Hi all,
Chester is coming on well, 13 weeks old now. But we are still battling with toilet training. We are getting pretty good at knowing when he needs the toilet, but getting him to go outside is proving much harder, particularly for number 2s. We're trying to ensure its a pleasurable experience when he goes outside with some treats and some fuss (sometimes we run around a bit but this normally ends up with him jumping up and nipping at clothes).
Yesterday, he managed when jumping up to get a bite at a mince pie. A panicked call to the vets and an injection later his stomach was empty (as was the bank account). He did get a couple of raisins, so was worth doing, but the vet also found a couple of chunks of a slate like stone in his stomach - the largest being about an inch across and with fairly sharp edges. There is a patch of this in the garden, that he seems to gravitate to and quite enjoy, and its proving very difficult to stop him from picking them up and crunching them. We have spotted small chunks in his poo previously.
Our garden has lots of stone borders which are impractical to remove, mostly of cotswold stone. Within that there are plenty of smaller stones, and the above referenced area of slate (which looks more like rubble, perhaps from when a fence was installed previously. So to combat the eating stones we've put him on the lead when in the garden. But this seems to make it doubly difficult to get him to go to the toilet - i lost 45 minutes of the working day earlier taking him in and out (during which he squatted inside 3 times!). Im also then conscious that when he does finally go I cant let him off the lead for 'play' as he'll be heading fairly quickly to the slate. So my approach is to bring him in and play a bit inside.
Can anyone suggest some strategies that may work? I've heard about white vinegar on the stony areas, but this may not be feasible as there are a variety of ornamental grasses and bushes here (i think white vinegar is a weedkiller). I have a bottle of Grannicks Bitter Lemon, which i've considered covering some of the stones with to put him off them. Either way, how long will those last? Alternatively, there is the 'leave it' option but this isnt getting through yet. Im conscious that by the time it does we'll be another 3 weeks down the line and toilet training will not be much better.
Grateful for any tips or links to effective training tips that might help.
By the way, he is very happy with his crate at night and goes in freely during the day, but is having a habit of soiling it. Overnight its because we havent been able to get him to go before bedtime, but in daytime he tends to go in to wee then come out again. This means ive resorted to keeping the door closed to the crate, but im conscious then that he cant go in for a snooze during the day. It also means popping him in the crate to stop him toileting inside is tricky.
Chester is coming on well, 13 weeks old now. But we are still battling with toilet training. We are getting pretty good at knowing when he needs the toilet, but getting him to go outside is proving much harder, particularly for number 2s. We're trying to ensure its a pleasurable experience when he goes outside with some treats and some fuss (sometimes we run around a bit but this normally ends up with him jumping up and nipping at clothes).
Yesterday, he managed when jumping up to get a bite at a mince pie. A panicked call to the vets and an injection later his stomach was empty (as was the bank account). He did get a couple of raisins, so was worth doing, but the vet also found a couple of chunks of a slate like stone in his stomach - the largest being about an inch across and with fairly sharp edges. There is a patch of this in the garden, that he seems to gravitate to and quite enjoy, and its proving very difficult to stop him from picking them up and crunching them. We have spotted small chunks in his poo previously.
Our garden has lots of stone borders which are impractical to remove, mostly of cotswold stone. Within that there are plenty of smaller stones, and the above referenced area of slate (which looks more like rubble, perhaps from when a fence was installed previously. So to combat the eating stones we've put him on the lead when in the garden. But this seems to make it doubly difficult to get him to go to the toilet - i lost 45 minutes of the working day earlier taking him in and out (during which he squatted inside 3 times!). Im also then conscious that when he does finally go I cant let him off the lead for 'play' as he'll be heading fairly quickly to the slate. So my approach is to bring him in and play a bit inside.
Can anyone suggest some strategies that may work? I've heard about white vinegar on the stony areas, but this may not be feasible as there are a variety of ornamental grasses and bushes here (i think white vinegar is a weedkiller). I have a bottle of Grannicks Bitter Lemon, which i've considered covering some of the stones with to put him off them. Either way, how long will those last? Alternatively, there is the 'leave it' option but this isnt getting through yet. Im conscious that by the time it does we'll be another 3 weeks down the line and toilet training will not be much better.
Grateful for any tips or links to effective training tips that might help.
By the way, he is very happy with his crate at night and goes in freely during the day, but is having a habit of soiling it. Overnight its because we havent been able to get him to go before bedtime, but in daytime he tends to go in to wee then come out again. This means ive resorted to keeping the door closed to the crate, but im conscious then that he cant go in for a snooze during the day. It also means popping him in the crate to stop him toileting inside is tricky.
