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Elliott Update

10K views 120 replies 20 participants last post by  terrym2442 
#1 ·
Hi all,

Today is day 3 with little Elliott. Or is it 4? My brain is mush. We are exhaaaaaaausted. He is the sweetest little pup and loves us to death. He'll just lay on me and fall right asleep. My heart's been stolen.

But we are having a tough time with bedtime. He wakes up throughout the night and it's hard to know if it's because he has to "go" or if he's just still not settled in. I ignore some of his cries, but if it's been a while, we let him out to pee.

Here in Michigan, it is FREEZING. I've tried getting him to pee outside but he is so cold. It's in the teens at night; 30s during the day, though it's going up to 40 today.

I've been using pee pads in his pen and playpen and he's on the mark, now. But at yesterday's first vet appt, she said pee pads were no-no's and to get him used to going outside.

He is tiny. 11 weeks today and 4 pounds. So it's hard to predict when he has to pee.

We are at a loss. Oh, and he's crying his heart out as I type because he's in a different room in his pen. I try and ignore it and reward him when he's quiet. But wow, I don't recall it being so hard with a new pup.

Anyone else using pee pads and successfuly transferring their dog to the yard? Or should I bite the bullet and forget the pee pads? I just know he won't go when it's bitter cold, especially at night. When do you ignore the nighttime cries and when do you take them out to go?

Here's a pix taken Saturday when we brought him home. That's my youngest daughter holding him.


...and here's the photo album I'm putting together for him:
http://s848.photobucket.com/albums/ab42/terrym2442/Elliott Pix to Share/

Any advice from the experts here? I'm soooo tired and unsure how to move forward with his training.
 
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#2 ·
lol remember its a big transition for him too. he has never been away from his litter before.

for prdicting when he needs to pee: after as sleep(as soon as he wakes up) after a drink, after eating, after playing.

not a masive fan of puppy pads as i feel they just teach them to pee in the house, but in the middle of the night i dont see that big a deal using them.

is their a set time he is crying at(remember he is a baby and had a tiny blader) makesure he pees before bed, when you do take him out for pees dont talk to him other than maybe a pee command and a 'good boy' then right back to bed without talking to him. maybe keep a kong filled so when you put him back to bed he has something to focas on rather than crying.

he looks lovely, all puppys are hard work, you just need to settle back into it. what does you portie think of him?
 
#3 ·
Been waiting patiently to hear out it is going and can see you have your work cut out for you. I looked at your album and he is soooo sweet, such a beautiful colour.

Now don't get too hung up on the vets opinion and there are loads of ways to house train and just about all of them will work!

I actually did what you are doing with Elliot as we brought Flo home in January and it was simply too cold to hang about outdoors waiting for her to wee.

I got a large garden seed tray that was the same size as the puppy pad to put the pad in then would put her there regularly and treat her when she did a wee. I used the words 'hurry up' every time she was doing one and she soon learnt what the command meant. If I replaced the pad I pressed the new one a little on the used one so it kept the wee scent which helped her return to the tray. I moved the tray to different places still using the 'hurry up' command to generalise the command a bit - that way she learnt it was the tray that matters not the area of the room. If she had any accidents out of the tray I sprayed it with 'Get off' to take away the scent and stop her returning to the spot. Now I can't remember the bit where she just started going outside as it was that straight forward! I think I just let her out and said 'hurry up' and she just knew the command and I took her tray away indoors so she didn't go indoors since she learnt she only wee'd indoors in the tray. She had her tray in the utility room at night but then just naturally started to hold on till I let her out in the morning.

Can't help much with the night crying as I was strict about this having only just got my nights (and my bed) back after 3 children. Flo just had a crate (full of cuddly things and a hot water bottle), a small bowl of water and her tray with puppy pad in the utility room and I shut the door and couldn't hear her!! Ahhhhh poor old Flo!!!!! But if you do want him in your bedroom or you want to get up in the night others may be able to suggest regimes that worked for them.

Enjoy Elliot - he looks super
 
#4 ·
Oh my heavens, what a little sweetheart:) Yes, I know what you are going through, as will most of us on here. Its only a few months since we were at exactly the same stage as you, but now I have got over my nervous breakdown, haha, we are so much more relaxed with our boy. But I remember it so well. Spend the first few weeks with a puppy clamped to parts of my anatomy with his teeth:D I never separated myself from him at all when he was so tiny. And yes, I did use pee pads for a little while, and it didn't really keep Teddy back from house training. When it is so very cold maybe a peepad just inside the door for him to use? Just to save him freezing to death! Michigan sounds like a mighty cold place at the moment.
He is the most adorable wee thing, and you are going to have such fun with him. Good luck in these erly days - they will pass!!
 
#5 ·
Very Adorable...I know what you mean about the cold...I am north of you....in Canada, Toronto area...so let me just tell you that...he will definetly pee if he has to pee. Lady wouldn't at first...but then got used to it. they will be able to handle the cold...we got lady at about the same age...she didn't want to the first few nights...but I dont think it had anything to do with the cold...but more that she didn't know she was supposed to do it outside....she would wait till we got inside and then pee, eventually she would pee right at the door, and then one day she just got it and now she pees outside...it took longer for her than alot of the pups on here i think....but trust me on the cold issue he will be ok....Lady actually go so accustomed to peeing on the snow that when it started to melt she would search it out to take a pee. Dress warm yourself...it is probably worse for you than him ;)
he is very adorable! I love his name...and his colours!!!
 
#6 ·
Oh wow, he is so adorable. I can't give you much advice about the toilet training except to agree that you will probably hate the cold more than him. We value our sleep so much that at first we just put Dylan downstairs where there is laminate flooring and cleaned up in the morning. We just concentrated on toilet training during the daytime! But it was hard to get him trained at night doing it that way, even though we didn't lose any sleep.
You are much stronger willed than me keeping him in another room - I'd have to have him with me all the time - I'm like mummy and baby when they're little. In fact come to think of it I'm still like that now! My pup is my constant companion! Have you tried his crate in the room where you're working? Hope your exhaustion eases!
 
#7 ·
Oh my goodness - he is beautiful! Puppy fate - I told you!

I agree with the others. Not using puppy pads seems to be the way everyone is told to do it nowadays, but back in the day when people used to use newspaper, they didn't end up with un-trained dogs, so it must work! And if you lived in an apartment, it would be the only way. Whatever floats your boat, I say.

If you google 'paper training' and 'puppy', you'll find lots of sites that will help.

Hey, Michigan - isn't that where Buddy the cocker spaniel with the world's longest eyelashes is from?:D
 
#8 ·
ahhh he is soooo cute! and tiny!
I agree with the advice above... I think you're going to have to take him out if you want him to learn, unfortunately. It's also just the beginning... he will get more used to going out in the cold as he gets used to living with you guys.
 
#9 ·
Aww, so so cute :)

It's still pretty cold here, cold enough that our snow hasn't melted away yet. Not much of a spring so far. Anyway, we never used pee pads because it was too complicated in my mind, one more step, and I am lazy. I figured since we live in a cold climate, the dog might as well get used to it early ;) We just took Chloe out constantly it seemed and praised her when she went. She was only 8 weeks when we got her and back then she needed to go out twice a night. It WAS exhausting. It just needs to click for them. I think you are doing the right thing, ignoring some of the cries, taking him out for others. I don't think there is one "right" way to do it, do what works for your family. He will be trained in the end, no matter what!

Chloe STILL whines sometimes when she is left alone in a room . She "needs" people near. We spend as much time with her as we can, but sometimes you just have to do things. So much like having a real baby...
 
#22 ·
I used the pads with both of mine, would put to bed around 11.30pm after going outside then was very strict and left them till about 6.30am !
Rascal cried for 2 nights then stopped, Scamp cried for 3 nights, they soon both learnt to use the pads at night and when they were 3 mths I stopped putting the pads down. Both had a couple of accidents but were soon fine. Obviously as they grow their bladders can hold more so they last longer !
There was usually someone around in the day keeping an eye out, the trick is to be alert, as soon as they start sniffing they usually need to go so quickly out and lots of praise !
Good luck !
 
#23 ·
Such great feedback from you veterans. You'd think I'd know how to do this by now, since I've had dogs my whole life and have a 2 1/2 yr old that was trained without pads. But she came to us in the summer, so it was way easier.

Still not sure where to go with this. Today is a tad warmer, so I'm putting a pee pad outside and after about 10 minutes, he hit the target with a wee. But as soon as I put him back in his pen, he pooed on a pad there.

He's almost always with me. In fact, he's sleeping on my lap right now. I have a playpen set up here in my home office, and that is helping. But he's soooo attached to me. I'm happy- that's what I had hoped for in a dog. But he'll also have to learn that it's ok when mommy isn't always around.

I'm also spending time having him tethered to me with his leash so I can read his signs. But he's so tiny, I cannot tell when he's about to pee. He's too close to the ground. LOL-

I know things will sort out, but yes...it IS like having a newborn without diapers.

Keep thise ideas coming, though. I appreciate hearing how you've dealt with this.

Oh, re: my Portie- she is great! The only problem is she doesn't realize her size, so I have to watch that she doesn't step on little Elliott. She already sat on him accidently. That didn't go over too well with E!
 
#24 ·
I got my puppy Jan. 17 and we are in Iowa.

She needs to out at least once an hour all day. Keep a log. I was going out in -20F wind chill.

Pull the water up at night. I go to bed at 11:00 and pull it up at 8:30. I got up once in the night to take her out. Even in a blizzard. :) I so wanted to use the pads, but was told that I would have to start over to train for outside. She didn't want anything to do with the pads anyway.

Have something you can toss on quickly and scoot out.

I was taking Stella out 24 times per day at first. Now it is much less.

When you take her out, same place each time - saying only "potty" and "get busy". I liked to separate potty and play for a while.

Good luck! It gets easier.

Jan
 
#25 ·
Jan,
I can't believe you faced that kind of weather. Guess I'm a real wimp! Now that it's warming up here (40s today), I've been taking him out a LOT. One success only, though.

Did you have a specific time you took her out at night? Did she whine before that? What did you do?

How's her training going now? They're less than a week apart- Elliott was born on 1-11.

Where did you get Stella? She's beautiful! How big is she??
 
#31 ·
Now that it's warming up here (40s today), I've been taking him out a LOT. One success only, though.

D
If possible, (especially during the day when it's not so cold!), try to stay outside and give the command (go potty or whatever) that you have chosen until he does something. Then you can give the command and loads of praise and an immediate treat. He will then learn quite quickly to go on command which makes things much easier. I used to take Dylan out about every hour and after food. The quicker he learns to associate weeing or pooing with the command, the better.
 
#32 ·
Hi Terry he is simply gorgeous x Can only offer much of the same really. We got Mable in Nov and have been through snow and ice and -14 which is very cold for us ... actually the rain was worse cos everyines soaked. We did nt bother with Pads just out after everything, sleeping, eating,playing at first it was like others have said probably every hour and agian with a command and loads of praise, just ignore an accident and clean it up . You start to notice times and patterns and the times do get longer. If Mable cried in the night we got up and let her outside without talking, fusing and once she'd wee'd staight back to bed...In the short term as Mable went longer ( she didnt wake every night) but Wilf learnt if I call you'll come not what we'd planned but soon stopped. Just like having a new baby absolutely shattering initially ... I felt like excusing myself to people and explaining my sleep deprived look ... like with babies though its trial and error finding what works for you and like with babies it gets easier ... good luck to you and your baby x
 
#34 ·
Karen,
Thanks for the helpful feedback. How long did it take?
Honestly, I don't remember it being this difficult. I think my other pups were bigger and able to hold it longer.

If you didn't use pee pads, where did you keep them?
We're learning his pattens a bit better. He is up every 3 hours through the night crying. Thank goodness my hubby is willing to take the 3am run, but we're still just taking him to the pads. Maybe I need to re-think all this. Wait, I'm too tired to think. LOL. (sortta)
 
#35 ·
Oh luvey I cant say like with a new baby it all blurs into one and you cant remember. Im home home most of the time, limit how much Im out obviosly time it to after taking dogs out, but the rest of the time they are just here with me. Mables crate is in the living room and when she was little Id put her in if she was tired, or if she fell asleep but as shes got bigger she just sleeps wherever during the day unless I go out then I give her a kong and put her in the crate. She just knows the routine at night out to the loo then in "your bed". It took a few weeks before she did nt wake up in the night(not every night) but then at one point morning started getting earlier... we had the odd half 5, but have started taking water up after they've had a drink after their tea. Could you leave him with your other dog for any legth of time during the day to keep him company and occupied x
 
#36 ·
Sometimes I think we get too stressed about this whole toilet training issue and maybe expect too much from our pups. It takes time for them to get there and until they do there are going to be lots of accidents. Maybe it's best not to worry so much, relax and enjoy them and do whatever feels right and suits you best and just stock up on cleaning materials!! They all get there in the end.
 
#37 ·
I'm thinking I need an entirely new strategy if this is going to work. I started using pee pads because my good friend was very successful in doing this with her Yorkie. Plus, it was so horribly cold here up until yesterday, that I couldn't see standing in the cold, let alone him! I tried but he'd just stand like a stone and shiver.

I do think I"m over-focusing on this. But lack of sleep will drive you to do strange things! I just found a great site on housebreaking: http://www.thehousebreakingbible.com/

They suggest NOT using pads or paper but getting the pup out every hour and/or after naps, play, eating, drinking, etc. Like some here have suggested. They also talk about the umbilical cord plan, where you attach his leash to you so you can watch for any signs. The down side to that is he's already so emotionally attached, that if I leave his side while he's in his crate, he cries.

The pee pad is also getting confusing to him because he likes to SLEEP on them!

The site also says to wake up the pup at night before he wakes you up so that you can then stretch out the times before letting him out. He gets up every 3 hours.

I really need to think this through. And yes, to stop worrying about it. But it's all consuming and I cannot really work much (I work from home, on the computer much of the day), so am getting stressed.

You're right- I do have to remember he's just a little thing and this process takes time.
I can't wait till I can forget all of this. :)
 
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