My friend Jane has an 18-week-old, paper-trained puppy that won't do its business outside.

[IntravenousDemilo]

She takes him out for walkies and a dump-and-piddle, but he won't do it until they get back home, at which point he immediately goes for the paper.

One vet had told her that she shouldn't take the dog out until he's had his rabies shots, and a second vet told her later that she should have been taking the puppy outside from the very beginning, because now it's ingrained in the doggie brain that inside is where to go to the bathroom.

Which vet was right? And what advice should I give Jane? Is it too late to fix the problem?

(No, unfortunately I don't have pictures of the puppy, but I understand he's adorable.)

[astonamous]

1. Start moving the paper towards the door...

Eventually she might be able to move it outside?

I haven't had a puppy in a long time, but I have never heard of not taking one outside for bathroom breaks. I can see not letting a bunch of people handle the puppy to prevent parvo and distemper, but not rabies.

Anyway, good luck with the little one.

[CC]

3. Tell her to do like astonamous said and move

the paper closer to the door until she has it out of the door. She could even try taking some paper out with her for the puppy to use outside temporally so he can connect outside with going. Sounds like the puppy has learned fast that he is suppose to go on the paper. She could also try making sure there is no paper down when they go outside, stay as long as it takes then back inside. Tell her the puppy needs a great reward {small treat) when he does go outside and lots of praise. It is just a matter of breaking him of the early training and teaching him that outside is good. If she is using her own yard she can also train the puppy to use only one area of the yard as a potty area. It makes clean up a lot easier and keeps the rest of the yard cleaner for both pet and people.

Not sure why the one vet said to not take him out until he had rabies shots. Maybe the vet meant not to leave him out unattended until after rabies shots. Most puppies have already started getting vaccines before they leave their mother.

[Kota]

2. My puppy is 11 months

and is just now going out all the time. I was taking her to work with me until she was 4 months or so. Then she started having accidents at home so I put the pads down. I was starting to think she would always use them but she is finally out growing them I guess. Best place to by them is at Target, cheapest I could find.I have a Shih Tzu, my first little dog. I glad she was using the potty pads.

[Lyric]

4. Both Vets are right, in a way.

She shouldn't be walking the puppy in public until it's had rabies vaccinations, but if she has a yard (even a small one) she can take the puppy outside and walk around there until he does his business, then clean it up.

As for the problem with paper-training, tell her this: dogs are more likely to eliminate in a place where they smell their own feces and/or urine. Take a dirty paper outside into the yard and dump the "waste" on the spot where she wants the puppy to go. Feed the puppy, then play for 10 minutes while things "get moving" in his belly. Take him outside and let him find the place where his waste was placed. He should sniff it, and (hopefully) go potty there again. She'll have to be very careful to leave a little bit of the waste solids there for him to find later on, and to keep taking him to that spot until he "gets it" that he's always supposed to go outside--then she can start encouraging him to use other spots outside.

When I was housetraining my 10-week-old Golden Retriever puppy, this is exactly what I did. If he had an accident in the house that involved solid waste, I didn't just clean it up and throw it away--I picked it up with some paper towels, and took him with me outside, so he could watch me put it in the grass where it belonged. He got the hint within 3 days, and has never had an accident in the house since. Yeah, it's kinda messy and gross, but only temporarily so, and it's a lot less messy and gross than perpetually cleaning up stinking wet newspapers or accidents on the floor.

Tell her good luck for me. :)

[malta blue]

7. That is a great idea...

I am having housetraining problems with my dog and am constanly picking up solid waste, she will urinate outside no problem.

Thanks!

[China_cat]

5. All the rest have given good advice

but if all else fails, there is a litter box system for dogs.

http://www.doggysolutions.com/

[Critters2]

6. My cousin is disabled and not always able to take his dog out.

His dog uses this: http://doglitter.com/GetPage.aspx?D=12296094&T=4162704