Puppy training - help!

[valleygirl10]

My puppies are 8 months old and still not house trained and they won't sleep through the night.

They wake me up at about 4.30 am and then won't go back to sleep. I get up and let them out - but sometimes its too late they have already gone - both poo and wee. This is after having been put to bed at about 10.30 and having pooed at around 8pm. When I then put them back to bed one of them will howl, whine and bark. Because of my neighbours I can't just leave them and ignore it so have to get up to them. Needless to say I am knackered.

Through the day they are fine and go outside. Although the one that barks and whines has over the past few days been weeing in the house - she is in season and I don't know if this is related? I've read all the stuff about going outside with them - praising them when they go etc etc. but if anyone has any top tips for wither problem I'd be very grateful as I am utterly knackered!

[unhappychick]

Maybe you should wear an old T-shirt and put it in the bed with them, they will be able to smell you and will get some comfort from it....with the weeing in the house, I was advised by someone to not clear it up with bleach as it has amonia in it which is also in wee so they can still get the scent and think its ok to do it again, I was advised to clear any "spills" up with diluted washing powder and it worked a treat......good luck!

[Sam11]

We were advised at night to put a small ticking clock in the puppies bed (this sounds like their mothers heartbeat) along with something that you or your family had all put your scent on (like a blanket or teddy bear) or even a hot water bottle. Have you tried the training pads? Put them where they currently go to the toilet then move them closer to the door until eventually they go outside. I used to look for my puppy sniffing then I would pick her up and take her outside, everytime she went the toilet outside I would give her a treat.

[woofgang]

the lady who runs the puppy socialisation group that I took my two to said two useful things about housetraining. The first was that pups are probably not able to manage their own continence for physical reasons before about six months old. The other is that the biggest reason she has found for housetraining failure is that people think that the pup is housetrained ie continent when in fact its the owner who has been managing the pups continence, thinks that the job is done and stops.

My top tip does work on pups (and dogs) who are physically able to be continent and aren't messing for emotional/psychological reasons....but you will be more knackered before it works!!

Its here

You will need to clean everywhere the dog has messed really thoroughly, either with a special scent removing product (petshop) or biological detergent but if you use the bio stuff rinse really well so as not to upset pup's tum.
The problem with any kind of pad or paper training is it teaches the dog that its okay to go in the house then they have to learn that it isn't so I wouldn't use them.
My boys are now 7 months old. They have their last meal at 6pm, are asleep between 8.30 and 9pm and wake again around 5.30am because they hear the dawn chorus. I take them out to the garden for wee and poo then walk between 6 and 6.30am, back between 7 and 7.30am and they get breakfast. They have been on this regime and clean and sleeping through the night since four months old. They are big dogs (german pointers) so slow maturing pups.
I think that getting continence cracked makes them settle better at night...at least that is my experience

If you want to have them go back to bed and be quiet after going out in the garden (and if they gotta then they gotta!) you could try giving them a stuffed kong or other lovely toy to

[woofgang]

part 2.....
I don't have as much experience with dogs as with bitches but yes I think they can be more clingy and emotional during their season, maybe especially the first one. Would they settle better in the room with you?....
The first dog we ever had was for protection for me as my husband travelled a lot at the time so from the beginning his bed was in the bedroom (didn't want him shut in the kitchen when the burglar was threatening me with a knife in the bedroom!) so we have done it ever since. It makes housetraining very very easy and you don't have to deal with the "normal" puppy noise the first few nights when you first get them....I mean how can that be normal to have tiny thing crying on its own????

anyway witter over, I hope this helps!

[suzi-q]

I got my puppy on Sunday. The first night we put her in a crate with a comfy bed and left her in the kitchen. Result? sleepless night. She slept for a couple of hours then woke up and cried for the rest of the night. I ended up going down and sleeping in the conservatory with her. So last night we got ready a cat carrier ( a smaller enclosed den ) put in a cushion, a sweaty t-shirt of mine, a ticking clock and put the cat carrier on my bedside table where she could see me. This time she slept through. At 2pm we took her downstairs, put her on a dog training pad, she wee'd then back to bed. Was very relieved. I just wondered where your dogs are sleeping? Are they missing you at night and could you have them in the bedroom? This also works well with our adult jack russell who has a sleeping bag on the floor in our bedroom. Have no experience of seasons, but as my new pup is a bitch will have all the joy of that to come. All you can do with the wee-ing in the house is to keep reinforcing your housetraining. Hopefully she will eventually learn - this might seem a silly thing to ask but do dogs get cystitus - as its a recent thing? Just wondered?
Best of luck. Suzi x

[lankeela]

In answer to Suzi's question yes dogs do get cystitis (cranberry tablets are good for it). Often happens about the time of seasons, although a bitch in season will wee more often.

However I think what is happening here is that having two puppies together they are learning from each other, and if one wees then the other one thinks its ok. Also if they wake up they have a ready made playmate, who is happy to keep them company.

I think it is a case of reinforcing the house training, the staying out till they have wee'd and poo'd, cutting back on their last feed and giving them just a warm milk drink in the evening, a good play or exercise last thing and then ignoring the noise. Make sure they don't see any day light when they wake up, so they don't know its morning. I would also restrict the amount of space they have to sleep in, make a puppy pen or give them a large cage, so they are not tempted to mess in their own 'bed' space.

[valleygirl10]

Thank you for all your helpful suggestions, I will let you know how it goes. We're off to a good start as last night was a clean night which made a very pleasant change. The early morning wake up I fear is going to remain a challenge for a while - or at least perhaps until the birds stop singing!!