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Just brought home a cav yesterday!

iLikeCavs

iLikeCavs

Well-known member
She's 5 months old. She has been very good. She was paper trained from the breeder we got her from. But when we got her she didn't poo or pee from 6pm to 11pm. I slept on the couch with her on the floor beside me. She woke me up a few times in the night but still didn't go. In the morning though she went A LOT. :rolleyes: Actually about 5 minutes ago she made an accident. She went on the hardwood floor. I made her look at it and I yelled NO, several times. Other then that she has been just amazing. One thing though is that she has not made a sound yet. I might have heard a little bark from her but that's it. Is that normal? She seems to be getting comfortable with us now.
 
iLikeCavs said:
Actually about 5 minutes ago she made an accident. She went on the hardwood floor. I made her look at it and I yelled NO, several times. Other then that she has been just amazing.
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Congratulations! What fun.

About the accident, I wouldn't make her look at it and yell no at her. All you'll teach her to do is to be scared to pee when you're around, which you'll regret. If she has an accident, ignore her, clean the pee up with white vinegar to get the smell out so she doesn't go back to the same spot to pee, and learn her signals about when she needs to go. You might also want to consider breaking her of the paper training and teaching her how to pee outside so that she learns that it's never ok to pee inside.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for the advice. I was going to start training her to go outside today. about the accident, it was sort of my fault. :( I put the newspaper there the last time she went and she probably thinks that's where she has to go. Im going to change that for now and put the papers in he kitchen until I train her to go outside.
 
Congratulations :rah:I bet she's a little sweetheart. Can't wait to see some :snap:. I agree with what Matte said about the accident I'd ignore it and praise for going outside. At 5 months I would be wanting her to do her business outside. I'd move the paper outside the back door and when she goes outside give her lots of praise and a small treat. She'll soon get the hang of it. Hope she settles in soon and don't forget plenty of :snap::snap:
 
Uh oh! This is a frequent old-school discredited training approach to housetraining so erase what you did and let's start afresh. Why? Unless you want a dog that starts to poop and pee inside when you aren't watching and aren't around, please never yell at a dog and make it look at its mess. All the dog understands is 'this person goes crazy when s/he watched me go and so I had better go when they aren't watching'. Or look at it this way: how would a young puppy know you wanted her to go outside, or go on papers in the corner of your house, or wherever you will designate, if she has never been in this house before, and no one took her outside first thing when she woke up when she must have bursting? We need to think the way a dog thinks :), not what we would logically like them to do or know already. It is easy to make this mistake -- dogs do not have the reasoning and logic to figure out what you expect and she is in a totally strange new place where nothing yet makes sense or looks like her old home. We have all been there and done that at some point! (y)

So: keep in mind that not only has she not been housetrained yet (papers are *not* housetraining, just a [kind of tedious!] intermediate step), but you will have the full job of housetraining ahead of you -- and it will take time -- usually a few months of consistent work with your new girl (y). Did the breeder not start her at all in going outside? Using papers at 5 months is kind of late to be on papers; I am sure the breeder must have started her already going outdoors. I would ring and get advice as that is what a good breeder is there for. :)

This should be a big help to you -- buy this book immediately:

http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB132

I'd also recommend immediately getting this book too, as new puppy owners really benefit from having a reliable manual to hand that can help answer the questions that always come up when bringing up a puppy for the first time:

Try this: http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB790

And if you want a video: http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB891

Keep in mind she has hardly had any time yet to settle in yet so it isn't unusual for her to be wary and shy. Give her some space and time to find her way around. She can be overwhelmed by too much attention in her first week or two. Her full personality will quickly emerge! :)

PS: Some quick basics til your books arrive: I'd advise walking her on the lead every single time you want her to do her business, then praise and reward with a small food treat every time she goes. She needs to be taken out immediately on waking, after playing, after water or food. Never leave longer than about 3-4 hours before she goes out (except overnight when she is sleeping) and for now, much less (1-2 hours) as you are only just starting her on housetraining and will need to build up the time she can be left before heading out again (I'd start with 1 hour and add 1/2 hour increments over the next 3 weeks to work up to 2-3 hours) You need to be sure she has gone. You also need to keep her constantly under your eye., Do NOT allow her to roam around the house -- you need to housetrain each room one by one -- she won't just learn 'inside' and 'outside'. And every time she makes a mistake and goes inside get a rolled up newspaper, raise it and start hitting yourself on the head and saying "BAD owner! BAD owner! I should have been paying better attention and remembered to get you outside so that you never have the opportunity to fail when I am training you!" :lol: Because at the end of the day the mistake is OURS for not being vigilant enough, not THEIRS for doing what comes naturally and not having had enough guidance from us to know that we expect them to go in a particular place. (y)
 
And some reading to help you along too! :)

http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/housetrain.html
http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/htsmdog.html

And:

Housetraining your Puppy
(By Dee Ganley)


The puppy has arrived! The kids are crazy about him, he’s cute as a button and lots of
fun, and oops! He’s just had an accident on your best rug. Housetraining is the least
enjoyable aspect of raising a dog but we hope the following information will make it
easier for you and the puppy.

Puppies have very small bladders and they digest their food quite quickly so they
need to go to the bathroom very frequently. Therefore, the more often you can get the
puppy outside, (always on a leash, don’t forget), the fewer accidents that will occur. Don’t
be surprised if initially you have to make the trip every 30-45 minutes – yes, it does seem
like every 10 seconds! Always go to the same spot and use whatever catchphrase you like:
“go potty” or “hurry up” for example. Allow the puppy a reasonable amount of time (2-3
minutes) to accomplish his task, then praise and reinforce (give a small food reward) when
the job is done. As the puppy grows older and his bladder control gets better, he may not
actually need to go to the bathroom when you take him. If this happens, after 2-3 minutes
tell him, “too bad”, take hime back in the house and put him in his crate (told you the crate
would come in handy...) for 15 minutes or so, then try again. If you faithfully and
consistently follow this regime the housebreaking period should be quite short.

You’re probably wondering what happened to (and what’s wrong with) the
traditional “stick his nose in it, smack him, and yell NO!” This mehtod is not all that
effective. The dog in fact does not make the leap of understanding that you are hoping for;
that defecating or urinating in the house is wrong – a purely human concept. Animals
eliminate wherever thay happen to be – there is no right or wrong place with the one
exception of their den space, which in your puppy’s case is his crate. While a dog will
eventually become housebroken using this method (mainly because his control becomes
better), it also guarantees that you will end up with a dog that will not eliminate in front of
you, which presents real problems when you go to the vet orwhen traveling. It is your
responsibility to teach (and punishing is not teaching) the puppy where he may go to the
bathroom and where he may not. This is accomplished far more readily using positive
reinforcement. You want your puppy to view you as the source of all the good things in
his life: traditional housebreaking methods definitely do NOT fall under this heading.

Puppies do try to let you know when they need to go out: sniffing the floor
anxiously, circling and sometimes whining are all tell-tale signs but often by the time we
catch on it’s too late. If the puppy has already had an accident, it’s too late to take him out
– again. The puppy will not make the association you are looking for. A regular timetable,
no matter how may trips outside a day (or night) are necessary, will expedite the whole
procedure more that anything else.

“What goes up must come down” and with puppies, what goes in must come out.
Consult with your veterinarian or local trainer about how much tofeed and how often – the
amounts suggested on the back of the puppy chow bag are aimed at selling more food
rather than what a puppy needs for healthy growth. Overfeeding can cause serious
physical problems that result from the puppy growing too fast. It will also add to the
number of trips you have to make outside. Free access to clean, fresh water is a must for
dogs of any age but for puppies, restrict water (and food) intake after 6 PM. This will help
eliminate that trip outside at 3 AM.

As your puppy grows up, you can teach him to ring a bell to let you know that he
needs to go out. Begin by rewarding him for any interaction with the a bell (a giant
Christmas jingle bell on a string is perfect). Then hand the bell on the door and teach him
to touch the bell with his nose – reinforce by saying “YES!” and giving him a food treat
when he does. Follow this by immediately taking him outside to his “spot”. Again, give
him a reasonable time frame to the job done. If successful, praise and treat. If not, say “too
bad” and return to the house. The puppy will very quickly learn that he get to go out when
he rings the bell and that he will be rewarded (reinforced) for going to the bathroom – a
good deal for everyone involved.

No matter how diligently you work on housetraining accidents will happen. But
do remember that it is just that – an accident, not something your puppy does out of spite
or stubbornness or to “get back at you”. Dogs just don’t think that way. Don’t get angry
and please don’t punish your dog. The more time and effort you put into housetraining, the
sooner it will be done. Be patient, not punitive. As time consuming (and sometimes
frustrating) as it may be, you can make housebreaking a positive training experience that
will strengthen the positive and fun relationship that you are building with your puppy.

P.S. To all dog owners: when walking your dog or taking him out in public,
please clean up after him. Plastic bags are great for this.
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From: http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/housetrainingyourpuppy.pdf
 
From the first day we got candi, she has been brill with doing the toilet outside. We were expecting her to piddle in the house as soon as we got her home with it being a strange house and strange people around her, but she has been really good. Right away she started to do the toilet outside, we looked for the signs,picked her up and took her outside. She has had a few mistakes but that was our own fault. We also think that the breeder we got her from toilet trained her. I hope i'm not going to regret this but she hasn't even piddle on her bed either. I think we've been really lucky. What i would say also is that i agree not to punish her regarding piddling in the house, clean it up quickly, and learn from it. The way we looked at it, you certainly wouldn't punish your child by sticking their nose in their pee or by shouting at them. What i would also add is we noticed that sometimes candi would only do the toilet when i'm there and not in front of my partner, but we stuck to our routine and finally she does it who ever takes her out
 
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Another tip is to take them out to go on both grass and pavement. Some people find they end up with a dog that absolutely will not go unless there's grass... or pavement! -- if they only use one every day. Early housetraining is the time to train them to go on a command (very useful when you are travelling or pressed for time!) and also to go in a particular area of the garden if that is preferred. The Kalstone book explains all these things. :)
 
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