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Does cold weather impede potty training?

rtroxel

Well-known member
The weather where I live has been very cold over the past week, with sub-freezing temperatures, sometimes in the single digits.

Our pups were becoming house-broken, but since the coldness has set in, we haven't been able to let them stay outside They usually scratch on the door wanting to be let back inside, after just a few minutes. Consequently, they have been relieving themselves indoors more often than usual. (I just finished cleaning up a puddle in the living room.)

Has anyone else here had this problem?

Thanks,

Roy
 
Young puppies are not really fully potty trained until they are at least a year old, and, as you say, they were becoming house broken, meaning that they aren't there yet. They also shouldn't be just "let out" and left on their own to go potty or anything else for that matter, as cavaliers may enjoy the outdoors, but they are not a breed to be considered as outside dogs. No one wants to be out in very cold temperatures, people or dogs, so you do need to go outside with them to make sure they are going potty before they are let back inside.
.
 
I know some people are amazing at fast potty training, but it took me one year before Bosco was fully trained and was fully trusted to have full reign of the house.

If you find that accidents are increasing (cold weahter or not), it's time to go back to square 1. Pup is to be kept in "contained area" and watched when out of that area. Walks before and after meals, and after any play session. Lots of walks and lots of praise for pottying outside. Much simpler than it sounds, I know.

Good luck!
 
I know some people are amazing at fast potty training, but it took me one year before Bosco was fully trained and was fully trusted to have full reign of the house.

If you find that accidents are increasing (cold weahter or not), it's time to go back to square 1. Pup is to be kept in "contained area" and watched when out of that area. Walks before and after meals, and after any play session. Lots of walks and lots of praise for pottying outside. Much simpler than it sounds, I know.

Good luck!


Thank you all for the quick replies. Yes, we are going back to square one with training. Specifically, the problem is that it is very cold at night, and often the pups just don't want to go outside.

Roy and Jean
 
They also shouldn't be just "let out" and left on their own to go potty or anything else for that matter, as cavaliers may enjoy the outdoors, but they are not a breed to be considered as outside dogs. No one wants to be out in very cold temperatures, people or dogs, so you do need to go outside with them to make sure they are going potty before they are let back inside.
.

This is a statement I am currently struggling with..... while I know (and always have known prior to getting the breed) that Cavaliers are not outside dogs I never imagined based on prior experiences with other dogs in Southern California that I would need to be outside every minute of every time my cavalier was outside. I suppose I assumed that I would go outside every time when they were puppies with the goal of training them to signal when they needed to go out and when they wanted to come back in. Obviously not leaving them alone out all day but basically me (or someone) being there should they need to go out or come in all day. I clarify my assumptions of this not to be snarky with Sydneys Mom but because I was sadly mistaken in significant ways I wish I was better prepared for when researching the breed.

My Cavalier puppy, Maya, was doing great then three items changed everything: 1: I noticed a coyote stalking our yard several times (I assume looking for my pup) and 2: Maya decided (or was trained) to not go potty while on a leash, which was needed due to the coyote and the fact that Maya was very independent and would not "come" reliably on command when called, even if a coyote was there to pounce on her. 3. The weather changed and now she hates being on wet grass....

We have had to refocus on our potty training schedule and I am back to even feeding Maya in her crate but I figure a bit of more work now for a great deal of peace of mind and training later is worth it.

(((HUGS))))

Best of luck!
 
Cavaliers are not outside dogs in the sense of being happy to be kept in outdoor kennels, but otherwise they are very much an 'outdoor' breed - they are spaniels, after all. My Oliver would not appreciate me standing over him while he spends 10 minutes sniffing around - and if I was standing beside him he probably wouldn't do his business at all. He knows to do his business when he's let out, and will ask to go outside. In very cold weather he goes out in his jacket. Obviously you will take a puppy outside until it gets the idea (which may take a year - Cavaliers are notoriously slow at house training!), but once they know what they are doing you really don't need to be with them - just keep an eye out if the garden door is shut for when they want to come back inside. Obviously if you have a big garden you will want to keep an eye on them out of the window and check up occasionally if they go out of sight and you are nervous of theft (or coyotes - not something we have in the UK!) (I can see the whole of my tiny garden in one glance!). They're not babies, they're dogs; as long as you know where they are and that they are safe, let them do their own thing if they want to.

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Cavaliers are not outside dogs in the sense of being happy to be kept in outdoor kennels, but otherwise they are very much an 'outdoor' breed - they are spaniels, after all. My Oliver would not appreciate me standing over him while he spends 10 minutes sniffing around - and if I was standing beside him he probably wouldn't do his business at all. He knows to do his business when he's let out, and will ask to go outside. In very cold weather he goes out in his jacket. Obviously you will take a puppy outside until it gets the idea (which may take a year - Cavaliers are notoriously slow at house training!), but once they know what they are doing you really don't need to be with them - just keep an eye out if the garden door is shut for when they want to come back inside. Obviously if you have a big garden you will want to keep an eye on them out of the window and check up occasionally if they go out of sight and you are nervous of theft (or coyotes - not something we have in the UK!) (I can see the whole of my tiny garden in one glance!). They're not babies, they're dogs; as long as you know where they are and that they are safe, let them do their own thing if they want to.

Kate, Oliver and Aled

This is our current strategy during the cold weather spell we're having here in New Mexico. We let the pups out into the yard, but watch them from the window.

For some reason, they don't eat their daily meal if we are standing over them, or even in the same room with them. So we set the two food bowls outdoors and, again, watch them through the windows.

We also need to watch them because they have a tendency to dig holes in the yard!

And...we have our share of coyotes and wild dogs here in NM, so we had the pups altered, so the coyotes won't pick up on the pups' hormone scent.

We have been trying to leash-train them as well, but due to the weather, their walking times have been erratic.

Best wishes and stay warm,

Roy and Jean
(and Fred and Ginger)
 
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