Westie Potty Training?
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
I have a now four month old west highland white terrier (toooooo cute) he is a boy.
The issue that I am having is… He will be good ALL day while I am at work and not go potty in his crate. (He was going potty in there at one point because of the breeder issues. eat. sleep. poo in the same area.) now he is ok with that and will hold actually about 7 hours. As soon as I get home from work I will take him outside, and he runs for a bit, and then does his business, and plays for a few hours.
Now the problem…….
He is still peeing in the house, hasn’t really pooped but has peed, hes not lifting his leg to “mark” but just peeing, and im not sure why…. He SHOULD have it in his brain that he CAN hold till he goes outside, but im not sure how to further this concept.
And please don’t leave messages that 7 hours is too long. I asked my vet and she said as long as he is comfortable, that it is ok because he has no bladder issues. Also, my friend has a yorkie (10lbs) that was holding for 8 hours (without being made to) at 4 months old.
Does anyone have any suggestions as how to get him to stop peeing inside.. Or do I just have to GRADUALLY make his crate bigger and bigger, then give him a bigger room, than a bigger room inside a bigger room until he gets the point?
Any advice would be fantastic. This isnt my first dog, but the only dog ive had that has taken more than 2 – 3 weeks to potty train.
Thanks.
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This issue is that once you are home, he is awake and stimulated, thus the body is processing water and food faster than when he is quiet and at rest.
You need to take him out more frequently: After waking up, even if he just went out right before falling asleep, after eating or drinking, after playing, even if he went potty right before he started playing, and on average, about every two hours in between.
As his bladder matures, so will his ability to control his urge to go and he will soon be able to hold it longer. In the meantime, be certain to thoroughly clean up any accidents with an enzyme based solution to eliminate any traces of smell that may attract him to the same spot and send a mixed message that the soiled location is the right place to go.
Only thing I would add is that you need to clean the areas he has gone in completely. This will stop him from going back there. Otherwise I think you idea is a good one.
I like the personality of a west highland white terrier. They are so sweet.
Easy answer. He gets preoccupied when he is out of his crate and being 4 months, a big 16 weeks, he suddenly has to pee. Oh no! What do I do now?!! Gotta go gotta go gotta go…….
So, it just takes some of them longer to learn how to control their bladder inside the house when they are loose and running around.
Just make sure you take him out every hour. Praise him when he pees. It is easier for them to hold their stools than the pee.
Patience. Consistency. Calm.
take him outside one an hour and praise him well when he pees outside. like the others said, don’t scold him excessively if he does it in the house. a quick “no” and take him outside where hopefully he’ll pee some more and you can praise him. he won’t make the connection if you yell at him after the fact and will just think he’s being yelled at for no reason.
he’s just young. give him a chance.
Keep him in the crate when you are gone. As soon as you get home, take him out to go potty. Take him out to potty ever hour. When he goes, praise him. You could try using a phrase such as ‘Potty Outside’ when he starts to go potty. Eventually he will learn that it means to go potty and you can use it to tell him to go.
If he goes in the house, do not hit him or rub his nose in it. If you catch him in the act, say a firm, loud ‘NO’, pick him up and take him outside to finish. If you do not catch him in the act you cannot yell at him. He will not know what he is getting yelled at for.
He is a four month old puppy, you can’t expect him to know already to tell you when he needs to go out, especially if hes playing. You just need to take him out to go every hour or so until he gets the hang of it better.
Good Luck.
Praise, Patience and Consistency is the key.