Does anyone want to share their toilet training story? Or was it smooth sailing for you?

Here's my story!

I got Mo, my labrador cross when he was 8 weeks old, and I was unprepared. I did not know how to toilet train him, and actually tried using those pads that several people recommended I use, but then I realised that that is the WORST method. You shouldn't teach your dog to go indoors, only then to try to make him go outdoors. You should make him go outdoors right away.

I heard that crate training is the best way to go, but Mo hated his crate so this was not a good option.

At first I didn't know the signs, but then I realised that if he starts whining or sniffing around then he most likely needed to go and do his business. Plus, I learned to take him out after every meal.

But then the problem I had was night time. I would keep waking up each morning to find poop and wee all over the place. He would rarely wake me up when he woke up at night, so I couldn't stop him. So this was making my daytime toilet training useless because he was still doing it at night. But then I got the idea to keep his lead on him during the night, and have it wrapped around my arm so I could feel a pull when he would get up each night to do his business. This worked. But he would wake me up several times each night which got extremely stressful after a few days. But I kept at it and it was definitely worth it because it was then very rare for him to have an accident indoors because I never gave him the chance, and after a while he knew not to so I was able to tone down the toilet training.

Mo is now almost 2 years old. It took me around 2 months in total to have him trained completely, but it could have been done a lot quicker if I knew then what I know now.

How did it work out for you guys?

Pretty much in under a week, I used a crate for overnight and if I had to go out. Pups generally don't soil their sleeping area. Also was vigilant putting him out after he woke up, and after feeding. I also kept an eye out for sniffing/circling behaviour, often a sign a "gift" is imminent! Obviously got the odd mishap, but just cleaned it up well and made no issue of it.

It took ours about a week or so too, with crating when we were out and at night.

She only ever pooped once in her crate at about 9 weeks, and had 2 wees in the kitchen, and thats it.

She was a breeze.

I think it varies breed to breed.

My springer was toilet trained fully in under a fortnight. We went outside for a wee every 1/2hr. When he was left overnight he occasionally did a wee on the training pad, but it became very rare until he stopped altogether.

My Vizsla though was a blummin nightmare, and it took months. I do think though that she would occasionally do a wee out of spite at having been left for a couple of hours occasionally.

My Jack Russell Scruffy had no other choice but to use puppy pads as we lived in a flat when I got him at 8 weeks. Then 2 months later, we managed to get a house and he peed at the end of the stairs twice on moving day. I told him off and put a pad down. Later on instead of going inside, he stared at me until I left him out into the garden, and he just went. I was thrilled as he continued to do this. So basically, he decided himself to go outside.

Our lab Holly was a nightmare. Everytime we thought we'd cracked it she reverted back to early puppy behaviour. We had to replace a carpet in our last house before we moved out as she'd just ruined it completely.

Then all of a sudden it clicked. She now jumps up at the back door and scrabbles at the handle, or walks backwards and forwards between us and the door until we let her out. She then waits patiently (most of the time :P) to be let back in, and lets me wipe her feet before going back to her doggy business.

We've had problems with our jack russell puppy Tilly as she had been squatting every 10 minutes but not always doind something. We took her to the vet and it turns out she had a bladder infection. A week of antibiotics and she was fine, and now we're back on top of the training and doing really well. Only had a couple of accidents over the past few weeks.

The crate really helps, I would recommend crate training to anyone who was looking to get a dog!

i used a crate with mine overnight and when i went out and just let them out regularly it didn't take long at all.

You can't say that using puppy pads is the 'worst method'! They are a very useful aid to toilet training if used how they are intended to be used.

I've trained eight dogs in my adult life and not only do they vary according to breed but also according to individuals.

I refuse to believe anyone can train their puppy in a week or two unless they are referring to 'training' when they really mean going out every hour or so to prevent accidents.

A dog is trained when it can last a reasonable length of time then lets you know it wants to go out or can hold on until the next time you decide it's time to go out.

I don't like puppy pads because imo you have to do the training twice - train them to use the pad (which gets them into thinking it's fine to wee indoors) and them train them to go outside.

My first dog was trained to use newspaper when I got him at 10 months. I housetrained him in 3days, simply by making a huge fuss of him every time he weed out of doors. He was the most biddable, eager to please dog I've ever known and that made a bit complacent when i got my lakeland terrier pup.

He was crated when left and at night, and it took about about 6 weeks to housetrain him. My second lakie, a bitch, was quite a bit older when we got her (12 weeks instead of 7) and she was sorted inside a week. I used the same method for both.

I watched them like a hawk whenever they wer up and about indoors, and on signs of sniffing, circling, being furtive, or any other behaviour that looked like a wee or a dump might be on the way, they were whisked out to the garden. I'd wait with them for ages, as long as it took, until they performed, then praised them to the heavens, gave them kisses and cuddles, treats if I happened to have one on me and generally just gave them massive rewards. They soon got the idea.

I also took them out at the times they would usually want to go, eg when they woke up, after dinner (my boy was nicknamed The Mastic Gun because input at one end led to almost immediate output at the other), a few minutes after a big drink, after playing. There would still be the occasional lapse if they were really engrossed in a game, or if they woke upstairs and were really desperate, they might not make it all the way to the back door in time, but they had the idea.

They both learned to go out via the cat flap, which was a bit of a bummer as it meant they've never learned to vocalise their need to go out. It's a pain when we stay in places without cat flaps. My bitch will get a bit whingey, but all my boy does is scratch at the back door, which is no good if you're upstairs in bed!

BigBitch at least you admit to 'the occasional lapse' which all puppies will have until they are able to 'hold it' and that comes with time - hence it being easier to train a 10 month puppy as it can hold on a lot longer. Eight week old puppies' bladders are not able to hold on for long, just like human babies.

I don't think it helps a new puppy owner for others to say 'I trained my puppy in a week'. Puppies can't be trained in a week. They can be 'watched like a hawk' and taken outside regurly but as I said the lack of accidents doesn't mean the puppy is 'trained'. They will continue to have occasional accidents maybe for several months.

But what is the difference between training on newspaper and training on a puppy pad? It's the same principal just less mess with the pad.

2 days - and one accident after about a week - I'm not exaggerating - he was brilliant (Staff-x-Lab)

Though, it was summer at the time, and our back door was open most of the day, which did help a lot.
We just kept an eye on him and quickly got him outside if he started to 'settle' or do the 'poop-dance' indoors.
Make no big deal about it if he does it indoors, and make a fuss of him when he does it outdoors.

I'm VERY much of a night-owl, rarely in bed before 2am, and my wife is the opposite, usually up by 7am - In the first week or so, I just stayed up 'til about 4, so there was only a 3 hour window where he was unsupervised.
I realise this isn't practical for most people, but it worked well for us - he only peed/pooped indoors at night twice, and once during the day about a week later when he was left home-alone for an hour or so.

Now he's older - we have a 'doggie toilet' in the garden.
Basically, you poke an old bucket full of holes, then gather poop in it until about half-full (Yeah! I know - yeuch! - but it needs to be done)
Top up with soil and bury it so the rim is about 4" to 6" down - then when it rains the contents seep into the earth around it.
Humans can't smell it that far down, but a dog can - and he always poops in that corner of the garden now. After a few months getting used to pooping there, I covered the patch with a few paving slabs making it a doddle to clean up after him.

When i realised as soon as he woke up he pissed everywhere. At first we had no idea but quickly got onto this and put him outside as soon as he woke up or started sniffing or disapearing out the hallway, he is briliant now and taps on the door/patio door/ or sometimes the front door, i think once the toilet training is done when the dog is young and at an early stage, the the fun times begin. Its also brilliant to praise the dog alot and treat him when he goes outside, he used to come in so happy after doing his business outside waggling his tail, he is a boxer dog and is so excitable. I love him.

I've a little Westie who's a year old now. Up until he was 3 - 4 months he had terrible diarrhoea, sometimes up to 20 times a day. Once an hour through the night too, and I had to keep getting up with him. I had him at the vets practically every week (but that's another story as to how I think their treatment of him left a lot to be desired).

It was a nightmare trying to train him as he just did his business where he stood. He couldn't help it, and we ended up with papers down practically everywhere as we didn't want to confine him to the cage 24/7.

When he was finally cured I prepared myself for the hard task of then toilet training him. Most dogs his age were already house trained.

Two days is all it took with him. I couldn't believe it. Quickest dog I've ever trained, and I honestly thought it was going to be a long drawn out process because we were starting so late with him.

On the downside I think the illness stunted his growth as he's now very small for a Westie.

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