13 replies to this topic

[TigerBearMommy79]

Okay so here goes....We just got Tiger about a week and a half ago. He is now 10 weeks as of yesterday! Tiger does pretty good as far as pottying goes...however lately we seem to be regressing.

We have pee pads in two different places in the house. We have one in the kitchen area (we do have the kitchen gated off so he stays here at night and when we are not here during the day because it's all tiled). When he is in his gated area he always pees/poops on his pee pads.

However during the day when he is out with us he will pee in random areas sometimes. I tell him "NO" firmly and put him on his pee pad or back in his gated area.

He also seems to prefer to go #2 outside and he will whine to go out there sometimes and do his business.

Does it sound like I'm going about this the right way? I do understand they will have accidents..he is only 10 weeks old but this is all new to us and I want to make sure we are doing everything right by Tiger! Thanks guys

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•  Tiger Bear.jpg (7.74K)
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Edited by TigerBearMommy79, 05 February 2010 - 08:37 AM.

[hheldorfer]

I think it's excellent that Tiger is whining to go outside. That's what you want him to do, right? Pee pads are great for little puppies but you eventually want him to learn that pooing and peeing are outdoor activities.

I haven't house trained a small puppy in a long time but I've had to retrain adopted adult dogs. I start by taking the dog out on a regular schedule (1x/hour, but a puppy may need to go out more frequently) and giving the dog a treat immediately (followed by lots of verbal praise) when he/she poos/pees. Most dogs will eventually develop a way of telling you they need to go out - I have one who gives me a single, sharp bark; the other one sits directly in front of me and gives me his best doggy stare.

I'm sure there are lots of folks on this forum who have excellent suggestions to help you. Good luck!

[jimnconnie]

Pee-pads are only going to teach Tiger that going potty in the house is O.K. Do you have a crate for him? Use the search function shown above to find about about crate-training. Ideally you want Tiger to learn that potty means "outside" only.
Jim

[Brianne_Kathrine]

Cairns can be so hard to potty train. Benny took nearly 10 months! I was certain I was a complete failure at potty training. He just did not want to learn. Sally, my Westie, pretty much had the idea within the first week or two of getting her. Benny and Sally were both 7 weeks old when I got them.

Pee pads did not help Benny one bit. He only thought they were placed on the floor for him to shred to pieces. My major break through with him came when I got him to understand that he had to tell me he needed to go outside. Sounds like Tiger is already getting that.

To a degree I think that Terriers will always give you little accidents here and there. I had a day that I left Benny and Sally inside for 10 straight hours (bad mommy! but I had no choice) and they did not have a single accident. Then, that evening I was showering and Benny came upstairs and peed on the bathroom floor while I was showering. I think he was trying to make a point...because the dog is capable of holding it for a very long time.

In contrast, we had a springer spaniel when I was a kid. Daisy was fully house broken in three days. Some dogs get it quickly...some don't.

[TigerBearMommy79]

I did some searches on "crate training" ...my fiance is in the background saying "I told you so"...he actually thought we should be doing that from the start...and I agree about the pee pads it makes sense that is letting him know it's okay to pee in the house..I just thought keeping him in a crate felt kinda mean..but from the research I just did shows just the opposite. We are going to go get him a crate and start tonight...I hope it works out..wish us luck!!

[hheldorfer]

TigerBearMommy79, on 05 February 2010 - 04:59 PM, said:

I did some searches on "crate training" ...my fiance is in the background saying "I told you so"...he actually thought we should be doing that from the start...and I agree about the pee pads it makes sense that is letting him know it's okay to pee in the house..I just thought keeping him in a crate felt kinda mean..but from the research I just did shows just the opposite. We are going to go get him a crate and start tonight...I hope it works out..wish us luck!!

I felt the same way about crates and, until we adopted our latest dog, never used one. Ziggy, however, was used to having a crate so we got one. It's NOT mean to put the dog in a crate. As a matter of fact our Cairn, Buffy, has started going into the crate sometimes for a nap. Good luck!

[Hawkeye]

While potty training you really have to anticipate when they will have to go potty and take them out often. Our Bailey would go outside and want to play and discover the whole yard, so I had to keep him on his leash and get him to do his business first and then reward him with freedom to go play in the yard. Getting a crate will be a big help, they do not like to pee in their beds.

Keep researching potty training, there are some great tips and discussions. Good luck!

[Kit'sOwner]

1) Get rid of the pee pads; they only teach the dog that it's okay NOT to indicate to you that they have to go out. When has a dog ever indicated to anyone that he has to go on a pee pad? He doesn't, he just goes on the pee pad.
2) Crate training IS NOT CRUEL. It's makes me crazy every time I hear this! A crate satisfies a dog's natural denning instinct and teaches them control. My dog goes into her crate for a nap even when she doesn't have to! They feel safe in there because they are closed in on all sides ie: they can relax because they're not always on the lookout for attack. Cover it with a towel and it's extra cozy for them. We have one on the main floor and now one in our room. The one in our room was a recent addition and it has stopped the overnight barking because I think she can hear us breathing and turning in our sleep and it must make her feel less lonely/more secure (an excellent suggestion that I got from this forum)
3) In my experience, and I've had dogs all my life, the Cairn terrier is an extremely difficult breed to housebreak no matter how diligent you are. My 10 month old is still not 100% reliable. I've just come to accept that that's the way it is with them and that I have to be patient. My Lab was completely housebroken, 100%, by 10 weeks. 10 WEEKS.
4) Use a leash and go out with your dog. If he doesn't make within a few mins., bring him back to the crate and try again later. At that age, they are very distracted by what's going on outside and will forget why you let them out there in the first place.

[lindasue]

Our cairn 6 months old and we use a crate, always at night and when we are out of the house for any length of time. I started by taking her out every 2 hours; she's now up to 3. She will have an occasional accident still, but is doing pretty good, especially since she's a "winter" dog (live in Mass). She's also starting to come to me and whine when she needs to go out. Last week she did regress and had accidents 4 days in a row, but seems to be back on track.

[TigerBearMommy79]

Thanks so much guys and I hope I didn't offend anyone by saying I thought crate training was mean...I have changed my thought pattern on that after researching it!!! We are starting crate training this evening...he did go out a pee and go Number two first thing this morning after I let him out and I gave him a treat (great start to the day!)

[Kit'sOwner]

AWESOME!! Keep it up! Don't get discouraged (like me. control freak. but i'm learning)

[sanford]

I know this is off-topic, but can't resist...Amanda, are you aware you may have come up with an entirely new cairn color palette...Stealth-Grass-Camo-Brindle! Tiger blends in perfectly with the background in his photo. He has no body, only a head. Would make for a great hunting dog!

Edited by sanford, 07 February 2010 - 02:11 PM.

[hheldorfer]

Thumbs up, Tiger! Keep up the good work!

[TigerBearMommy79]

Tiger is a unique color...he has a lot of reddish tones..kinda hard to tell from pic (it's a pic I took with my phone)...he is actually getting lighter now as he is growing...very subtle though..his mom is a blonde cairn and his dad is a dark brown-red like him...so we shall see how he turns out! This is his "camouflage" picture!!

Here is a pic I took yesterday after brushing him out real good!

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•  Tiger bear brushed.jpg (38.04K)
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Edited by TigerBearMommy79, 07 February 2010 - 05:18 PM.