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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Evening, thanks for your reply. Yes, bits of ham – I know she loves it because I dropped a piece in the kitchen once and she was straight on it. But I don't give her anything except the puppy kibble the breeder gave me; I’m worried that if I give her anything else, she won’t want her dry food anymore. That’s what happened with my other dog... I know I shouldn't compare them, but she does do some of the same things... As for the T-shirt, yes, I put one in with her every night. I didn't have one yesterday and I think that's why she was making such a fuss, because she’s sleeping well now... The first few nights she would howl for two hours straight... so there’s definitely some improvement... I’ve put an Adaptil Junior collar on her and she’s been sleeping better since. Have a lovely evening.
She’s only two and a half months old, so house-training isn’t going to happen overnight (or only in very rare cases); patience and as many trips outside as possible are key. Above all, make sure you talk to her.
Don't compare her with your other dog, there’s no point 👎 every dog is different, but it’s true that we tend to compare and focus on "how things were before", especially when the previous dog was a model of good behaviour.
Have you thought about leaving her a T-shirt that smells of you? It might stop her from feeling "abandoned" and could help make it easier when you’re out.
For treats, try some diced ham, seafood sticks, or bits of hot dog.
Hello, thanks for your replies. My husband is a farmer and gets up at 6:30 am. So he doesn't wake me, he gets dressed in the bathroom; my dog comes out of the office then and has a wee. As he’s in a rush, he doesn’t clean it up... I get up at 7:00 am and she’s so excited... so another wee! Our place isn't fenced in – it’s impossible in the countryside – so she can't go out on her own. My other dog used to go out, but she was an adult. In the early days, I took her to do her business in the hay (I praised her every time), and at night she’d go on puppy pads in her playpen... but since she’s started making a habit of running off, we’ve put a door up. We can’t leave her in the office because she just howls and won't give in... so she has the hallway and the dining room. She’s started crying at night again lately, so we get up and put her bed in the dining room and shut the door... otherwise, she just scratches at our bedroom door.
Hi everyone, it’ll be a fortnight tomorrow since I got my little female Coton de Tuléar; she’s two and a half months old. We set up a puppy playpen in our study, but she managed to escape by climbing the metre-high wire and just hurling herself off! Luckily she didn’t hurt herself. A door came with the panels, 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 manages to pee and poo all over the house. In the morning when we get up, we step in pee, and it’s everywhere because she walks in it and tracks it all through the house. She’s so hyper in the morning when we get 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 so we can take her out. This morning she weed right in front of me in the kitchen; I told her off there and then and put her in her pen.
How can I get her house-trained? Thanks and have a great weekend!
PS: another problem—it’s impossible to catch her, she just bolts, even though she’s starting to know her name...
Hi, thanks for your replies. My husband is a farmer and gets up at 6.30am. To avoid waking me, he gets dressed in the bathroom, but as soon as he goes to the toilet, she wakes up and it's already too late—splat, right into the pee (the dog's, lol) coming out of the bathroom. Since he’s in a rush, he doesn’t clean it up... I get up at 7.00am and she’s all excited... so she does another wee...
Our place isn't fenced in—it's impossible in the countryside—so she can’t go out on her own. My other dog used to go out, but she was an adult; for the first few days, I’d take her to do her business in the hay (and I’d praise her every time) and at night she’d go on puppy pads in her playpen... but since she’s started getting into the habit of running off, we’ve put up a gate... there's no way we can leave her in the office, she howls and won't give up... so she has the hallway and the dining room... lately she’s started crying at night again, so we get up and put her bed in the dining room and shut the door... otherwise she scratches at our bedroom door...
Yesterday she escaped into the field where we usually keep the bulls; luckily there aren't any in there at the moment... (although my other dog used to go in with them sometimes!!!). It was impossible to catch her; I tried walking out of her line of sight, but she didn't care... she doesn't come when I call her... what treats should I give her? I bought her some puppy biscuits but she’s not that bothered about them...
I'm a childminder and I put her in the carrycot of the pram when I go for a walk, but I put a harness and lead on her just in case she tries to jump out along the way... my previous little dog was a Bichon; she died last August at 14 from cancer. We never had any trouble with her, we could leave her outside alone...
Patience is key, we have to give her time and in the meantime, keep the mop handy... lol
Have a good weekend!
PS: About the GPS, I’m not sure as she’s never alone... my husband is a hunter and even his dog doesn't have one...!!! She is microchipped and I’ve ordered her a collar with her name and my phone number on it...
Del2244, the GPS collar (well, the little tracker) I have is really small; I can put it on my little girl, who's only about 6.6 lbs, without it bothering her at all, so do you think it might work?
Toilet training takes a different amount of time for every puppy.
The main thing to understand is that at this age, their bladder is still very small and they don't have much muscle control yet, so as soon as their bladder is full, it empties automatically.
The best approach is to take your puppy outside as often as possible (ideally every two hours) and straight after every meal (as eating stimulates the need to go). Carry them in your arms until you are outside, then pop them down on the grass or the ground (depending on where you live) so they can do their business. Immediately afterwards, give them lots of praise with some fuss and a few treats.
There is no point telling them off if they have an accident indoors. If you catch them in the act, move them to another room and clean it up without them seeing you (it should be a total non-event for them, as punishment could traumatise them and might even lead to coprophagia — eating their own poo — to hide the "evidence").
Have a good day.
Caroline – Vet student, Project Manager for ProVéto Junior Conseil
Hi there,
At two and a half months old, only about one in a thousand puppies is house-trained, and even then they still have accidents. She is simply physically unable to hold it for more than three or four hours, so expecting her to last a full night is asking too much... There's no point in scolding her; instead, make sure to praise her whenever she goes outside.
Just a few more weeks of patience and cleaning up, and she should be house-trained before the summer 😊
