Toilet training an adult dog

[yorky]

Morning all. We picked up our new six year old yesterday. Just to explain Libby has spent her life with a breeder and has had two litters. However she has spent her last few years in part of the breeders house with a number of other dogs, they also have kennels and the owner told us yesterday that the back door to the kennels is always open so the dogs never have to ask to go out. Libby had her first night with us last night. We started her in the kitchen where she just howled for hours. We then let her in to the lounge where she stopped the howling but peed on the carpet even though there was an area of laminate flooring. She is a very sweet dog but went seven hours yesterday without a pee before going to bed. It's not her fault, she has just never been trained.
Does anyone have any ideas?

[joanne_v]

Start as you would with a puppy, take her outside every hour or so to the area you want her to pee and when she does give her lots of praise. Pick a word to choose as a command to pee (i use 'go for wee-wee's). Eventually she'll get the idea. Never tell her off for going indoors and make sure you use a proper cleaner to get rid of the smell or she'll keep going in the same spot inside.

[yorky]

Start as you would with a puppy, take her outside every hour or so to the area you want her to pee and when she does give her lots of praise. Pick a word to choose as a command to pee (i use 'go for wee-wee's). Eventually she'll get the idea. Never tell her off for going indoors and make sure you use a proper cleaner to get rid of the smell or she'll keep going in the same spot inside.

Thanks for the advice. I am in the fortunate position of owning a Chem-dry carpet cleaning franchise and we have a product called PURT (pet urine removal treatment) so that's one good thing.

[Karma]

I would start as if you were toilet training a puppy... lots of trips outside, lots of praise (and maybe even a yummy treat) for performing outside, and ignore any puddles you may find inside.  If you see her sniffing around as if looking for a spot to wee, just take her outside.  You might want to introduce a command for going to the toilet ("be clean" "wee-wees" or whatever suits you!) - just say this everytime she performs and in time you will be able to prompt her to go the loo by using this command.  

From what you say I doubt she has ever had even the most basic toilet training, so it will be a case of starting from the very beginning.  She will not know that laminate is easier to clean than carpet (and to a dog carpet seems to "clean" better as it absorbs the wee!!!    

Given her history, you will need to be very gentle and patient with her, as it will all be a big change for her - well done for giving her the home she deserves!!  

Oh, and pictures are a must here!!!    

(posted at the same time as joanne_v!)

[yorky]

I would start as if you were toilet training a puppy... lots of trips outside, lots of praise (and maybe even a yummy treat) for performing outside, and ignore any puddles you may find inside.  If you see her sniffing around as if looking for a spot to wee, just take her outside.  You might want to introduce a command for going to the toilet ("be clean" "wee-wees" or whatever suits you!) - just say this everytime she performs and in time you will be able to prompt her to go the loo by using this command.  

From what you say I doubt she has ever had even the most basic toilet training, so it will be a case of starting from the very beginning.  She will not know that laminate is easier to clean than carpet (and to a dog carpet seems to "clean" better as it absorbs the wee!!!    

Given her history, you will need to be very gentle and patient with her, as it will all be a big change for her - well done for giving her the home she deserves!!  

Oh, and pictures are a must here!!!    

(posted at the same time as joanne_v!)

Thanks Karma. Now I do have a Nokia Phone and can transfer the pics on to the pc suite but how do I get those to this site and on a posting? never done that before.

[bracken]

Start as you would with a puppy, take her outside every hour or so to the area you want her to pee and when she does give her lots of praise. Pick a word to choose as a command to pee (i use 'go for wee-wee's). Eventually she'll get the idea. Never tell her off for going indoors and make sure you use a proper cleaner to get rid of the smell or she'll keep going in the same spot inside.

Just what I would do      she will soon get the idea with reward each time she does a wee outside. Good luck  Cockers are clever so she will be pick it up. 

Jo

[yorky]

She was about to do a number two just now when I picked her up a rushed into the garden. I guess after six years she is stuck in her ways. Has anyone tried the puppy training pads you can buy now as it says they are also usefull for older dogs?

[MegandMolly]

We had puppy pads for the girls, to be honest found them more trouble than they were worth.  My dogs don't 'ask' to go out as there is a cat flap in the back door (dog size- staywell 740). Molly used to go on the pads really well, but them wouldn't go unless on them! She would come back into the house from the garden to use the pad! I ended up putting the pad outside the back door to encourage her to go outside through the flap, then had to move the pad down the garden to the doggy area.

We were advised to mop the kitchen floor with strong disinfectant every morning in the 'pad area' to remove urine smells as it would be a scented area that the dogs would go back to.

I'd stick with leaving the back door open, and excessive praise when she goes in the right area

[joanne_v]

yeah i wouldnt go down the puddy pad route either

[tiamaria]

No not pads for me either this time! And i found zoflora good for mopping the kitchen floor!

Good luck with it - im sure she'l get the hang of it!