HELP!! dog and puppy owners

Dogloverxo.

My dog is around 7-8 months old, and I'm having such a hard time training him to pee and poo outside and not in the house. I feel like I'm getting nowhere. Any tips or tricks please help

ShiverinEskimo

When they go outside always use the same word or words of encouragement 'go for a pee' or 'take a ****', whatever suits and absolutely lavish praise immediately after they go outside. Praise them like they just dug up a winning lottery ticket every single time.

Also be sure to clean up the messes inside with appropriate cleaner that removes those smells. Avoid ammonia based bleach. Think that makes it worse when it reacts with the urine.

If there is a certain area in the house they always go to, start feeding them there.

Failing all that, make sure it's not a case that they are going in the house because of detachment issues if you leave the house. Very often it's done for panic or attention reasons and not just because they don't know to hold it.

Consider a trainer for a few sessions maybe of youre getting nowhere. Our 1yo puppy took until 7 or 8 months to completely stop going in the house. It's only from about 6 months on that they obtain full bladder control anyways so maybe it's just more patience required on your behalf.

Nody

Also under no circumstances have them go inside on puppy pads or similar; all that is doing is confusing your dog. Secondly don'¨t bother to push his face into it, hitting him on the nose etc. because he has no clue why you are punishing him; if he goes inside simply clean it up and keep an eye on him if he appears to getting ready to pee/poo and directly bring him outside to do it (to the same spot!).

tk123

How have you been training him OP?

Chuchote

Did this pup come from a puppy farm? Normally the mother teaches her pups to do their business outside; if they're not raised by their mother they don't have this socialisation.

ShaShaBear

Chuchote wrote: »

Did this pup come from a puppy farm? Normally the mother teaches her pups to do their business outside; if they're not raised by their mother they don't have this socialisation.

Ummm... what?
All puppies need to be taught by their owners to go outside? Or am I missing something here?

Chuchote

ShaShaBear wrote: »

Ummm... what?
All puppies need to be taught by their owners to go outside? Or am I missing something here?

Any pup I've ever got (normally at 12 weeks) has already been completely trained by its mother that inside is for living and outside is for peeing.

bmwguy

Chuchote wrote: »

Any pup I've ever got (normally at 12 weeks) has already been completely trained by its mother that inside is for living and outside is for peeing.

They have learned not to go in their bed alright but not learned to go outside, every dog I had needed to be taught by me and it can take a while, current dog had it clicked by about 4 months of age

Chuchote

Maybe I've just been lucky. Apart from the odd misunderstanding, pups and kittens generally seemed to know that outside was outside and you don't foul your nest.

OP, my approach would be:

a) bring the pup out for a short poo-and-pee walk last thing at night and early in the morning, at this stage while bladder is small and capacity to hold on limited
b) if there is an accident, don't scold, just clean it up, and wash the place using biological detergent, which removes the smell so the pup won't smell it and think "ah, here's where I should do it"
c) when you're out and the pup does his business, give him a tiny treat (eg little piece of cooked liver) and always say a word or phrase, to associate it with the business — a word or phrase you wouldn't commonly use for something else, like "Eucalyptus!" for a poo and "Hydrangea!" for a pee
d) when you've done this for a good few times, notice when the pup's thinking about crouching and say the word just as s/he does it, and then praise extravagantly when s/he produces the right result, and give a treat
e) by doing this, you'll get to the point where the pup will learn to pee, and if there's anything there, to poo, on cue.

You can ease off on the treats once the behaviour is well set in and is the normal behaviour for the pup. My dog, at 15, will obediently wander around and then crouch and pee if I say "Do your pee!" — but it can be a bit embarrassing if neighbours overhear.

If you're wondering why this is a good thing to train, well, there are times when you'd like the dog to have peed beforehand — for instance, if you're going on a car journey or going to be out for a while.

Your dog is, obviously, not going to pee only when you give the cue, but it's handy.

Someone over on the cycling forum mentioned that s/he and neighbours put up two dog waste bins; if there's such a thing in your neighbourhood, it's a great thing to be able to train your dog to do the business beside the bin, so you don't have to wander around like a lost soul carrying a doggy bag. In France, I've seen special dog toilets in cities, with sand for the dogs to do their stuff — smelling pretty ripe, though, I don't know why they don't change the sand more regularly.

Bunnyslippers

I've always taken mine out as soon as they wake, eat or play, so every hour or so for a pup like yours who isn't getting the idea. Praise as others have said like mad and use a cue word, stay outside with your pup until he does it. Any accidents indoors ignore and clean well. Also how much access to your house does he have? - a pup under a year old really needs to be restricted to one room, say the kitchen, where the floor is easy to clean and there are less distractions, perseverance and routine is the key until it clicks, which it will don't worry!:)

muddypaws

Chuchote wrote: »

c) when you're out and the pup does his business, give him a tiny treat (eg little piece of cooked liver) and always say a word or phrase, to associate it with the business — a word or phrase you wouldn't commonly use for something else, like "Eucalyptus!" for a poo and "Hydrangea!" for a pee

Great advice, and I have nothing to add, but just wanted to say how much I love the choice of words, gave me a real giggle today, and I wish I'd used those words instead of 'be clean' which is what I do use. So much more fun.

Chuchote

muddypaws wrote: »

Great advice, and I have nothing to add, but just wanted to say how much I love the choice of words, gave me a real giggle today, and I wish I'd used those words instead of 'be clean' which is what I do use. So much more fun.

Comes after years of people leaping, staring and giggling when I say "Do your pee" or "Do your business"!