Hello, I’ve had a little female Coton de Tuléar for a fortnight tomorrow; she's two and a half months old. We set up a puppy pen in our study, but she managed to escape by climbing the wire mesh, which is a metre high, and then she just threw herself off! Luckily she didn't hurt herself. The pen came with a gate which we've now fitted, so she can come and go as she pleases... we let her have the run of the dining room, the study, and the hallway... She doesn't cry anymore when we're out.
We live in the countryside and I take her out several times a day, right after she's eaten and after her naps... but she still finds a way to pee and poo all over the house... in the morning when we get up, we're treading in it, and it's everywhere because she walks through it and spreads it throughout the house.
She gets really over-excited in the morning when we wake up, but we can't let her out on her own yet as she'd get lost, and she doesn't give us enough time to get dressed to take her out. This morning she did a wee right in front of me in the kitchen; I scolded her then and there and put her in her pen.
How can I get her house-trained?
Thanks and have a lovely weekend!
PS: another issue – it's impossible to catch her, she just bolts, even though she's starting to recognise her name...
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Hi, yes exactly, but for now I’m already having a hard time brushing her, so the rest just isn't going to happen! She’s too lively and won't sit still. This morning I got up at 5.30 am, so she did too—accidents everywhere. I took her out but she did nothing outside, it was all in the house. When the mum of the baby I childmind came over, I had to shut her away because otherwise she bolts and might knock her over. She started barking, which meant my husband had to get up as well...!!! I think things will be better once I've had her spayed at 6 months; she’ll be almost fully grown then and hopefully a bit calmer...
We’re going to take her everywhere with us too, so we’ll keep her coat short. A groomer has just started up nearby. My other dog used to go with my husband in the tractors and in our little utility vehicle—she absolutely loved it, with her ears flapping in the wind... I also used to go cycling with her in a basket, and I’ve already got Satine used to the basket under the pram, so I’m out walking two babies... lol.
We’ll wait a bit with the bike... she’s put on about 1.3 lbs in a fortnight, but I’ve checked the weight chart for Cotons and she’s not over the red line. She weighs about 4.4 lbs now. I’m just giving her the amount of dry food the breeders suggested, but she struggled to eat when she was with her brother and sister because they’d scoff everything, so she’s definitely making up for it now... lol.
He was six and a half months old for his first groom, and since then he goes every four months because his coat grows so quickly! I have it cut quite short (a puppy cut) as it’s much easier to manage since we take him everywhere with us—we’re a long way off the show dog look! 😁
As for brushing, I started once a day at the very beginning, then every other day, and now it’s once or twice a week depending on how long his hair is. You do have to use a comb as well, though, because a brush won’t get the mats out. Use a wide-toothed comb first, then a finer one, and finish with a final brush 😉.
You also need to regularly (once a week) pluck the hair inside the ears and the ear flap using just your fingers, starting from the very beginning so he gets used to it. It helps air out the ear canal and prevents ear infections.
It’s the same for teeth brushing; small breeds get tartar build-up very quickly and a proper dental cleaning is no small thing... it has to be done under general anaesthetic, so you need to get the little one used to being handled. A very soft baby toothbrush works a treat!
I got Henzo used to all this handling right from the start, and as soon as he sees me bring out his grooming box or his teeth-brushing kit, he wiggles with excitement 👌 mostly because he knows he’ll get a treat at the end 😝
His breeder was really passionate about the breed and full of great advice! I even impressed my vet 👌
Oh yes, Henzo is so cute... there’s a massive difference between his puppy colour and now. Satine (that’s her name) is starting to get a white streak on her right ear and it’s lighter than her left ear. Yeah, after her first groom, once the groomer has trimmed her coat, I reckon you’ll hardly notice it. At what age should they have their first groom? I brush her twice a day to get her used to it, but she’s not too keen, especially around her head... I give her plenty of praise with every brush stroke... this morning I brushed our cat in front of her, so she could see that he didn't make a fuss at all.. lol
Hi there! Cotons can be born with patches of colour or already pure white, but their coat mostly grows in white as they get older, so after her first groom, a lot of the coloured fur will be trimmed away.
Your little girl (what's her name?) will almost certainly keep some light shadings on her ears, though it'll be less obvious on other parts of her body.
Mine was born with quite a lot of colour and he still has some light beige tints on his ears, along his spine and on his tail.
Hi, thanks for your reply! Last night she slept in her bed in the dining room so we could keep the door shut, as she’s started scratching at our bedroom doors now... I got up at 6:45 am and took her straight out, but there was a poo there anyway. I couldn't find any wee, but since she didn't go outside, it must be somewhere! I take her out several times during the day, but sometimes she waits until she's back inside to go instead of doing it outdoors... Anyway, as you say, she's only 2 and a half months old, so it’s not the end of the world as they say! 😁 Have a lovely day. PS: She has brown ears (see my avatar) and a patch on her back and sides—do you think she’ll keep those colours? Her dad had black ears!
Hi Annick, I also have a Coton (Henzo) who is 8 years old. He was house-trained during the day pretty quickly since I work from home (the same job as you); I used to take him out into the garden every two hours. At night, he’d wake us up twice to go out—it was winter, just my luck! 😁 Then, bit by bit, he managed to hold it for longer, and by 5 months he was sleeping through the night (he sleeps in our bedroom 😁).
As for your 2 and a half month old Coton puppy, you can already start taking her out on a lead for walks—15 minutes max to start with. It’ll let her sniff all the scents left by other dogs 🙂.
Hi, yes, I started all that when she first arrived, but she’s still young. For now, I’m getting her used to being brushed; I do it twice a day so that eventually she’ll behave at the groomer's, which is easier said than done! She nibbles my fingers... but I manage it anyway by giving her plenty of praise with every brush stroke.. lol
She’s very clever; she can’t quite manage to get onto the sofa, so I put a little stool there for her and—presto—she understood straight away. She uses it to get up and down again...
At the moment, I’m struggling to catch her; she doesn't even come when she's called. Even if she can't see me, she isn't bothered at all... I’m going to try enticing her with a little bit of ham.
Yesterday, by taking her out loads of times, I managed to make sure she didn't have any accidents in the house. This morning, with the clocks going forward, we got up an hour earlier so she benefited from that... I took her out and she did her business but didn't have a wee, so there must be one hidden somewhere in the house, I just haven't found it yet....
Have a lovely Sunday!
Your main job at the moment is to work on house-training by praising her when she does a wee outside – make sure to use the words "wee" and "outside" so she knows what’s making her humans so happy, lol.
I reckon your husband could take five minutes as soon as he wakes up for that first wee outside; he should obviously take the time to watch her and praise her too.
Cotons are clever little things and aren't trained in quite the same way as Bichons; you need to establish set routines because they have a tendency to start doing their own thing without asking you once they find their confidence.
In a while, you can start doing some heelwork exercises at home. Make sure you get into the habit of praising her for a good recall – do plenty of them, just for a quick pat or a tiny bit of dry food. You need to build that reflex first in an enclosed space, then in a new but secure area. A familiar outdoor spot is actually the riskiest, so keep a close eye on her throughout the whole training period.
Hi there,
She’s still such a tiny baby who’s only just been separated from her mum and littermates. It’s barely been a fortnight, if I’ve understood correctly. She needs to get used to her new surroundings and build a strong bond of trust with you. Toilet training will happen bit by bit, but physiologically, it’s almost impossible at 2 to 2.5 months old to hold it for more than 2 or 3 hours. Whatever you do, don’t tell her off if you catch her in the act. It would be completely counterproductive as she really can’t help it at her age! 😉
A hungry dog will always eat eventually, but the same goes for any treats you buy; try using them as a reward, just giving her one or two tiny bits only when you’re happy with how she’s behaving.
I think it’s a good thing for it to be something different from her regular daily food.
Don’t ask too much of her all at once 👌 you'll get there.
