General advice again please

[YvonneC22]

Alex is 14 weeks, he will only "go" in the garden and hold it in on walks until he gets home, which I believe is normal for his age?
No matter how many poo's he has in the morning dinner and evening outside, he still does 3 more poo's during the night and always 2 poo's while we are out and plenty of wee's. (but does it AROUND the newspaper not on it)

Luckily we have a large kitchen/dining room with wooden-tiled floor but he isn't in a crate or pen so is walking it everywhere 

My question is........ Would we be better to put him in a crate or pen while we are not with him I.e during the night and periods in the day (I have a small part time job- 3 hrs)
would this help him to learn to hold it a little better???  He is always walked before I go out and when I get home
Help!!!!!!! 

[jonnytrabant]

I'd have him in a pen, especially if he's walking around. What are you feeding him? Harry was a poohing machine when we first got him but changing to JWB he gone the opposite.

[piph]

I'd also suggest a pen - more room than a crate, but still small enough to cover with puppy pads or newspaper so he will have to 'go' on the paper.  !4 weeks is still very young, plenty of time yet - it will happen all of a sudden - you'll see! 

[sarahm2008]

we have a pen for sandon, its really handy we leave him in it when I work in the mornings (3 hours too) and always give him a treat in it when we leave and also feed him in there too. He seldom has accidents in there and generally waits until I get home, at night time he has access to the hall with pen in but door left open for him, he always does a wee and a poo on paper but I put this down to his age (18 weeks) and not being able to hold it for 8 hours which I dont expect.
I would definately recommend a pen, it has worked for us when im out and he really enjoys going in there as he knows he gets food and treats in there!

[YvonneC22]

Hi guys, thanks for the advice.
I'm going to get a pen tomorrow and try it. I don't expect him to stop messing but it will be a smaller area to clean x

[piph]

Hi guys, thanks for the advice.
I'm going to get a pen tomorrow and try it. I don't expect him to stop messing but it will be a smaller area to clean x

I'm sure you'll find it helps - but be firm and don't let him out of the pen at the first whimper - he may be put out that his freedom to roam has been stopped, and it might take a few days for him to get used to it, but persevere and I'm sure your life will become a lot easier!  Good luck. 

[YvonneC22]

We have purchased a pen........ so the fun now begins
 

[twiceover2]

Good luck with the pen.  I think keeping him confined while you are out and overnight is always a good idea for safety reasons and peace of mind too until he's a good bit older.

Having so many poos could also mean that either the food he is on doesn't agree with him or that he is having too much of it.  The guideline amounts on the packet are often higher than is actually needed.  If his stools are soft, it's often an indication of overfeeding.

[YvonneC22]

I give him less than the recommended amount as he has treats too. His poo's are about normal but he is a greedy eater he eats quick ( not sure if that can contribute to it??)

[SophieBlueRoanLover]

Out of interest, what size pens do people have their puppies in?

[YvonneC22]

Don't know til the hubby brings it home 
Didn't know there was more than one size!

[piph]

Out of interest, what size pens do people have their puppies in?

Ours consists of 6 2ft x 2ft mesh panels - plenty big enough for Ozzy to wander about in - from Pets @ Home -

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/dog-play-pen-by-pets-at-home-25507  but I'm fairly sure that it didn't cost anywhere near that much, more like £25 - £30!

[YvonneC22]

Ours is 6no 63cmx63cm panels.... Cost £26 from local pet shop or so the hubby has just told me

[minimoo]

i would put him in it first with a few toys or treats so its not too strange for him, they sometimes mess because they are stressed at being left , you have to make it a safe nice place to be , put a little dry kibble sprinkled around in it and let him have a nose about and maybe give him a jumper that you have worn to lie on , i always give a treat when mine go in the crate and the pup cant wait to get in most of the time and it should be the same with a pen 

[YvonneC22]

That's a good idea x thanks