asholiver Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Hi, I am picking up my 8 week old English Staffy puppy in 2 weeks. I am organizing to have a couple of days off work to hopefully train him some basics and get him to feel comfortable in the house. Because He (Vinnie) will eventually be an outside dog, i would like to get him used to going to the toilet outside. After reading numerous websites offering advice, i was thinking of doing the following: - Buy a crate, and teach him to like the crate. I was going to leave the crate in the laundry, because this has a doggy door which has access to the backyard where we would like him to go to the toilet. - The laundry will be where he spends most of his time, i will make sure he has a couple of toys and water. - I will be spending the first 4 days with him, then i will be at work during the day. I was going to feed him in the morning. i will then go to work, so i will leave a kong toy with some snacks to keep him entertained during the day. when i return at 5pm i will feed him again. i will spend most of the evening with him to let him know he is wanted. - i was going to wake up every 2 - 3 hours during the night to take him to the toilet outside. i am hoping that he will get used to the doggy door over the first couple of days. obviously i will use the treat method when he goes to the toilet outside. - in regards to food, i will ask the breeder when i pick Vinnie up in a fortnight. Do you think this is ok, please let me knoe if anybody thinks i should be doing something different. I am really looking forward to picking Vinnie up. I will be spending most evenings and weekends with him, so he will know he is a part of the family. any advice will be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paganman Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 i am hoping that he will get used to the doggy door over the first couple of days. It takes weeks to toilet train a pup usually can be even longer to teach to use a doggy door. Theres no way hell be using the doggy door in a couple of days at 8 weeks he doesnt even have much control of his bladder at that age. Are you going to have him inside at all otherwise it doesnt sound like youll be spending much time with the pup. BTW hes a Staffordshire Bull Terrier not an english staffy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 He won't be reliable about using the dog door at 8 weeks, so don't expect the fact that it's there to help his house training at all. He doesn't need to be let out every 2 or 3 hours overnight - at 8 weeks if he is warm tired and well fed he will probably sleep without any accidents for about 6 hours straight. Staffordshire Bull Terriers (not "english"!) are a very poor choice for an outside dog. If he's not given the chance to be part of the family he will be extremely miserable, will destroy your yard and quite likely eat half the outside of the house. Have a re-think about that please. Yes, he can be outside when you're at work but I wouldn't be leaving him loose in the yard then either, invest in a large dog run or work out how you can fence off part of the property which does NOT adjoin the boundary fence. Staffords are very popular with dog thieves and extremely easy to steal as they will go with anyone, so need to be kept well out of harm's way when you can't be home. I would suggest you contact the breeder and ask for their diet sheet before you pick up your boy so you can have the supplies on hand. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asholiver Posted June 5, 2009 Author Share Posted June 5, 2009 Thanks for your responses! I am sorry about calling him an 'english staffy'. i have just seen in the trading post breeders calling them english and american staffys. I have obviously overestimated the learning time to use the doggy door. hopefully he will be able to use it when he is older. thanks for the heads up. When i mentioned 'outside' dog. i meant a dog that will be able to move from the laundry to the backyard when he pleases (via the doggy door, when he is older). but when someone is home, he will be inside and spending time with the famil, while watching TV...etc. the only time he will be in the laundry/outside is when no body is home. The thing i am worried about is going to the toilet when i am at work during the weekdays, while he is a puppy. obviously i will be able to take him outside during the evenings and on weekends. should i put some newspaper down in the laundry(on the opposite corner of the crate)? Hopefully when he is older and can use the doggy door, he will let himself out when he wants to go to the toilet. does that make sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinnieStaff Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Hi there, Welcome to the wonderful world of Staffy owner...they are so much fun...Pics when you pick him up...My Stafft is also called Vinnie.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I am sorry about calling him an 'english staffy'. i have just seen in the trading post breeders calling them english and american staffys. I hope you're not buying him off someone who refers to their dogs as "english staffys" in the trading post - virtually certain sign they are a BYB. If in doubt ask them about the DNA tests the parents have had - if they don't know what you are talking about run like the wind............... When i mentioned 'outside' dog. i meant a dog that will be able to move from the laundry to the backyard when he pleases (via the doggy door, when he is older). but when someone is home, he will be inside and spending time with the famil, while watching TV...etc. the only time he will be in the laundry/outside is when no body is home. That sounds better! But I still urge you to reconsider leaving him loose in the back yard when you're not home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paganman Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 If your gonna be leaving him in the yard all day on his own make sure its puppy proof and theres nothing dangerous he could injure himself with.Pups will chew anything.Also make sure no one can see in your yard from the street.You might have to keep the doggy door open for a while till he learns to go outside to the toilet then teach him how to open the door its sort of two different things to learn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdude Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Hi Ash Just dont leave anything that you do not want chewed in the backyard, and leave him plenty of things that he is allowed to chew. They chew like crazy up until they are about 18months old. Also, try not to give him access to the washing line. Once he developes a liking to washing, its very hard to get them out of ripping it off the line. You can relax after he matures a bit. Have a look at the Triangle of Temptation thread pinned up the top of the training forum, and start him on the program right away. That will build a great bond and understanding between you and your dog. Oh....and........Staffordshire Bull Terrier (what you have) American Staffordshire Terrier (Amstaff ) And unfortunately many ethical breeders can't resist using the word "English", to distinguish the two, but thats not what they're called. Upsets the purests! :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GotAnyBlacker Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 (edited) When my girls were little I left them in the laundry when I went out and put paper down for them to go to the toilet on. They always used the paper except if they had an accident and couldnt get to it fast enough. Much easier to clean up with paper down and they don't like to soil their own sleeping area. Make sure they have somewhere snuggle to when outside like a kennel with bedding and shelter from the wind etc where the pup can hide and have a nap. Please post some photo's for us when you get Vinnie. What colour is he? I will be getting a red & white pied boy for my next stafford and calling him Merlin Where are you getting him from? Edited June 5, 2009 by GotAnyBlacker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asholiver Posted June 5, 2009 Author Share Posted June 5, 2009 He is a red staffy. I got him from a breeder in Victoria. Does anyone use a crate? from from I see, they are popular in the US. i was going to buy one and put it in the laundry. also have plenty of chew toys and a bowl of water in the laundry as well. I want him to feel safe, even when he is inside the laundry. Is it ok to feed him before i go to work, leave a Kong toy with him while i am at work, and feed him again when i get home? I had a read of the Triangle of Temptation, bit confusing at first. But will keep reading it to try and make sense of it! thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetty Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Hi Ash, I have a 16 week old puppy. When I first brought him home at 8 weeks I had him in the laundry while i was at work and i was using a crate to start off with and instead of news paper i was using Puppy Pads from the pet shop but i beleive newpaper works just as well. I woke up during the night whenever he started to whinge which would usually be when he needed to do his business. The crate i found not as great as people make it out to be, but that was my experience. He ended up just sleeping on anything soft eg a blanket. Also, try not to give him access to the washing line. Once he developes a liking to washing, its very hard to get them out of ripping it off the line. You can relax after he matures a bit. I have had experience with this definately he has been a little bugger and pulled a few pieces of clothing off the line and ruined a few things, so it is a good idea to make sure the washing is dangling low enough for him to grab. Also i have had the experience of my puppy chewing so far 3 power cords off things so definately puppy proof the backyard! I hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APBT Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 with toilet training, take him out evey 2 hours or so, the less accidents in teh house the better and quicker tiolet training will be, i dont create, but i restricted my pup to just one room of the house, and when no one was home she was on the veranda and she could not get out, but once you get the pup you will get into the swing of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R00 Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 The four things I follow are 1/ Triangle of temptation 2/ Steve from K9 Force - Socialisation strategy 3/ Crate Training 4/ Dog is outside when I am at work and inside when we are home. No dog door, they learn to stand at the door when they want to go out. My reasoning for this is I control whether the dog is in or out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
all that glitters Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 My puppy has a dog door also, but she caught on very fast as the flap is clear and she is very food motivated - so all I had to do was stand and call her on the other side with food, and she would come bolting through! It may take a while though depending on the dog. It will also take a while before your pup takes himself out to go to the toilet, I think moreso because at 8wks they can't hold that well, and if he wakes up after a long nap he will be BUSTING, and will just go on the floor if he's busting that bad, instead of seeing the dog door, thinking "oh I should go out there" and taking himself out there. This improves heaps with ages though, my girl is 3.5months now and definately holds for longer now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Set In Stone Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Hi, putting a crate down for your puppy is a good idea i have used one for my little puppy and she knows this is her bed and feels safe and secure in it. she won't sleep without using the Crate unless on the bed of course but it is good idea when leaving him out the back yard there is no way he can escape or get into anything dangerous or poisoness etc but also be cautiousness as the Staffy is one dog that is more likely to be pinched if attended etc But my Puppy started using the doggy door from when she was 7 weeks old and had a few accidents but hasn't looked back and i simply put her through the door and pushed her back through and she got the hang of it and knew this is what she uses to go 2 the toilet of course i use to follow her after she used the Doggy Door but i always let her go through it first So she started at 7 weeks and had about 3 accidents in total which made me very proud she learned real quick at a very young age but each puppy is different good luck! Hope this Helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvsdogs Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Hi & welcome. You can find out heaps of info on puppies/dogs on www.dogstardaily.com You can download the books Before You Get Your Puppy & exerts from Aftr You Get Yr Puppy by Dr Ian Dunbar. There's articles fron Ian & other behaviourists, videos & radio programms on i-woofs. I would take the door off the doggy door if you can until Vinnie knows what it's for then put up a piece of thick clear plastic for him to go through. When he's happy with that you can put the door back. To get him to go through at 1st lure him with a food treat at each stage. When toilet training I always take puppy out to where I want them to go, use a phrase such as hurry up, & treat & praise when he's done. Take him out after eating/drinking, after play, after waking up & every hour in between. If he has an accident you haven't watched him closely enough. Clean it up with an enzyme cleaner & don't let him see yr upset with him. Until he's reliable don't let him out of yr site & only let him have access to rooms that have easily cleaned floors. When outside put up all garden implements, hose, shoes, boots, plants. It's amazing what they find to chew up. Tilba would chew up twigs, pegs, hose, sneakers, cardboard which is ok if you want him to have fun tearing up. Look up the plants that are dangerous to dos such as azaleas, lilies, grapes. A lot of breedersgive a bag of the food the puppy is on. If you don't want to feed that, you can change him over slowly to prevent tummy upsets while you still have what he's used to. Good luck & don't forget piccies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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