house training

[laz82]

ok, I've had badger for approx 2 months now, after a couple weeks he was house trained, went outside, only had accidents during the night, then after a couple more weeks started to be clean during the night as well, this was about 2/3 weeks ago, but this week since we have been having horrible weather again, he has started wetting in the kitchen/conservatory even though he can get outside, he doesn't like the rain, but feel I am taking a step backwards, don't know what to do now, I just clean it up and put him outside, and praise him when he does go outside, (luckily he still poos outside), but what if he is like this all through the winter months? any suggestions would be helpful.

Also he was play biting so much, but now he has started doing that more again, could this be due to the fact he may start loosing his baby teeth soon (he is approx 4 months old), because of my 15th month old and 5yr old sons, I can't let him in the living room because he grabs hold of their clothes and may hurt them, so he spends most of his day in the kitchen, but I don't want him to, just don't have any alternative, I say no to him and give him a toy, but that means I have to watch what is going on 24/7 if he was in the same room as my children. He does come into the living room once the kids have gone a bed, but sometimes he gets too much, wanting attention all the time, me and my OH don't get time to relax.

advice welcome, please.

(ps he is good as gold round my parents, is in the same rooms as my children, and goes outside to the toilet, but they have two golden retrievers, one he always plays with. I do have another dog, he will play sometimes, but he likes human affection more and also does like to have a lot of quiet time, he is 7).

What am I doing wrong!!
Sorry for the long post.

[JenSam]

IMHO I dont think you are doing anything wrong.  This is just normal puppy stuff.  We have Sam who is 6 months old just now and he is the same, except for the weeing indoors as he loves being wet and wont mind going out in the rain.   

I can't really give you any advice, but it does get better.

What food is he on?

[LurcherGirl]

My 8-month old American Cocker has just started going indoors again - even when the backdoor is open... It could be just puppy stuff, growing up stuff (he is a male) or it could be the wet weather etc. Though it is annoying, I am not too worried (yet) as I am sure he will learn to hold it a bit longer as he gets older and by the winter, he should be fine.

I just go back to basics with a treat outdoors and ignore indoors, they'll get there again.

Vera

[Helen]

he's definitely teething - do a search on the boards and you will find some great tips for teething pupsters 

agree with Vera, just go back to the basics on his toilet training - and remember that the teething can affect his tummy as well so he may be out of sorts on occassion

[Cob-Web]

because of my 15th month old and 5yr old sons, I can't let him in the living room because he grabs hold of their clothes and may hurt them, so he spends most of his day in the kitchen, but I don't want him to, just don't have any alternative, I say no to him and give him a toy, but that means I have to watch what is going on 24/7 if he was in the same room as my children. He does come into the living room once the kids have gone a bed, but sometimes he gets too much, wanting attention all the time, me and my OH don't get time to relax.

This sounds perfectly normal behaviour too, and very familiar    You really can't take your eyes of young children and dogs together for even a second, and I well remember the exhausting evenings when all I wanted to do was spend some qulaity time with my OH, but it was impossible 

I didn't see any TV programme through in one go for months - play, out for wee, training, quick sleep, more play.......I don't know what I would have done without Sky + 

[CraftySam]

I agree, sounds normal to me.

I was once told that pups can take up to a year to toilet train reliably, at which I scoffed.    I'd already toilet trained 3 pups successfully by the time they were 3 1/2-4  months old.

Then Morgan came along and he was a whole new ball game. I used the same technique I had with the other 3, but he took forever.  He hates the wet too and that didn't help as it was February when he came home.  I don't think I've ever had confidence that he's 100% proofed but for about the last two months he's been clean until a couple of weeks ago and he's done two poo's inside in two weeks.  Don't know why. I've gone back to basics again, and just hoping that this is short lived!

Some pups are more mouthy than others, my first was dreadful the next three I'd managed to put a stop to it within days. Be consistent with your method, whichever one you choose. I use the one where you give a high pitch ouch whenever his mouth touches you, even if it doesn't hurt, then folded my arms and turned away from him for a minute. I then carried on with whatever I was doing prior to the mouthing.

[laz82]

thanks for replies, will just persevier (sp), I will give the high pitch scream ago, see if that works better.

[Joelf]

I agree with Sam; toilet training does vary from pup to pup.

Spike was more or less 100% clean at 14 weeks; he would slit his own throat rather than mess indoors!! But Stanley took forever; I couldn't really trust him before he was at least 9 months so your pup sounds quite normal.

Likewise some are much worse puppy biters than others; a friend has a really super litter of lab pups which mob you & bite fingers, trousers & anything else they can reach with needle sharp little puppy teeth!!