Help with house training

Hi all

Amy is doing pretty well with the house training but, my mum gave me a small mattress (went inside a travel cot) for the dogs to sleep on, its perfect for them but Amy keeps weeing on it, how do i stop her from going on the mattress?

It'll be ruined before either of them get to use it at this rate

Oh puppies and weeing on beds - if it were me Jules I would save the mattress for when she is more controlled and use a bed that is washable. They do get out of the habit but at least whilst she is learning you won't ruin the mattress in the process.

The other thing but this sometimes doesn't work is to feed her on it - they won't toilet where they eat.

Think they just like to mark it as a familiar place - alot of puppies do it though.

She is so sweet I am so glad she is helping fill the gap for you x

Thanks Rachel

I was thinking, maybe it would be better not to use the mattress until shes a bit older but i will try the feeding thing first, didnt think of that, great idea, thanks!

I spoke to her breeder and she says shes marking as opposed to just having a wee.

I put a throw on the sofa yesterday, she wee'd on it but i didnt see her do it, I then sat in it and had "Amy" written all over my bum

Shes filling the hole perfectly, i still do miss Ruby but Amy is helping hugely.

Thanks for the advice

Hi VV are you taking your puppy out to relieve itself at frequent intervals, you say Amy peed on the sofa, does she have free access to all the house?

I would take Amy out frequently (after sleep/food/play and about once an hour) and teach her to pee on command by adding a queue word when she is in the middle 'of going' so that she associates the word with the action, then treat/praise the moment she has finished.

I would also remove the mattress until she is houstrained and confine her to the kitchen only allowing her in other parts of the house when she 'is empty' and you are able to watch her closely.

It is also important to clean the 'soiled' articles well with biological washing powder so they don't act as a prompt to soil there again.

Thanks Mini

Yes, i am taking her outside after every meal and every drink and a few times in between, she only has access to the whole house when i am home but she still pee's on everything, only tiny wee's which is why the breeder thinks she is marking. She was dry the whole night last night.

I just need to be more careful where i sit

I didn't think puppies marked?! In fact i'm sure they don't, that is a behaviour that comes when they are older. I think she has just decided that that is an ok place to go to the toilet inside.

Make sure you take her outside on the hour, every hour, just after she has woken up, after she has eaten and played an exciting game, and after visitors arrive, also whenever you see her sniffing the floor, circling or going near where the mattress was.

Personally i would also make sure that she was superivised very closely all the time, and put into her crate/safe area when you can't watch her. The moremistakes they get away with the more they learn that there are some places that it is ok to wee inside and the longer toilet training can take.

lol, my puppy only went through a week like that, but ya have to get them to know they need to do it outside.

as pupppies have a very weak bladder its quite unrealistic to take them out twice a day and expect them to know. I had to take mine out about every 2 hours or so.

eventually after a week or so. she sits by the door and barks or whines when she needs to go out.

lol and shes 21 ish week old now, and she only has a few mistakes. and thats due to me not being quick enough