Pulling My Hair Out!!!

I need help with toilet training.. i have tried everything and now Gerrard will only do his business in the house!! Help please!

What have you actually done to date? 

I have tried taking him out every hour or more, after naps and meal times.. everytime I see him sniffing around in circles I take him out.. I've been leaving the back door open so he can go out etc.. I've tried praising him when he goes outside.. tried taking a toy out with him to try and make him forget why he's outside, I've tried the sprays and the training pads.. he won't have any of it, he will play out in the garden for hours but when he needs to do his business he comes inside!!

When he comes inside and does it, what do you do? Whenever Zeus done it inside, we didn't tell him off, we just ignored him. Whenever he done it outside, we praised him alot and gave him a treat. We also took him out every half an hour and always said 'go toilet'. Most of the times he didn't do it, but when he did, he got a treat and praise. He now associates the words 'go toilet' with actually going to the toilet.

I know you've said you've tried all this but just be patient, it'll take time in some cases.

Keep doing what your doing, take him out every half hou,r leave the door closed if you can so he has to ask to go out. Lots of praise when he goes outside.

What are you cleaning the area with when he goes inside ?, some cleaners can leave a smell of ammonia which will encourage him to go in the same place again. Try using a non bio washing detergent if you can.

When he does his business (outside) say your trigger word or phrase eg 'do your business' and keep saying it while he is doing it. Once finished lots of praise, he'll soon start to put two and two together. Be patient  

He's still very much a baby, so patience is needed every time darcy went outside I'd say go do the 'weewee's' and when she did lots of ecstatic praise & treat. If inside I just cleaned it up no fuss. Good luck keep at it he'll get it soon

Follow the advice above and be patient! This can sometimes take awhile to really click. They don't have full control of their bladder until around 6 months! With consistency he will eventually catch on! I know how frustrating it is..Gwen was a living nightmare to house train! Some pups catch on quicker than others. Gwen is 7 months old now and still has accidents inside occasionally. However she does most of her business outside! She knows now to sit by the door if she has to go but she just really starting catching on a month or two ago. Stay positive and he will start to learn!

I just ignore him when he goes in the house and I use non bio liquid detergent to mop it up. I am been patient it's just so frustrating when he doesn't seem to learn.. I know he's a pup and it takes time to learn.. patience is a virtue! :-D x

Aww yes patience is definitely a virtue, your doing well and it can be frustrating but he will get there I promise and we've all been there too so anytime you need to vent, rant, or just need to chat there is always someone here

Darcy-may wrote:He's still very much a baby, so patience is needed :)every time darcy went outside I'd say go do the 'weewee's' and when she did lots of ecstatic praise & treat. If inside I just cleaned it up no fuss. Good luck keep at it he'll get it soon

Weewee's hehe that's what i say

He will get there with your persistence and consistency, you will probably find it will just suddenly click, so keep up the good work:D 

Thank you all! It's so nice when you can just come and vent to people that know exactly where you're coming from! I think half the time he's just been stubborn like me!   

Haha they are all stubborn in their own way! But he is still very young, and it does take time, in the mean time yes, you will pull your hair out! we have all been there, Rocky is 6 months and had a little accident inside the other day, first one in a while! I just put him outside, ignored him, and cleaning it up. Also when you clean the mess, ensure they aren't around you, as they think its fun when your down on the floor! Good luck!

Great advice from above ^^

You have to remember your puppy is exactly that...a puppy. They dont have full control of their bladders until their 6 months but some can be quicker or take a lot longer, patience is the key. Just keep doing what your doing, you'll get their eventually Good Luck!

Sarah2591 wrote:I just ignore him when he goes in the house and I use non bio liquid detergent to mop it up. I am been patient it's just so frustrating when he doesn't seem to learn.. I know he's a pup and it takes time to learn.. patience is a virtue! :-D x

I'd always use biological liquid/powder solution. The non-bio doesn't fully get rid of the smell.

To be honest, I wouldn't expect any 10 week old pup to be housetrained! Staffords are generally quick learners but 2 weeks is nothing! Just keep on with ignoring accidents (because he obviously doesn't understand what you want yet) and praising him outside. One way is to make sure that the very first thing you do in the morning is take him straight outside - that's the time when they're normally bursting to go.

Does he pee overnight or just during the day?

I don't expect him to be house trained, he's getting there tonight I've noticed he's been sitting by the back door if he wants to go out. He doesn't have accidents on a night he sleeps in his crate and goes out first thing x

Sarah2591 wrote:I don't expect him to be house trained, he's getting there tonight I've noticed he's been sitting by the back door if he wants to go out. He doesn't have accidents on a night he sleeps in his crate and goes out first thing x

That shows that he doesn't want to mess where he sleeps & that's a good start! Just make sure that the second he comes out of the crate he's whisked out into the garden! Carry him if necessary! 

They all get there in the end. Be reassured that your pup almost certainly won't be as bad as my Dempsey - he was nearly 6 months old before I could say he was hous trained, and even then he'd have the odd accident for a couple of months afterwards! 

He gets carried from his crate to the garden and plonked bang smack in the middle of the grass lol! So he has no choice! :-D I reckon he maybe somewhere close! Lol x

You are on the right track and it sounds like Gerrard is close to getting it. It's funny because when I was toilet training it felt impossible!

Now I look back and say, "boy, it sure was easy to toilet train him"!  

I bought 1 bottle of pet cleanup spray and I still have 1/3 of it left.