[OzChi]

Hi All,

I think I may have made an error in my wee wee pad training of Axle and im hoping its not too late to fix it.

We started with the wee wee pads in what is now the "dog area" which is a 1.2m or approx 4ft square alcove off our kitchen. Bed and food is at one end and wee wee pads at the other but they are still close - thought this was good for a little puppy getting up in the night so he didn't have to go so far.

Then he kept leaving poos totally up the other end of our open plan living area. I kept trying to reinforce that the pads in the dog area were the place to go (praise for going there and ignoring and thorough clean up and deodorizing of poos outside this area) but he only went on the pads in the dog area when I supervised.

So as not to have poo all over the house we gave in and put pads where he wanted to go and now he does it there about 95% of the time (he does a sneaky one elsewhere about once a week, he pees on the pads at both ends of the house). I wonder if the pads in the dog area were just too close to his bed for his liking? Or have I just given in and let him get away with going where he wants? I would love to contain all the mess to one spot in the house. Is it too late to remove the 2nd wee wee pad spot?

Sorry for the long post but I would love to find a solution. Also has anyone had success in adding in some outside toilet stops after wee wee pad training is firmly established, at this might limit some of the mess.

 

[Jerry'sMom]

i didn't give my dogs that much room to roam at axle's age. when they were loose in the
house, i was closely watching them. maybe you need to go back to confinement, one
peepad area, and then eyes on him every moment when loose in the house good luck!

 

[DKT113]

Honestly there is no other way to get a dog to understand where you expect him to go potty unless you constantly supervise & guide him.. When they start their potty dance ~ he'll have certain indicators that let you know he is getting himself sorted to go potty that's when you need to be right there and directing him to the designated area and full blown praise, cheers and loving (some also use treats) after he has gotten the potty on the right spot/area. Normally they need to go potty as soon as they wake up, x amount of time after they eat, after a play session & then for safe measure I take them outside (in your case to the pad) every 20 minutes or so. He can only "leave poos" in the wrong areas if he has been unsupervised. After the fact there is just no way to talk to him or allow him to understand and make the connection. And after so much time passes and he gets into the habit of pooing where he likes it is more difficult to change his pattern.

A smaller area really helps in being able to monitor them, but it needs to be an area that you can see them and interact with him so that you learn the signals he puts of when he is getting ready to go to the bathroom. When you notice those signals you need to get him immediately to the designated spot so that he can sort himself there and potty. He is simply unable to learn this task by himself without help. It's a little more difficult (at least for me) to train a dog who is free feeding, because there is no way to know for certain when they are ingesting. It can be done though but someone who free feeds can help you more with that.

I think if you go back to a smaller area and really be vigilant watching for signs before he goes, getting him to the pad when he is getting ready & praising once he has accomplished you will have greater success. If he has free run and you are not able to keep a constant eye on him, he will go potty in places you don't like and it makes the whole process more difficult.

 

[OzChi]

He was confined in the alcove for the first 2 weeks but he kept escaping over the cardboard boxes we closed it off with or frantically pawing at the flex pen we replaced the boxes with to the extent where I thought he would hurt himself so I removed it. The new puppy is confined in the bathroom upstairs when we are out so that's not an option (they still need to be seperated as she is 9 weeks and he is 20 weeks and they need to be supervised when together). I must say as a result of her confinement she is a toilet training superstar at 9 weeks, she may have 1 accident a day, the rest of the time she uses the pads like a little champ so I obviously should have done this with Axle but I thought I should start him off where I wanted him to continue to go which is the alcove.

Had another thought on this after I posted. Do you think if I moved his bed to the spot in the loungeroom where he poops he would go back to using the pads in the alcove where I want him to go? I would rather have beds in the lounge than poopy pads. I clean up as soon as he goes but I had a friend over the other day and he went (on the pad in the spot he likes) right in front of us while we were sitting on the couch which is not ideal I will start trying to get both of them to go outside once the new puppy is older but as we're out at work all day pads are a necessity for us so I need to make it work somehow.

 

[Kaila]

Hi All,

I think I may have made an error in my wee wee pad training of Axle and im hoping its not too late to fix it.

We started with the wee wee pads in what is now the "dog area" which is a 1.2m or approx 4ft square alcove off our kitchen. Bed and food is at one end and wee wee pads at the other but they are still close - thought this was good for a little puppy getting up in the night so he didn't have to go so far.

Then he kept leaving poos totally up the other end of our open plan living area. I kept trying to reinforce that the pads in the dog area were the place to go (praise for going there and ignoring and thorough clean up and deodorizing of poos outside this area) but he only went on the pads in the dog area when I supervised.

So as not to have poo all over the house we gave in and put pads where he wanted to go and now he does it there about 95% of the time (he does a sneaky one elsewhere about once a week, he pees on the pads at both ends of the house). I wonder if the pads in the dog area were just too close to his bed for his liking? Or have I just given in and let him get away with going where he wants? I would love to contain all the mess to one spot in the house. Is it too late to remove the 2nd wee wee pad spot?

Sorry for the long post but I would love to find a solution. Also has anyone had success in adding in some outside toilet stops after wee wee pad training is firmly established, at this might limit some of the mess.

Personally I think it worked better for me to have a very small crate so that Teddy wouldn't want to pee where he was sleeping. This taught him to hold it and I'd get up every two hours or so throughout the night to take him out. For a long time I focused only on taking him outside.. and then I made the mistake of introducing pee pads. He used them, but he'd also pee all over my apartment. No matter how well I deodorized with an enzyme cleaner, he'd still pee on everything. He was totally confused.

When I took away the pee pads, he went back to holding his urine while he was inside and peeing outside only. Once he was a little better house-trained and used to holding his urine I re-introduced the pee pads (after he was about a year old) but only in the bathroom. Keep the location of the pee pad 100% consistent and don't move it, but I wouldn't confuse him at this point. In my opinion, having them go outside is far less confusing than saying "You can pee inside SOME of the time and ONLY in specific areas." Young puppies just don't seem to get that.

Go back to basics:
1) Make his crate space smaller so that he only has room to stand, sit, lie down and turn around comfortably. Put only a bed in his crate.
2) Take him out every 30 minutes to start. Also take him out every time he wakes up from a nap, after finishing a meal, and after playing hard.
3) If he is out of the crate/playpen when you are home, your attention should be on him. He should never be able to wander on his own and mess in secret.
4) If you can't focus 100% of your attention on him, then use the umbilical leash method so that he can't wander away from you. Loop a leash through your belt loop and attach it to his harness as usual. Watch for any signs of circling (in either direction), sniffing at the ground, or pawing at the ground. Take him out immediately if you see any of these signs and use a cue word or phrase (ex. "Want to go outside?" or just "Outside?")