Puppy toilet training - please help!

[laurafry80]

Can anyone give any advice on toilet training my 4 and a half month old Sprollie puppy? He’s a lovely dog, v good natured but we’re having a nightmare trying to toilet train him! When we take him outside he knows straightaway to do his business outside, but he also doesn’t seem to try and hold it in when we’re in the house. Sometimes he’ll wee on the floor just 10 minutes after we’ve taken him out, or sometimes it might be a couple of hours after. When we’re in the house we can constantly watch him and take him out when he looks like he needs to go, but when we go out or at night he only seems to be able to hold it a couple of hours. I’m getting up once or twice in the middle of the night to take him out but more often than not there’s a puddle waiting for me! Should we just get up once in the night to try and get him used to holding it in? We’ve tried ignoring the bad behaviour and we always praise him when he goes outside but nothing seems to be working. We also now take his water off him at night but don’t know if we should be doing that? I was wondering if it’s separation anxiety when we’re not there, but we never leave him for more than a couple of hours, and we have another dog to keep him company. He never seems bothered when we leave him – no howling or anything. And he sometimes does it even when we’re in the house with him. Any advice would be very welcome!

[Natalie]

I wouldnt worry too much about it, i think it'll get better although it is a pain! A puppy's bladder will take a while to strengthen to be able to control how long they can hold it for. I'm not sure how long this take but it shouldn't be much longer if that is the problem.

Do you take his water bowl away a while before bed, as this could help stop the weeing in the night.

And if you notice him goin on the floor take him outside as soon as possible even if he's finished, just so he known its outside he should be doin it.

I guess you already know this as it sounds like your doing everything right and have obviously researched before, but never punish your dog for weeing inside, this might cause further problems.

[riyanjason]

Potty-training pads have made housebreaking many dogs a simpler, smoother process for owners around the world. Large plastic-backed sheets of cotton or other absorbent material, potty-training pads are made to absorb waste and keep your puppy's living area clean while teaching the pup where to go potty. Training pads are useful for any number of breeds and can help make the difficult task of housebreaking a little easier.

[nick_j007]

Originally Posted by laurafry80

Can anyone give any advice on toilet training my 4 and a half month old Sprollie puppy? He’s a lovely dog, v good natured but we’re having a nightmare trying to toilet train him! When we take him outside he knows straightaway to do his business outside, but he also doesn’t seem to try and hold it in when we’re in the house. Sometimes he’ll wee on the floor just 10 minutes after we’ve taken him out, or sometimes it might be a couple of hours after. When we’re in the house we can constantly watch him and take him out when he looks like he needs to go, but when we go out or at night he only seems to be able to hold it a couple of hours. I’m getting up once or twice in the middle of the night to take him out but more often than not there’s a puddle waiting for me! Should we just get up once in the night to try and get him used to holding it in? We’ve tried ignoring the bad behaviour and we always praise him when he goes outside but nothing seems to be working. We also now take his water off him at night but don’t know if we should be doing that? I was wondering if it’s separation anxiety when we’re not there, but we never leave him for more than a couple of hours, and we have another dog to keep him company. He never seems bothered when we leave him – no howling or anything. And he sometimes does it even when we’re in the house with him. Any advice would be very welcome!

I would introduce a crate for night time and short day time use when you can't immediately supervise.

I do not favour training pads as they simply encourage and train the dog to relieve itself in the home! Another problem you'll have to undo later on. Concentrate on what you do want (to wee outside - not in the house).
Encourage this with hourly visits to a chosen spot outside when you're home and to use a command word for the dog to go. I say 'Hurry up' for example.

Stopping water after 8pm is fine assuming you were going to bed at 10:30 say. Water at all other times of course.

Stick with it, good luck.

Nick