Hello! New to Cairns & this forum. :)

[LoopyMom]

I just wanted to say hello. I hope I'm posting in the right place! My name is Sandy, and I just got a Cairn terrier today. I've owned a Maltese in the past, and after bringing home this little ball of energy I realized I didn't have a clue what I was getting into. I did a good amount of research on them, and knew I would be getting a puppy with plenty of personality- but oh my!

Buster was born Sept. 8th of this year, and I got him from another family that had purchased him from a breeder when he was 6 weeks old. The family member they had purchased him for was killed in a car accident the Tuesday before Christmas, and they decided they didn't want to keep the puppy anymore (as he was a constant reminder of the recent death).

He is a little skiddish right now, but I'd imagine that is from bringing him into a new home. Although he cowers down when someone approaches him which makes me think he is a little scared of people. I don't know the family I got him from (I found him on Craigslist), so I'm not sure how he was treated prior to us getting him. Hopefully he is just weary b/c of new people and new surroundings.

He is eating and drinking here, but he is also peeing in my floor pretty consistently. So, potty training is pretty high on the priority list right now. He also jumps a LOT, and if my kids get at all excited he goes crazy.

He is adorable though, and you can tell he truly truly wants to please you. He has only been around my kids today, but he wants to follow them everywhere. He listens pretty well when you tell him no, and he comes okay when you call as long as he can see you. If he runs upstairs and I call him I have to go up and get him.

Any advice regarding the potty training would be more than welcome. I've been taking him out about 15 minutes after he eats/ drinks and he goes out chews on a stick the entire time and when I bring him back in he pees. I tried waiting about 30-45 minutes to take him out, but I get the same results.

I hope everyone has a good evening/ day!

(Buster should be in my siggy if I figured out how to do that correctly!)

[Shazza]

Welcome and Congratulations on Buster!

As far as potty training, this is where you will need to keep all eyes on him at all times. You will need to set up a schedule of when to take him out. I think when ours were puppies I was taking them out every 30 minutes. If Buster is motivated by food, use treats! Take him out, choose a command word such as "go potty", when he does go, PRAISE HIM AND GIVE HIM A LOT OF TREATS!! If he doesn't go, take him back inside, watch him closely and try again in 15 mins.

As far as going upstairs to get him, you can play a little game we learned at puppy training class. Have a treat in your hand, go around the corner or next room out of the sight of Buster, then say "Buster, where are you", he will come and find you, then reward him again with treats!! Keep repeating this and he will begin to understand that when you say "Buster, where are you" he will come running and you won't have to go upstairs to get him.

Good luck!

Potty training is a constant battle but it can be won

[sheila and Misty]

I agree with shazza-good advise! there is probably a whole section you can find on the forum of all the different approaches to training youll find everything you need to know for he most part by doing the search for on this forum.

[jimnconnie]

Hi, Sandy & Buster, and welcome to the Forum!! Buster is a real cutie, and I know you'll love having him in your home. If you use the Search functions at the top right, or lower left of the page, you can find lots of info on potty training. Search for "house training", "potty training", or "crate training" as these are often discussed issues here. Good luck, and if you can't find the answers you are looking for, please ask again for help.

[mjones]

Hi! Welcome to the forum. Buster is adorable. What a sad story for his previous family

Are you familiar with crate training? I didn't have to do it with my cairn, Gus, because he was pretty much potty trained when I got him, but I've read that it really works. I sometimes have a hard time getting Gus to come when he is outside. I keep a baggie with small dog coookies by the door and shake it when I'm calling him. When he finally comes I give him a bite size piece of cookie. This seems to be working pretty well.

Good luck!

[cairnsby3]

I agree, crate training is good. I didn't crate train my first when he was a puppy and doing it later was much harder. Neither of mine use a crate at home, but here at the office they are both asleep in crates with the doors open, their choice. I show in alot of dog sports but even if you don't ever do that, there are times when your dog will need to be contained, like if he is injured, if you need to leave him in kennel, or even at a friend's, at the vets, in the car, if you travel in a motel, etc. You don't want to add to the stress of any of those situations by also stressing the dog by using the crate that they act like they hate.

[LoopyMom]

His crate came with him, and he doesn't seem to mind it too much! He let a few little yelps out last night to let me know he'd rather be hanging out with me instead of in his crate, but we have been putting him in it at night, and while we are eating. He just lays down and waits.

Same issue with peeing (and pooping) in the floor though. We take him out often, and I walked him for about an hour when I came home from work this afternoon and he still pees pretty much the moment he comes in instead of when he is out. I'm going to do a little reading on it to see if I can find some more suggestions.

[Napi'smom]

welcome tothe forum, Buster is adorable.

Crate training worked wonders for me, with both my dogs and Napoleon is now 3 and no accidents for years.

Just make sure his crate his not too big, and as others have mentioned, consistency is key.

We got Napoleon in Late January and it was extemely difficult to potty train in the cold, it took him until he was about 9 months to fully be a pro at it.

Be patient and reward him when he goes outside. Before you know it, he will be fully trained.

Good Luck

[Shazza]

Have you had Buster to the vet to be checked out? You may want to rule out that it's not a UTI.

That's always the first thing to rule out.

[oscar's mom]

cute picture.

[DawnandTuk-tuk]

How adorable Buster is! My one piece of advice to add to crate training is to take him out ON leash when your going to potty. This was sooo important for us with Tuk. He knew the difference between going outside to play and going outside to "do his business". When we went for playtime we went without his leash. Also when he is on leash he can't wonder around and be "off task" so to speak. This will also come in handy if it's ever raining or you are in a hurry since he will quickly get to it after he learns what the leash and back door means. Good luck and stick to it!

[UncleFishbits]

I am so happy to have found this. Yay!

[TazTalk]

Welcome! We have a 5 month old Cairn. The hardest part for us was after excersie: indoor play or a walk, Taz would drink a lot of water. Then, he'd have to pee several times within the first hour. We'd think he was done, but then he'd come inside and pee again within a few minutes. So, when he does his "heavy drinking", we have to keep taking him out until he's empty. )

[Jetti]

Probably a stupid piece of advice but when I started to potty train dogs, I never took them for a long walk untill they "did" it. I take them out and they either do "it" or not and I go right inside again. If I thing they need to potty - I take them out again about half an hour later.I have a different leash for pottying so they get the idea right away; one leash for pottying and another for fun and walks. Of course I praise them to death when they do it and give him a treat.

It is just what DawnandTuk-Tuk says. It may take a bit longer to teach but it is so much worth the while. When I ask someone to take my dog out for pottying - they all love it when they do not have to take him around the block to

do his business or if I am in a hurry or if it rains very hard it is just wonderfull

[bradl]

Jetti and DawnandTuk-tuk, I wish I had done what you suggest! Using the walk as a reward for going is powerful.

I used the crutch that a walk usually *makes* them go while on the walk. I'd lose patience waiting and knowing they would go if I went for a walk - off we'd go. It works of course, but teaches them the opposite of our go-potty code words, "Hurry up!"

[Cliffff]

Lily would like you to come and see her playpen and pics at

www.cliffff.com

[DawnandTuk-tuk]

You know Bradl I thought about that after I posted, I was wondering if people would think I was talking about a walk. We had a big back yard and I used the leash for backyard potty business. I had the same potty spot in the yard and I used the same command for going out on leash for potty-ing "let's go do our business" as opposed to "go for a walk" so there wouldn't be any confusion and we went out a different door of the house for a walk, through the garage. I'm a believer in the process we used. The crate and leash. I have never had a faster more effective potty learning experience with a puppy and Tuk did not go through a teenage accident stage like I've had with some dogs. We'll know for sure next time, maybe it's him being quite possibly the smartest, cutest dog on earth too! But I'm biased!

[Cliffff]

The biggest mistake I have ever made with Lily was taking the advice of someone to use the Pee pads.......All they did was to teach Lily that it is OK to pee in the house and it is sheer nonsense about moving it slowly outside.....You will find it strewn all over the yard. Lily went to boot camp and flunked that part of the course.......She trained herself when she was ready. See her back yard at www.cliffff.com

[kandya]

Immediately upon waking in the morning.

10 minutes after eating/drinking.

Immediately after a heavy play session.

As long as I would take Abby out (on leash) during those times, it worked. (I also taught her keywords, I say hurry hurry... and she immediately knows what to do and that helps when it's freezing outside)

When she was a puppy, if she didn't do her duty during the times I took her out (above), then she went straight into the crate until I took her out again in 1/2 hour or so.. She didn't get freedom until she did her duty and she caught on very quick. I no longer use the crates as she has it figured out now and as an adult, she can hold it forever.

It's very rewarding to have your dog come up to you and paw your knee to let you know it's time for a trip outside. If you're consistent, they will figure it out pretty quick. They are very intelligent dogs.

[casteenberg]

Probably a stupid piece of advice but when I started to potty train dogs, I never took them for a long walk untill they "did" it. I take them out and they either do "it" or not and I go right inside again. If I thing they need to potty - I take them out again about half an hour later.I have a different leash for pottying so they get the idea right away; one leash for pottying and another for fun and walks. Of course I praise them to death when they do it and give him a treat.

It is just what DawnandTuk-Tuk says. It may take a bit longer to teach but it is so much worth the while. When I ask someone to take my dog out for pottying - they all love it when they do not have to take him around the block to

do his business or if I am in a hurry or if it rains very hard it is just wonderfull

Actually, that's not stupid at all Jetti! I'm trying to follow the wisdom that I'm the Alpha so I'm in control of when he goes potty and if I let him out to play for potty time then he's in control. He can explore around the back yard AFTER he goes potty in his designated small area - as well as a treat every single time and lots of praise. If he doesn't go then he comes back in immediately, goes in the crate and I'll take him back out in about 20 minutes. Repeat as necessary. It seems mean but in the long run it's in his best interest to be a trustworthy puppy dog. Also, another important aspect of potty training is keeping him in a fairly contained area of the house until he's trained - we use a baby gate in the family room - and I basically obsessively watch every single move he makes. I literally am sitting on the floor the whole time and if I can't watch him he goes in his crate. I absolustely HATE cleaning up crap off of the floor and I know the more times he has accidents in the house the harder training is. It's good to catch them in the act and tell him "NO" and take him outside to finish his business... then praise lavishly, etc. when he goes. Also, with close supervision you can see his signs of getting ready to go potty. (I don't punish or scold at all after the fact - just clean it up and move on. I read somewhere that's like scolding him for the neighbor dogs accident from 2 weeks ago - they just don't get it). The ultimate goal is to make it so I don't have to worry about what he's doing at all once he's trained. One other key thing is controling his food AND water input. That's huge. What goes in must go out so I dont' let Rusty free eat OR drink. If he wants to please that's most of the battle so lots of praise is going to get you far with training! Good luck - God knows the potty training thing is my #1 priority right now!!! Ultimately it will bring everyone freedom and happiness with poochie.

[casteenberg]

Immediately upon waking in the morning.

10 minutes after eating/drinking.

Immediately after a heavy play session.

As long as I would take Abby out (on leash) during those times, it worked. (I also taught her keywords, I say hurry hurry... and she immediately knows what to do and that helps when it's freezing outside)

When she was a puppy, if she didn't do her duty during the times I took her out (above), then she went straight into the crate until I took her out again in 1/2 hour or so.. She didn't get freedom until she did her duty and she caught on very quick. I no longer use the crates as she has it figured out now and as an adult, she can hold it forever.

It's very rewarding to have your dog come up to you and paw your knee to let you know it's time for a trip outside. If you're consistent, they will figure it out pretty quick. They are very intelligent dogs.

That's awesome Kandya! Very encouraging!! Obviously that's the goal and the payoff for the incredibly hard work and time it takes to really potty train a puppy.

[Idaho Cairns]

Hi, I'm new as well. However, I am potty training my third Cairn puppy and know the problems that go with that process. Fortunately Cairns are very intelligent dogs and catch on rather quickly to potty training. I like crate training to the extent that the dog is in the crate at night and a couple of hours twice a day for naps and when we take her out of the crate she goes immediately outside to potty which is immediate reinforcement of what we want her to do--other than that she is with us and the older dog (which is a real help as quite a bit of modeling can go on). We are using piddle pads with this one with pretty good success. We put the pads near the slider and she uses them when she gets too excited to wait for us to let her out. Lots of praise when she goes out and repeated use of the words "Go Potty!" which has worked for us over the years. Eventually we will merely tell her "go potty" as she exits and that will be that. In the meantime, we watch her carefully for any sign that she needs to go out--after a day or two, it is fairly easy to spot the behaviors that signal she is ready.

As for the nervousness, I would expect that to pass. We have rescued two Cairns (adults) and both had some nervous behaviors for a couple of weeks but adjusted rather quickly to our home and grandkids. One of the very finest characteristics of Cairns, in our experience, is their adaptability to different environments--they are truly a "play 'em as they lay" type dog.

I'm sure you will come to appreciate your choice--I could rave on for hours about all the qualities in this breed but that would be singing to the choir.

Enjoy and be a little patient--he'll come around.

[Jetti]

I suppose it would be very rewarding if my doggie came up to me, paw my knee to let me know he had to go out.

No such luck!!!!He yells and screams and runs around like crazy so my DH and me wonder what on earth has gotten in to him but it just means he has to go potty. Would that be a terrier "thing"?? My first terrier would nip at my arms or

butt when he had to "go" - nothing like any normal dog would do. However, he is absolutely trustworthy as far as

being clean at home (or friends' homes for that matter)