puppy training

[meggy156]

I have a 7 month puppy, who will wee and poo inside. She goes out every two hours, but insists doing it indoors. I can understand it when she was a baby, but now. I have to put down puppy pads because she will do it on carpet. Any suggestions?

[zeta1454]

Has she always toileted indoors or is this something new?

If she has never been house trained, at this age you will be better not using puppy pads around the house but try to concentrate on getting her to understand that she needs to toilet outside. If you are taking her out every two hours, you need to wait for her to go before she comes in and do not play with her until she goes or, if she is totally reluctant to go or does not need to go, when you let her indoors make sure that she is in a playpen or similar so that you can keep an eye on her and she will not have an opportunity to wee or poo on the carpet. Most dogs do give a signal when they need to toilet - circling, sniffing for a good spot to go etc and if you can pick up her signal you should be able to get her outside to go and then praise her so she knows she has done the right thing. Never punish or shout at her for toileting indoors. She should not need to go as often as every two hours at seven months of age and you may find that she will go at a regular time each day - first thing in the morning, after a meal, before going to bed for example and that should make it easier to predict when to take her out. Dogs do also get into a routine of when they go and will wait if they know they are going to be let out at regular times for that purpose but you will need to establish that the outside is the place to go firstly.

The problem with any dog that regularly toilets indoors is that it will have left a scent that will encourage it to go there again. Using puppy pads ( unless with an incontinent dog) is not going to break the habit of her toileting in the house as it will make her think it is an OK place to go when what you really need to do is encourage her to only ever go outside. Set up a playpen as near as possible to the outside door to the garden and make sure that unless you can be absolutely concentrating on her and able to take her outside when she signals that she needs to go, she stays in the playpen on a washable surface. Give her as much opportunity as possible to use the garden to toilet and as little opportunity as possible to go indoors. It will be hard work to start with if she has never been fully housetrained as you are going to have to break an ingrained habit but you will get there.

Having said that, if she has only just started toileting indoors after having been house trained before the you may need to have her checked at the vet or see a good behaviourist for advice as there may be a medical or emotional issue behind her behaviour.

Good luck