Please tell me that one bad day is not the end of the world

[tomatosandwich]

We are crate training Divot and it has been going pretty well...until today.

We have been following the same routine:

Straight from crate, outside (on leash) to do his business. If he doesn't go in 10 minutes, back in crate for 15, try again. If he does have success, he gets off leash time in the yard or in the house (restricted area) for 20-30 minutes (longer if we are actively on the floor with him playing fetch, training, etc.)

Today, he has had 3 accidents AFTER going out. After playing just 10 minutes, he has squatted and peed.

Please tell me it's not the end of the world. Please tell me it's just the cold, rainy day making him rush outside before his bladder is really empty. Please tell me that today doesn't mean we've taken 3 steps back.

[Idaho Cairns]

Ok, I'll tell you all of that. These little guys at 14 weeks don't "get it" right away. Eventually they will come to prefer the outside where all the smells are. Just clean up carefully from his errors and keep on it--take the older dog out with him so he can see what it is all about--praise profusely after he goes outside and be prepared for a few mistakes along the way.

[ScruffynMag]

You will have a few accidents to start with, they can want to empty their bladder more often some days than others and especially after play. Don't despair, all your hard work and consistency will pay off. Some are completely house trained by the time they are 4 to 5 months old and some take a bit longer. Make sure every bit of scent is removed after an accident inside or they can want to go the same place again.

[Tracy A.]

LOL

I don't mean to laugh at you, but you need to think of Divot as more a baby. Just keep consistent and accidents are to be expected. I just assumed that If I took the boys out of the crate when they were young that they would pee.. so I took them out before i'd let out in a room. Granted I raised two puppies at the same time, Bratt was potty trained at 6 months, verses Mettwurst getting it around 4 months old... which funny enough I found out the hard was that he was asking to go out....LOL he was sitting infront of the front door and i picked him up and sat him on the couch where he propmtly peed! and I had an AH HA moment!

So just relax, Cairn's are not Labs... just be happy if your puppy is house trained by 6 months!

[Dempsy's Mom]

I too have to chuckle. Little Divot is keeping you busy isn't he?

[lindasue]

Ah, puppies and the rain! Pegi was 6 months old before she stopped the accidents. Quite a shock for someone who always had big dogs that were trained almost overnight! Divot is just a baby; he'll get it!

[janis]

I brought Kirby home at 10 weeks. Challenging to say the least. He really liked to poop in the dining room, usually right after we had been outside. We persisted with the crate training. Lots of praise (a potty party) when he was successful. Try and keep taking him to the same area to do his potty. Buy a really good deoderizer to spray where he has accidents in the house so he won't think that the toilet area. Treats are good. They are alot like babies - start looking for signs 20 minutes after eating or drinking..... go out the same door every time too. Use the same verbal cues "potty out side" was ours. We still struggle with "happy pee" but he has not relieved himself in the house on purpose since about 5 months old. Now he is so trained to go in our yard, it's hard to get him to use the bathroom anywhere else. Hang in there! He'll get it! Just not right away!

[tomatosandwich]

Yes, Divot is keeping me busy, busy, busy! I forgot how much work a puppy is! I swear, keeping up with Divot is as challenging as it was for me to keep up with my twins when they were younger!

I don't expect him to "get it" as fast as my lab did. I just needed re-assurance that I haven't undone all the positives with one bad day. I read an article somewhere that said each accident in the house results in another week in training needed. So I'm up to 6 months plus 3 weeks. I'm hoping that this formula isn't all true.

The second half of the day has been back to normal crate training, so the panic is subsiding a bit.

[Idaho Cairns]

"I read an article somewhere that said each accident in the house results in another week in training needed"

This is nonsense! I have no idea where you read this but were that the case, most Cairns wouldn't be house trained until they were three years old. Beware of much that you read about dogs--particularly on the internet (and I have no idea where you got the above).

Good, I had a chance to amend this post to point out one other but important matter. I hope you do not think there is something wrong with you or Divot because he isn't 100% now or "matching up" to the dogs we discuss here because if you are feeling a little embarrassed, let me relieve you of that feeling--at least in my case. It is always good to keep in mind that my experience with a puppy is almost an ideal situation--I am retired, my DW is retired, we are at home all day, there are no children to take care of, and the other dog is well trained and well mannered to a fault. My Bonnie didn't get a chance to squat on the floor before I had scooped her up, carted her outside and let her do her thing. I had no other duty but to watch Bonnie like a hawk and within a week I could tell immediately when she had to go--a time advantage that you and most owners of new Cairns do not have--still, even Bonnie had accidents when I wasn't watching or misread the signals. I would just remind you to not be so hard on yourself or Divot--this will pass--probably sooner than later as Spring is coming and outside is nicer. Enjoy your puppy and just keep cleaning supplies close at hand--get some of Vince's Sham-Wow's in one hand and a spray deodorant in the other--I soaked up and sprayed many times, even with all my vigilance.

[cairnsby3]

Don’t forget if you are giving a treat, give it outside immediately, don’t wait til you get in.

[pindrop]

Hi tomatosandwich I hear your concern..and there is a lot of feedback with great advice. I made one mistake while training Layla and that was "ONCE" we went out the side door onto the screened-in porch and that turned out to be a major mistake as you would now think that that is the only door in our home. She dances around that door when she needs to go out and not the front door. But...keep in mind, 20 minutes after eating, 5 seconds after playing (get out those sneakers). My hubby is also retired and is home all day and also watches Layla like a hawk and knows the signs she makes when she needs to go out - that may be why she is now housetrained (99%) Whenever Layla had an accident, I would wipe up the mess then used clorox spray to disinfect and wipe again with a paper towel. I thought I needed to take out shares in Bounty as I used so much but it was soon history and it will be for you as well. Give yourself & Divot some leeway - accidents will happen - he's a baby - all you can do is keep trying. Yesterday is history - today is the present. Keep at it - it will get better.

[Tami]

Ditto what Idaho Cairns said .. I'm home all day so I was able to be there to work on training Fearghus. Plus we kept him to one area and in an ex-pen. I put down a piece of scrap linoleum so that I wouldn't get upset about accidents. Oh and there were some doozies too! Before we decided to have him sleep in a crate we just let him stay in the ex-pen. A couple mornings I woke up to some pretty awful messes. One time there was poop on the OUTSIDE of the ex-pen. I couldn't figure that out until I saw him try to squat right at the edge a few days later. I grabbed him and went outdoors shaking my head.

Finally he seems to be pretty good. He sits and looks at us when he wants to go outside. If we don't do this then after a while he comes up to us and sits again then whines until we go. Two months ago I didn't pay attention and didn't react fast enough when he started sharply barking. When I got to the family room there was Fearghus on the futon peeing!! Ugh! Since then we haven't had any incidents. And he sleeps pretty much all night long now in his crate and will wait until 6:30 or 6:45am before getting up.

Divot will get there too.

[finncaraid]

The treat idea is a good one since they tend to dawdle outside before taking care of business. Let him know you have a treat & after a few days (maybe less) he'll get it that a p or p right away is a good thing. These dogs are bred problem solvers so his brain will go to work immediately trying to figure out what gets the treat. As time goes by, you can eliminate the treat. If you can get a rough idea of his schedule & capacity to "hold it" & keep an eye on the water intake, you'll know when to cease play & go outside. While you're at it, you might want to start introducing the signal you want him to use when outside is needed. Don't worry that you're overloading his brain- I think that's virtually impossible with these guys.--------As far as what you read about undoing training by one accident, I read the same thing & was told that by pro-trainers. In my experience, that is not true. Maybe it is with "dogs" but not Cairns. If you haven't already seen the evidence, you'll soon find out that these guys don't think like a dog. It took me about a month of trial/error, confusion & frustration before I realized that Finn (just turned 8 mos.) processed information almost like a human. As soon as that realization took hold, it made it much easier to train him to do anything. I really think the only thing that keeps these dogs from running the world is the language issue You might want to find some books specifically tailored to training terriers. It helped me tremendously 'cause I kept trying to deal with Finn like he was a "dog" & all I got was frustration. I, too, would go to the 'net when something new came up & when I read some stuff, it didn't work. Now, I still do the same thing but adjust it for a terrier.

[KShep]

Definitely NOT the end of the world! My mop bucket is my best friend. House-training takes time. Two weeks ago, three accidents in one day would have been a GOOD day.

We have tile, but a $10 puppy gate was a great investment (still up by the way. the goal is for her to go three days without an accident before taking it down) It keeps her off the rug in the living room and confines her to the kitchen.

I got Ripley very young and was using potty pads till she was 12 weeks. She was very confused when I took them away and after much scolding for accidents, I soon realized that she wanted to do the right thing, but didn't understand or had a hard time communicating when it was time to go. It's just like potty-training for a child. It can be traumatic for them! Poor babies