What are you feeding Honey on? The type of food you are feeding could be causing her to eat her own poo.

Also, I like to teach them a word that means 'go for a wee/poo'. This is a useful way of teaching them to go outside when on walks. I use 'go quickly' and you need to say it when you see going in the garden. She will soon learn to associate the word with what she is meant to do. You need to make sure you only say it when she is just about to have a wee and when she is actually having a wee. Otherwise she will just start to ignore the word.

Take a hot water bottle outside with you! I do this when i go out with my foster dogs ,makes the cold more bareable at 6 in the morning! Also have an umbrella to hand.Good luck

Hi all,

I am feeding her 'pets at home' puppy dried dog food (breeder had her on this and told me to keep her on it). She eats it okay, and she will get the odd puppy treat (mostly now when she toilets outside).

Laura, the 'get off' spray is bought at 'pets at home' and is suppose to stop your dog from toileting (takes the scent away). But, it doesn't work with Honey and smells really bad for humans!

Today I have been taking her out every 45 mins and playing with her and she hasn't gone in the house once.

However, when she comes into the house I put her straight in her crate with toys etc... sh seems to get contented by this, whines when I leave for about 1 minute and then gets settled again! But, I actually think she is becoming more settled with this outside and crate routine!!!

I am not permitting her to run around the house anymore until she is house trained - just wanted to know if this was okay, as when she is in the crate I sometimes feel guilty!

so in theory you could have her in a crate for the next couple of months what about interaction with you all, sorry but shutting her in her crate till she is house trained is not an option IMO Puppies have accidents its a fact, puppies need to see the world fact, puppies need to interact with their opwners not entertain themselves in crates

i have never crated lily but i realise that it can be a useful thing for some people. having said that i would never keep a puppy in a crate when you are at home! this certainly won't teach them to be clean and they need to interact with you as well as to learn to 'live' in a house. this can only be done by allowing freedom to find out what is acceptable and unacceptable.

Well, when I let her run round the house she is peeing and pooing everywhere.

I thought crates were to help house train a dog?

Why do my posts annoy some people here so much, I'm asking for answers and help, if you don't have anything constructive to write to help me then I'd prefer posters not to just vent their angry attitudes at me???!!

Lillypup, thanks for your advice btw, rant not directed at you x

Poops and piddles are part of puppyhood, you need to put the work in to get the rewards. A crate may aid you but there are no quick fixes.

Don't let her run around the house if it is causing a lot of mess, keep her confined to just a couple of rooms, but certainly not her crate.

we are trying to help, but this is what puppies do, all you will achieve by keeping her in her crate is to teach her that she shouldn't do it in her crate not the house, keep an eye on her while she's out if she starts to sniff and circle she should be taken outside with lots of praise if she goes

Hi, You may find that the crate is part of the problem. If she sees the crate solely as her "home" then she may see the rest of the house as the "toilet"!!
Dogs are naturally clean in their bed and then seek other areas to toilet in.
So you need to teach her the house is her home and the garden is the toilet in the ways that have been said by others.

Good luck hun itll be worth it!

I am a strong supporter of crating a dog when you can't watch it. I disagree with much of the convention advice on housebreaking dogs. We have had a new puppy every year since 1991 to housebreak. I have picked up a trick or 2. Among other things I am not thinking just get through this and I won't have to do it for a while. Also when the last puppy you housebroke was last year, you remember more of what worked than those that their last one was 5-10 years ago.

Let me give you my complete system.

Much of housebreaking is not training the puppy, but making it easier for your puppy, you, and your carpet while its body to catches up to its instincts. At around 8 weeks when the puppy goes to its new home, the time from when it realizes it has to go, and when it can't wait any longer is a matter of seconds. Only time will fix that. You can hardly be expected to be attentive enough to avoid all accidents. There is no sense punishing the puppy for your inattention. It is not fair to punish you either, but you still have to clean it up if you didn't have the puppy outside in time.

Housebreaking starts before you get home with the new puppy. If you don't have a crate, buy one. I prefer the more enclosed, den like plastic ones. Skip the bedding. At first it gets wet, and later it can be chewed into choking hazards. A wire grid in the bottom will help keep the puppy up out of accidents at first. They are available with the crates, but expensive and hard to find. A piece of closely spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is cheaper. I am now using a plastic vegetable bin with plenty of holes drilled in the bottom. It helps block off part of the crate for the smaller puppy. If you already have a metal crate, covering it may help. Just make sure you use something the puppy can't pull in and chew. Dogs that start out in crates as little puppies, accept them very well. Never leave an unattended puppy loose in the house. If nobody can watch it, put it in the crate. I suggest letting the dog have its crate all its life. A crate needs to be just big enough for a dog to stretch out in.

Choose a command and spot you want it to use. The less accessible to strays, the less chance of serious disease. If it is a female, choosing a non grassy spot will avoid brown spots later. When you bring it home, take it to the spot and give it the command in a firm, but friendly voice. Keep repeating the command and let the puppy sniff around. Sometimes you need to walk it around to stimulate its body to eliminate. If it does anything, praise it. Really let it know what a good dog it is and how much you love it, and maybe a treat. Note, being out there not only means you can praise it, but it also keeps it from being snatched by a hawk. If it doesn't go, take it inside and give it a drink and any meals scheduled. A young puppy will need to go out immediately afterward. Go to the spot and follow the above routine. Praising it if it goes is extremely important. If it doesn't go, take it back inside and put it in its crate and try again soon. Do not let it loose in the house until it does go.

At first it is your responsibility to know and take the puppy out when it needs to go. It needs to go out the first thing in the morning, after eating, drinking, and sleeping. If it quits playing, and starts running around sniffing, it is looking for a place to go. Take it out quickly. You will just have to be what I call puppy broke until it is a little older. How successful you are depends on how attentive you are.

By the time most dogs are about 3 months old, they have figured out that if they go to the door and stand, you will let them out. The praise slowly shifts to going to the door. Some people hang a bell there for the dog to paw. If your dog doesn't figure this out, try praising it and putting it out if it even gets near the door. When you catch it in the act, give it a sharp ''Ah, ah, ah!'' and take it out. Clean up accidents promptly. I mostly keep the little puppies out of the carpeted rooms. Still I need the can of carpet foam sometimes. First blot up all the urine you can with a dry towel. Keep moving it and stepping on it until a fresh area stays dry. A couple big putty knives work well on bowel movements. Just slide one under it while holding it with the other. This gets it up with a minimum of pushing it down into the carpet. This works with even relatively soft ones, vomit, dirt from over turned house plants, or anything else from solids to thick liquids. Finish up with a good shot of carpet foam. Note, do not let the puppy lick up the carpet foam. Once the dog is reliably housebroken, your carpet may need a good steam cleaning.

Many people strongly strongly push cleaning up all evidence of past accidents. I am slower to suggest that. Dogs will return to the same spot if they can find it. When you see one sniffing the spot, that is your clue to run it out.