# Puppy wont pee or poo outside



## jennibee (Dec 16, 2010)

Hello people.

I have a 12 week old Westie and I waited 2 weeks after his 2nd vaccination and started taking him out last Friday. Doing great, walks on lead really well, only problem is that he has not once done a pee or poo outside. He seems to hold it in until we get back in the house!

Before his vaccines kicked in I didn't take him out at all as I share a communal garden with a couple of neighbours who have dogs and there are lots of dogs round the area, I didn't want to take any risks.

When he was peeing in the house I didn't tell him off as I know he wouldn't understand why he was being told off. 

What do I do now? I would feel like I was confusing him to suddenly start telling him off for going in the house. I know the first few weeks of training were not ideal and that maybe I shouldn't have used pee pads, but I had no choice.

I've been taking him out straight after nap times, for a good 20 minutes and nothing.

Any ideas on what I can do? I know the house peeing/pooing wont stop straight away but I would really like for him to go outside!


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## ChatterPuss (Sep 4, 2010)

I have a similar problem though my 12 week old springer has now started to poo and wee on a walk, but wouldn't do it if I let him out in the garden and would wait and do it as soon as he came back into the utility. 
He started puppy training classes last week and the trainer advised not telling him off if he messes in the house. when he starts circling to wee take him outside on a lead until he wees then give lots of praise and treats ! If you wait until he is depserate he will have to wee and keep repeating it. have have my dog on a blanket in the lounge (until he is toilet trained) but when he needs to wee he gets fidgety so I then take him outside and wait until he does it and tell him to 'go for a wee' and 'hurry up' and since last week he is now beginning to realise what I want him to do! :thumbup:


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

jennibee said:


> Hello people.
> 
> I have a 12 week old Westie and I waited 2 weeks after his 2nd vaccination and started taking him out last Friday. Doing great, walks on lead really well, only problem is that he has not once done a pee or poo outside. He seems to hold it in until we get back in the house!
> 
> ...


It will set him back a bit but in the situation you were in it cant be helped.
I would get rid of the pee pads as that will confuse him and begin now from day 1. Take him out every 30/45 minutes. If he starts to go then give it a name (helps later as they do eventually associate the name and you can use it as a toilet cue) When he finishes lots of praise and a treat. He will need to go out too after drinking,eating, play and sleeping. Watch out for him sniffing,circling and scratching at the floor,usually signs hes looking for somewhere to go so get him out quick. If he has an accident dont tell him off,ust make sure you clean it up with a special pet cleaner as any smells left
will encourage him to go in the same places. At night if he sleeps within sight and sound of you,pop him out every time he wakes of stirs. If he doesnt then set your alarm once or twice and pop him out then. Bit of sacrifice now but it does pay off later. Good luck and hope this might help.


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## new westie owner (Apr 30, 2010)

Maybe put one of his pads in garden he may use it, he will soon get used to different smells outside and do toilet with my lil westie i was out about an hour sometimes didnt go in till he did toilet then was like mad woman shouting good boy :thumbup:


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## tracey432 (Jan 4, 2011)

I have the same problem with my 14 week pup I take her out twice a day for a long walk, into the garden every 30mins all day long she still wont go then soon as we get back inside she pees or poos on the floor. I also have a 14 month dog who was not house trained when I also got him two weeks ago, he is now starting to go outside as she follows him everywhere i was hoping she would get the idea after watching him (he has even peed on her head when she has got too close whilst he has been going) but still no luck. I have now done this constantly for two weeks and she still doesnt go outside. I also thought about buying some training pads and putting one outside but havent tried this yet due to the wet weather. I watch her constantly but she doesnt sniff around first or circle or go in the same place all the time, she just suddenly swats and does it, i have tried to run with her outside whilst she is in mid flow but this just results in a long trail. I shall read any replys you have also that might suggest some help or maybe if you come up with a solution you can pass it on until then at least you know your not alone


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## sue&harvey (Mar 10, 2010)

tracey432 said:


> I have the same problem with my 14 week pup *I take her out twice a day for a long walk*, into the garden every 30mins all day long she still wont go then soon as we get back inside she pees or poos on the floor. I also have a 14 month dog who was not house trained when I also got him two weeks ago, he is now starting to go outside as she follows him everywhere i was hoping she would get the idea after watching him (he has even peed on her head when she has got too close whilst he has been going) but still no luck. I have now done this constantly for two weeks and she still doesnt go outside. I also thought about buying some training pads and putting one outside but havent tried this yet due to the wet weather. I watch her constantly but she doesnt sniff around first or circle or go in the same place all the time, she just suddenly swats and does it, i have tried to run with her outside whilst she is in mid flow but this just results in a long trail. I shall read any replys you have also that might suggest some help or maybe if you come up with a solution you can pass it on until then at least you know your not alone


At 14 weeks your pup really shouldn't be doing long walks, as it can cause them problems with their joints later on. The general rule is 5 mins per month of age. So yours should only be doing 15 mins, twice a day.

The thing that really helped me is routine. Also if you have to stay out in the garden for an hour, do it! I ended up taking a book into the garden. Eventually they will have to go. Loads of praise and treat. Pretty soon they get the idea, and the hour is 5 mins. My pup is nearly 5 months and only just 99% TT. Be patient


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2011)

My situation was exactly the same - I also have a Westie pup, also don't have my own garden and also found toilet training very hard! To be honest until your pup actually goes outside, he's not going to know that's what he's supposed to do - which means lots of waiting outside with him! I found once McKenzie went to the toilet outside a few times (and got huge praise for it) she started to understand that was what she was supposed to do.

It was also difficult because McKenzie never circled around or gave signals she was about to go - she would just suddenly squat! And she didn't fit the usual pattern of toileting i.e. within 30 minutes of eating - sometimes it was straight after eating, sometimes an hour later.

She's now nearly 5 months and is about 90% trained, but it's been a long road. So even though it can get depressing, stick with it! I'm sure he's a fabulous pup in so many other ways :thumbup:

And nice to 'meet' another Westie owner!


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## Guest (Jan 18, 2011)

Oh and also meant to say that at 12 weeks he might just not have the bladder control, either to hold it or to go when you want him to. I don't think McKenzie did until about 4 months.


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## momentofmadness (Jul 19, 2008)

Hi there.. if you want to be out on your walk for a long time, walk to a bench and sit there to keep the dog out.. make sure the bench isn't far away and then you can sit there allowing your dog to smell all around the bench etc.,... Im sure whilst you are still/relaxing the dog will eventually wee..

Its like trying to get toddlers to use the toilet.. :lol: takes time and patience...


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

To really get a start you need to get them to do it outside. Until then you cant start the praise and reward and begin the association that its the required place to go. Sometimes it becomes all too intense, because it is so fraustrating for us. So it ends up becoming a battle of wits and any tension or fraustration you may be feeling will be expressed in your body language,the dog will pick up on it and it all just becomes a miserable dreaded
affair for dog and owner.

Try taking out a ball or toy and make it a play session, you should find that after the pup has had a play, and become relaxed they should quite likely go.
As they squat, you can then do the nameing, then praise and reward. Make sure you have your treats, just treat it as a play session dont think of it as toileting. By making it a relaxed fun affair and taking the tension out of it you
should find it makes a difference. If you think about it would you be able to go to the loo, with someone standing over you getting all fraustrated,tense and angry.


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## jennibee (Dec 16, 2010)

Thanks so much for all the helpful replies.

Still no pee or poo outside  I am trying to just be patient like you said though, trying to not get frustrated but when we have been out and he pees as soon as he gets in the door I must admit my heart sinks a little I know it will take time. 

This morning straight after he woke up I started to take him outside - I have a flight of stairs to go down to get to my front door, once I had taken him down and put him down to put his lead on - he went. I don't think he was able to hold it any longer! 

On the plus side he has calmed down a lot since being outside and is playing more with his toys rather than things he shouldn't  

Will keep you posted!

Here is a pic of Bobby...


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## silverbeetle (Jul 17, 2009)

Bobby looks so cute in your photo.

As has been said it is really patience that is needed.

When we were toilet training our westie Freddie we took him out to the garden every 20 minutes until he got the hang of what to do. We trained him to wee with the command 'be quick' and a really high value treat of chicken when he went for a wee or poo in the garden - he only had the chicken treat for this and he loves chicken. 
We were lucky that he soon picked up the idea that if he went for a wee or poo in the garden he got some tasty chicken.

Freddie is now 18 months old and is such a joy - we wouldn't be without him.

Good luck - I'm sure he will soon get the hang of it!


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## Helbo (Sep 15, 2010)

If you have to carry your puppy out to the toilet area, then do not put bobby down until it's ok for them to 'go'. You could put him down outside still holding the collar to get the lead on...

Keep up the good work


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## jennibee (Dec 16, 2010)

An update: Still nothing! I took him into our back garden yesterday and let him off the lead to run around. He is sniffing around and a couple of times I thought he was going to but no such luck 

I have been taking him out straight after naps and first thing in the morning, after play etc. I took a pad out yesterday that had his scent on it - he did go on that but just as he got inside the door.

I am just wondering if we would benefit from having our carpets shampooed? We have an elderly dog with a bladder problem who sometimes pees on the floor - also Bobby does just go wherever he wants in the house - I think when he gets in the house he smells it straight away and just thinks the house is his 'toilet'.

I will never be so happy to see a dog pee when he does go outside! I'll probably do a little dance!


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

jennibee said:


> An update: Still nothing! I took him into our back garden yesterday and let him off the lead to run around. He is sniffing around and a couple of times I thought he was going to but no such luck
> 
> I have been taking him out straight after naps and first thing in the morning, after play etc. I took a pad out yesterday that had his scent on it - he did go on that but just as he got inside the door.
> 
> ...


I should imagine with the confusion of pads and your other dog having accidents in the house, it certainly wouldnt help. Ive noticed with my dogs if they all go out on walks, one pees and the others cover it with their scent,
so yes it could be compounding and making the problem worse. Is your other elderly dog a spayed female, if so there is medication if they have urinary incontinence. Ones of mines on it and it works really well. Although its usually a problem especially in spayed females, I think there may be other meds too that can help, so if you have never explored it might be worth talking to your vet.


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## jennibee (Dec 16, 2010)

He is male and was never spayed, he's a 16 year-old labrador. I live with my Mum and just moved in here a few months ago so I am not sure. I just know that he has sporadic accidents in the house. I will ask though.

When I take Bobby out sometimes he starts signalling to me that he wants me to pick him up - could this be him telling me he needs to go?


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## Genie (Feb 23, 2010)

wow. I was just about to pretty much write this exact post! Well, it's not my dog, it's my mams. But a Westie too! It hadnt been injected before they bought it (apparently the vet had advised the breeder-first timer- not to) so she didn't get outside til quite late. But now she's so used to doing her business on the puppy mat, that she'll wait til she gets home to do anything! I've directed my sister to this thread so hopefully they'll have more luck. Its so infuriating as you see it as such a natural thing! She wont even cover up other dogs scents!
She's such a cutie though


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## jennibee (Dec 16, 2010)

So glad I'm not the only one experiencing the problem! Again, took him out today straight after naps, play etc and he just waited until we got back inside to do his business. I have noticed he goes to certain spots in the house to do it so my mum and I are going to hire a carpet cleaner and just clean the whole house with it - hopefully eliminate any scent which will fingers crossed start helping.

I even took out another pee pad today that he had used but nothing. He sniffs around loads and seen him scratching the ground too.

He has picked up a bit of a nasty habit of tryin to eat other dogs poop - I googled it and read it is common. Just angers me that people can't pick up after their dog! It snowed here and we basically had it from november until about 3 days ago, now that it's cleared up it has left loads of mess on the pavement that people tried to hide in the snow


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## abbiechi (Jul 2, 2011)

I would love to see an update from this, we're having the exact same problem with Phoebe at the moment 

She's obviously a bit older but she'll still go outside for a good while, wander round and seem like she's eager to go, then she'll go as soon as she gets into the house.


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