depends rather on your ability to be about. Are you working full time or retired maybe?

You will now need to do one of two things:

1) To watch them every minute so as to intervene before they go in the home.

2) To then show then what you DO want. i.e. to take them outside to a chosen spot and ask them to go there. I favour the use of a lead on to do this. The lead will enable you to walk them to the chosen spot in the garden and to keep them there until they go. Well, no more than 5 minutes anyway.

Do the lead on and garden every hour or so like clockwork. You find find that once you have a routine ever 90 mins or 2 hrs is adequate, but start at an hour (rather like back to basics with a puppy - which is what I feel is needed here).

Number 1 is dependent upon your availability hence the question about your work.

Crate use.
This can be invaluable to prevent accidents and to teach them to hold on.

Just to clarify, they need to be in there at nightwith the door closed (yes closed).

Will they soil in the crate? It might be too big if they do.

Can/do you close the door at night?

So use the crate at night with the door closed, and also place them inside during the day if you are not with them, such as a trip to the shops, showering in the morning and so on. When you are not with them they need to be in the crate. This is my concern if you are out to work, as they can't be in the crate for that long of course.

A few questions to answer please.

I wrote a section for an iPhone app last week and discussed this. Have a read:

1. Toilet training.

When you first bring your pup home, try to spend a couple of weeks free from other commitments to set up a regular routine to allow the dog outside to relieve itself in the garden. Puppies need to be shown where to go, and it is best if you are there when the dog relieves itself to be able to immediately reward the action with verbal and physical praise and a small treat.

Key times when a pup is likely to need the garden will be:

· After eating.
· After play.
· Upon waking.
· If you see your pup sniff the floor and circle.
· Later, Your pup may sit by the door waiting to be let out.

Rather than leaving the door open to assume the pup will make its own way to the garden, get into a regular pattern (start at hourly trips) whereby you take the dog out to the same chosen spot in your garden on a lead. The lead helps keep control and focuses the dog’s mind more. Show your pup how to sit and wait before going through the door out into the garden. Do the same on the way back in.

Wait no more than a few minutes for your dog to do his business. Aim to use a key word for his action. I use the term ‘Hurry Up’. Most dogs will urinate first, so give your pup time to circle about a little and empty his bowels when ready.

Be sure to remove any faeces straight after to remove the problem of standing in it, and to negate the chance of your pup developing the habit of eating it (coprophagia). Keep a small hand shovel nearby for convenience.

Do not punish accidents. These are inevitable for most pups, just put the pup away as you clean the accident up using a shop bought odour remover.

Vigilance and patience is key to bringing your pup or young dog to the point of being clean and dry.