You need to take him out to toilet straight after any period of movement, feeding, after sleeping, after playing, etc. You don't need to use newspaper; that will only encourage him to mess inside. There is no magic trick to toilet training a puppy really; just a hell of a lot of going back and forth between the house and garden and a bucket load of patience.

Not sure why the breeder is feeding him at midnight...that seems a little odd to me. I definitely wouldn't continue with that as the odds are highly likely he will mess in the house straight after during the night.

Sounds fine. Unlike what another poster said, up until they are 12 weeks puppies SHOULD be fed four times a day, not three.

As for taking him out between 10-11pm, what time will be be up in the morning? unless it is very early, you'll need to take him out once during the night for a toilet break for at least the first couple of weeks.

I get up at 6;30am but I would have no problem with setting my alarm and taking him out early hours either. I can't wait!

Hi Beth I would advise getting a copy of this little booklet, it is written by two APDT trainers and will get you off to a good start.

http://www.dog-games.co.uk/shop/dog-...vival-kit.html

Yes I have puppies upstairs with me on a rug in a tall box next to my bed . I do this for a number of reasons: so I can hear the puppy cry when it wishes to relieve itself / so it can hear me breathing and have the touch of a hand for reassurance if need be /so it can smell my scent, all of these things help with the bonding and settling in process. The puppies usually go to sleep very quickly even on the first night.


Whether you take the puppy upstairs or stay downstairs , it doesn't really matter, the main thing is that the puppy gets used to being left alone gradually and is not subject too a lot of fear and stress as soon as it goes to a new home.

As the puppy gets used to the new home and grows in confidence, with correct handling it should get used to being left alone with no problems.

Here are two articles you may find of interest.
http://www.dogsey.com/dog-articles.php?t=8974

http://www.dogsey.com/dog-articles.php?t=14526


As Labradork says the puppy should be on 4 meals a day not 3 and please don't put your puppy on a metal grill in a crate, give it a nice warm bed to curl up on .

Do you want to believe an ordinary dog owner or a team of professionals that has been breeding 300-400 large breed puppies a year and following most of them through their whole life? I doubt Labrodork has 0.1% of the experience the dog guide school I raise puppies for does. At 12 weeks, they are almost old enough to cut back to 2 meals.

Just because you puppy walk for a guide dog school does not mean you, or they, know more than people here. How do you know how much experience Labradork does or does not have? You don't. Incidentally Guide Dogs in the UK recommend feeding 4 times a day until at least 12 weeks and then three times for several weeks after and they breed and raise a lot of large breed puppies a year too.

You can be really patronising to people here who provide really good, sensible advice people to others just because you think you are the world's expert on dogs because you puppy walk for a guide dog team and then advocate putting a wire rack in the base of the puppy's crate which is not going to make it want to be in there and I've seen other really ridiculous suggestions from you too. I wish you'd understand that there are people here who have huge amounts of experience (and probably more knowledge than you do) and stop acting like you are the only person who knows what they are talking about.

Well said!

Labman, honestly, no one on here could care less about what your organization does. Judging by what you have said about them (keeping puppies in bare crates, locked away for most of the day, putting 12 week old puppies on 2 meals a day), they sound pretty awful and 98% of British dog owners would not follow their methods. So, you are preaching to the wrong choir here. Perhaps they do it differently in the old U.S.A. but over here we have moved on from draconian methods of puppy rearing.

Hi Beth I guess you may be rather confused by the conflicting advice given here. Suffice it to say some people in other countries use different methods to those adopted by dog people over here. Many of us in this country have moved forward and work on the principle of understanding the puppy and how and why it functions as it does.

I am not in favour of shutting a puppy up in a crate for long periods of time on a wire rack with no bedding, (this sounds to me like treating a puppy as a battery hen ).
A puppy needs a warm bed, it has just been separated from the dam and siblings for the first time and will certainly feel cold. A warm bed will help it to settle down and to sleep. Also I would say having a wire rack in a crate so the puppy can soil in the crate is not a good method of training, this is why:
Most puppies and dogs will soil well away from the sleeping/eating area if at all possible (it is instinctive behaviour and probably a natural way of keeping flies and vermin from the area) . This behaviour begins in the nest, a dam will clean up her puppies and the nest area by eating the excrement (and a good breeder will ensure the bedding is kept clean), this enables the puppies to become accustom to sleeping in a clean area and keeping it and themselves clean . Occasionally you get a bad mother (or breeder) who doesn't keep her puppies clean and they get used to living in a soiled nest, this can result in puppies which will soil anywhere and lay in it/eat excrement and it can make house training difficult .
Because small puppies have no control over their bodily functions and can't wait to relieve themselves, if they are are shut in a crate for long periods without being given the opportunity to relieve themselves elsewhere they have no alternative but to soil in their beds. Having done so some puppies will then eat it, eating feces is natural and can become a habit . I think it is also distressing to some puppies to be forced to soil in their beds.

So if you are not prepared to get up in the night for a few nights (some puppies sleep through anyway if you make sure they are 'empty' last thing) it is best to make sure the puppy is able to soil away from its bed. This means leaving the crate door open or having a large crate with separate areas for sleeping and soiling. Personally I prefer to take a puppy outside regularly (including during the night to begin with, my current dog now almost two years old has only ever has two accidents in the house since I acquired her as a puppy).

With regard to feeding, the principle adopted my many good breeders and owners here is to choose a good quality dog food which does not contain lots of unnecessary additives (some of which can cause allergies in certain dogs) If you go to a few pet food websites you will be able to read the content of the food (the ingredients are usually listed in order of the quantity of each ingredient) .

With regard to the number of times a day a puppy is fed the general rule is..
Age 4-12weeks = 4 meals a day
Age 3-6 months = 3 meals a day
Age 6-12months = 2 meals a day
1 year onward = 1 or 2 meals a day

Many of us consider it is better to feed a number of small meals than to overload a puppy's stomach with too much food in one go which will distend the stomach and may cause the puppy to regurgitate the food . Also it is generally better to 'grow a puppy slowly'

I can't find it, but not too long ago there was a thread ''How do you know what you know'' or some such. It made it quite apparent most of the answers here come from a person with nothing beyond the limited experience any one person can have in a life time. Those born knowing all there is to know and no need for any training or reading a book.

And by the way, if you took time to read my profile or many of my posts, you would know I am far more than a dog walker.

Yes that sounds liek a good idea, a 8 wk old puppy needs to be fed 4 meals a day,

I see you have conflicting advice on this, but take the time to do a search here, and on the net, you will see the general consensus for such a young pup is 4 meals, then reducing down to 3, then down to 2 a day.

Your puppy will guide you on when to reduce feeds.


Also if those times suit you, then great, but dont get bogged down to being so strict, routine is crucial , but sometimes we jus cant stick to it.


Crates, this will be a decision you need to make now, are you planning to crate train your pup...you dont have to be many do (personally , am a fan) BUT ..crates are not meant o confine a pup/dog for hrs and hrs on end a dog... thats bordering on abuse.

They are fantastic for keeping puppy safe,when you leave a room, have to pop out for an hr, and a great help in toilet training.

When you bring pup home, try and keep the household quiet for a few days.......not letting all friends and family visit.. let him settle first, get to know the house, those who live in it, and after a few days, introduce all other friends and family.

Remeber puppy will be unsure of all these new things so ease him into it.

He will need to be taken to toilet many many times through the day , and also at night

The golden rule is to take him outside every time he wakes, after feeds, after play, and as many times inbetween as you need.

he should show you he needs to potty by turning circles, sniffing the floor.... if he does any of that.. pick him up and take him out side, and wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! till he does what he needs to, then lots and lots of praise.

Wheres he going to sleep, thats up to you, if you want him to sleep in one place in his crate or on your bed/bedroom, its all down to personal choice.

But remember he is going to cry, you have just taken him away from his siblings and mum, thrown him into a alien enviroment, and he will be frightened, specially when you leave him...so expect tears

It will be up to you how you deal with it...personally I never left my babies to cry and would not dream of leaving my puppies either.

Sleep by their bed, or place the bed with you, you can as he begins to settle more through the night move his bed further and further away from you to his place of rest... as he sleeps longer he will not notice.


If you use a crate, make it snug for him, a nice fleecy blanket, toys he needs to feel safe and secure , so the more comfy you make it the better..also feed all his meals in their at first, this will also encourage him to "liking" his den.

What I woudl do, (if you use a crate) is , have it ready for him, when you bring it home, (somewhere he can see all whats going on) he will be sleepy when he comes home, allow him to investigate,and as soon as he falls asleep, place him in the cage, you can close the door over, and , then leave him to sleep..

If you are not using a crate, then the same applies to his bed...........remember to take him out to potty as soon as he wakes.

I think you have enough to be going on for now... good luck and enjoy your baby.