# 1ST FLOOR FLAT - Puppy Training



## MDF (Sep 29, 2009)

Righty'ho! You must all be so fed up of me asking questions!!!! 

BUT!

Puppy is going to have his 2nd jab on Monday and we'll be keeping him in still for a few more days.

Only problem! As the title states we live in a 1st floor flat.

He is currently 'meant' to be using puppy pads!!!  (notice the word 'meant' to be using them)!!

He wee's on the carpet in the hallway, the living room and he poo's in the same places as well as us just finding under the bed!!!  (please don't think we are dirty)!!!! 

He sleeps in bed with us!! and first thing in the morning he'll have a wee anywhere he likes at the moment!!

BUT!

When enough time has elapsed after his 2nd jab and we can take him out..... What do we do? How do we overcome his need to wee where he likes before we can take him downstairs to do 'his stuff'???

How does other people who live in 1st floor flats cope? he is only tiny as he's a jrt x chi 

How also do people who live in houses puppy train?

Sorry its another long thread isn't it!

Thank you for reading!

xxxxx


----------



## Dougal (Oct 3, 2009)

I live in a first floor flat. However I have a balcony so my 11 week old goes out there. If I don't catch him, he pee's on the carpet in the living room, but mostly now (touch wood) only poo's outside. I put him on the balcony after meals, after play and whenever he looks like he's needs to go!

I never let him wander round the flat on his own. He's in the living room with me and if I need to go out the room for longer than a minute, I shut him in the kitchen. 

At night, he sleeps in the kitchen as he hated being shut in a crate. He pee's on the puppy pad if he needs to, but mostly waits until I put him out on the balcony for his poo at 6am. From 6am to 7am he gets to have a nap on my bed.

When you can take him out - you are just going to have to take him out a lot to start with and reward when he does his stuff outside. He will get the hang of it eventually. House training in flats does work, but personally I'm looking forward to moving to my new place with a garden in a month or 2!


----------



## MDF (Sep 29, 2009)

Nobody?????


----------



## Fleur (Jul 19, 2008)

A friend of mine used a puppy pad by the front door to toilet train in her flat with no balcony.
She new it wasn't ideal but at least he was going in one place in the flat.
90% of the time she took him out side but times like 1st thing in the morning ie when she wasn't dressed yet  - she took him to his pad.

Puppies don't know they are suposed to use puppy pads we have to teach them - going outside he won't suddenly know that he's suposed to go out side.

Never let the puppy go out of your sight. 
Take him to the puppy pad at least every hour, whenever he wakes up, finishes eating, stops playing, is sniffing and/or circling, wait until he goes and reward.


----------



## welshdoglover (Aug 31, 2009)

I don't live in a flat I got terraced house with garden and patio.

Just want to say that my poodle pup was meant to use puppy pads and just kept widddling where he fancied 

As he's getting older he's getting better. He's going outside to poo and sits by the back door to let me know he wants to go out.

Occassionally, he's had the odd piddle in the kitchen on the tiles which aint too bad as the carpet but it is easier to swish the mop over it.

Apart from that all I can say is give it time, the pup is still very young yet.


----------



## Frin13 (Aug 17, 2009)

MDF, I am in the same position as you, Pacha manages to tell me she wants a poo, but I just cannot get her to have a wee outside, saying that she did have 1 wee outside side yesterday!
very hard work.
x


----------



## oldDoubletrouble (Sep 21, 2009)

Personally I do not like the puppy pads and would never use then, appreiciate that is is going to be harder in a flat, but do you have any sort of garden there that is exclusive to you? 

Also, as freddy is coming up to 12 weeks are you taking him out yet This is quite important as between the age of 6-15 weeks is the time when puppies need to be socalized.


----------



## MDF (Sep 29, 2009)

Double trouble said:


> Personally I do not like the puppy pads and would never use then, appreiciate that is is going to be harder in a flat, but do you have any sort of garden there that is exclusive to you?
> 
> Also, as freddy is coming up to 12 weeks are you taking him out yet This is quite important as between the age of 6-15 weeks is the time when puppies need to be socalized.


No we don't have any kind of garden at all.

Yep Freddie is 12 weeks now and he's having his 2nd jab today so we won't be taking him out properly until the end of the week.


----------



## Acacia86 (Dec 30, 2008)

MDF said:


> No we don't have any kind of garden at all.
> 
> Yep Freddie is 12 weeks now and he's having his 2nd jab today so we won't be taking him out properly until the end of the week.


I think DT meant taking him out all different places but not walking as such. You can carry pups to meet many people/kids and all sorts of situations.


----------



## oldDoubletrouble (Sep 21, 2009)

MDF said:


> No we don't have any kind of garden at all.
> 
> Yep Freddie is 12 weeks now and he's having his 2nd jab today so we won't be taking him out properly until the end of the week.


But have you been taking him outside (carrying him) to get him used to every day noises, such as traffic, people, the Sky etc? Socialization is quite an important factor and could mean the difference between a well adjusted dog and one that is nervous and barks at it's own shadow.


----------



## MDF (Sep 29, 2009)

Double trouble said:


> But have you been taking him outside (carrying him) to get him used to every day noises, such as traffic, people, the Sky etc? Socialization is quite an important factor and could mean the difference between a well adjusted dog and one that is nervous and barks at it's own shadow.


Oh blimey yes! he's been to loads of places already!!

Pets at home, the libray, everywhere we go really apart from where dogs aren't allowed.

Our neighbour downstairs has 2 dogs so he hears them bark, he's even met them (he was sitting on my lap)


----------



## Frin13 (Aug 17, 2009)

MDF you are in exactly the same position as me I promise, I take our girl pretty much everywhere with us yet the minute we walk in, Wee Time!
x


----------



## shortbackandsides (Aug 28, 2008)

i hate puppy pads!!! i mean talk about confusing,one minute your encouraging a pup to go to the toilet in your house,then the next minute your telling it off for piddling on the floors ect,its giving out mixed signals,they should be aware from the start that going to the toilet in the house is definatly not allowed,i can appreciate the op has a dilema,not having access to a garden though.But my personall feelings are start as you mean to go on
Alo people who use puppy pads can find it very hard to break the habits formed for years to come!


----------



## Rick (Aug 30, 2009)

What do you reckon she should do when it is obvious it needs to go?
Hang it out of the window?  Because let's face it thy don't give a lot of advance warning!

The only thing that seems to work with us is taking the pup out at the times we feel she should be wanting to go, and when she looks like she might go then praise and reward. 
It involves going in and out a lot, I don't know how this would work in a flat.


----------



## Guest (Oct 14, 2009)

That's the trouble with puppies, I think even more so with toy/small breeds. Puppies bladders are small, they cannot hold on for long... and infact don't really hold on at all at first , this comes with time/age.

When a pup needs to go they need to go! and that's why in the first few weeks of bringing the puppy home they should be under your supervision as much as possible! (when you're at home obviously), you and only you (and your family) are the ones responsible for the puppies toilet training and getting all the number 1's and 2's in the right place, it's hard work, but it needs to be done. You have to be consistent and stick with it, otherwise you will just keep taking steps back instead of forward. 

You need to take puppy to toilet area whenever he wakes up, after eating/drinking and playing. You also need to watch out for the signs of the puppy wanting to toilet, circling and sniffing the floor. Once he has successfully gone to the loo in the correct place, reward him instantly and give him lots of praise and tell him what a good boy he is.

If he does a toilet in the wrong place, like indoors on a carpet... ignore him. Don't punish him, don't even talk to him. Remove him from the room and then clean up the mess... make sure you clean the area properly otherwise he will just go back and smell it and could do it again.

Don't let a young puppy have too much free roam, I'd personally keep them in whatever room you are in at the time. I wouldn't give puppy access to all rooms just yet. 

So like I said, puppies bladders are small, they cannot hold on for long so you need to really keep your eye on him (I know it's hard work, but that's part of owning a puppy) and try and get all of his poos/pees in the correct area... there will be mistakes, that's life, you're only human. But as long as you are consistent and keep up with it, and don't slack and feel like you cannot be bothered to watch him so much lol (I have felt like that before) all should be fine. Toilet training takes time, some puppies learn quicker than others. Just try your best, that's all you can really do.

Your dog is small, JRTxChi? have you thought about litter training? I know it's probably a nightmare to do (there are lots of links about it on the net, even videos and books). 

I know if I ever lived in a flat, and wasn't on the ground floor I would consider litter training a small toy breed.

Good luck and enjoy your little bundle of fun!


----------



## k8t (Oct 13, 2009)

What more could anyone add to Kay2008, a textbook reply!

I would however suggest your puppy is in a crate beside the bed, not only because of other issues as they get older, but it is much easier in the initial stages to see when they want to pee!

As soon as you wake up, preferably before your puppy starts pacing around. Lift the puppy to where you want it to go. Don't let it walk, motion triggers bodily functions!! Place it down (ideally this would be outside) and say your command you are going to use. Stay there until the deed is done and Reward Praise, jump around - whatever works!!

Take a pup out or to the toileting place every hour or maybe less, if they haven't been or won't go, put them back in the crate, or restrict where they are, so they can't 'go off and hide it' and you can see the behaviours Kay mentions.

Be consistent and it will happen, just don't give your puppy the opportunity to make a mistake if they do, ignore the incident and always reward for the good.

Using a command is essential each time they go, they begin to associate the word with the action and you can start to cue the behaviour. Nothing is more impressive than taking your dog out, telling it to 'quickly' and getting a result. 

One of my dogs is 15 now and each time she does a poo, she still does a lap of honour as we used to praise her so much when she was a pup she got quite giddy!!

Kate


----------

