Brilliant idea!! This way, he can have a place to sleep and potty!! Brilliant!! I will give it a try! I need to see if my cage side ways can be opened.

umm peeing and pooing - isn't it part and parcel in owning a pet? so be patient and slowly train your dog - it doesn't happen overnight and if are really stuck you can consider taking casper to a professional dog trainer. having a dog as a pet is a big responsibility, so for those considering getting a dog - pls note that with all the fun there's also the pee and poo but for me it's well worth it cos dogs are such loving creatures and they love you no matter what.

no need sideways. the front is good already. I'll draw up a schematics for ya later.

edit: hafta use pps, malas wanna use my cam to take the actual pic

hey pennywise, you must have realized by now that Westies are notorious for being fussy about their food.  mine does only eats the brand that he likes and nothing else.  he is even fussy about treats.

I think I will apply your method. Caged unless I am around. But where did you find the patience to clean up after him? Especially if you carry him to the newspaper, his pee still splurting out. Then when you wipe, he comes to kaypoh and step all over. Before you can catch him to wash his paws, he ran all over the house, then you have to mop the entire place. It's giving me a heart-attack.

You are awesome.  My HERO~!!!~!! I   am so going to get the play pen tomorrow and make an extension, turning his cage into bungalow! Based on your drawing, I will leave the doors open. Rest or sleep time, in cage but when he comes out of cage to the play pen half, I just scared he run out and step over all his shit.  .

What brand does your Westie take? My breeder gave me Blackwood, then when I bought Pro Plan from a pet store, the store gave me two small packs of Nutri Sauce to try it out. So far, Blackwood finish , Nutri Sauce also second pack liao.  Next is Pro Plan.

mine is Blackwood 3000 even for a 3months pup >.< said to be good for those sensitive skin prob dog (M.Schnauzer)
i got a design from Australia specially for dog poo and pee training, will load the pics n links next time.
hahahaha cuz in CC now DOTA. LOL...so dont have the links with me.

Well knowingly we will be able to enjoy the fruits after all our patience & love, i'm very much motivated. Like it or not we have to go through this stage. 

the door i tied it to the play pen beside it. my dogs can go in and out of the cage. not as you thought that i close it

Pennywise, do you have a yard to take your dog out to elimininate?

I want to offer some suggestions. I am a first time dog owner and have read books and even gone to classes with my dog. Be stern if you issue a 'no' command but do not shout or go crazy like a mad man. Your dog will not understand. She will know you're angry but she does not understand what you want. You have to repeat and show him. Reward his with praises/treats if he does it right. No hitting, slapping her with your hand/slippers or anything.

Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you do not get the wrong impression from the many posts from different people.
RB

redbox is correct - be firm and stern ... dogs can feel when the owner is angry I have no idea on the prof trainers but i think that will be the last option when you really cannot handle the doggy.

alot of people just buy the doggy without choosing properly. i know we all have preference for certain dogs but you must know the character of the bred and it's requirement before you get it. when choosing a pup - you need to spend sometime with it - take note how confident he/she is with the brot/sis, dominant? alert? fight back when bully? shy? etc. dog ownership is long term

most of us here are not pro - just learn from experience and research. i would recommend reading up abit on dog training etc and find out more on your westie. of cos take note of the expert advise we give hehe.

my westie was fed Royal Canin at the breeder's so he is used to it.  we still use Royal Canin and a bit of Caesar for each meal, with a squirt of supplement for his coat/hair.  the only treats he likes are Greenies and the chew bones.  no other treat attracts him.  and for some reason, my dog loves cheese though.... 

You definitely need to train your dog the correct place to pee/poo or she will not know what is wrong and what is the right place. I assume you have a yard that you can take your dog out.

When your dog is still small, bladder control will not be very good in that, your puppy will pee very often. You first need to establish a schedule. Puppy pee often, after playtime, after eating/drinking, etc. Set a schedule like

7am - feed
8am - take your dog out to eliminate
10am - take dog out again to preferably the same spot for eliminating
12pm - feed if you divide into 3 feeding a day.
1pm - take dog out to eliminate
etc.

I am listing the above as an example. It will obviously change as your dog gets older. You also need to learn your dog behavior. Some puppy can wait longer after eating and drinking. Use a schedule that fits you and your dog. Why a schedule? When you establish a schedule, you let your dog have confidence in you that you will be there for her and she will start trusting you. It also helps her know when the right time is.

Aside from the schedule, always remember to NOT hit your dog or 'stick' her face in her pee/poo. She WILL NOT understand why you are doing this. The best thing is to catch her in the act of peeing/pooping. Immediately use a stern loud voice and tell her 'NO!' to distract her. Scoup her up immediately and take her to the correct spot for eliminating. If she eliminate then, praise her! Have some treats ready for her. Let her know she did a good thing. As you do this, your dog will slowly associate her action with your behaviour as well. 'NO!' means eliminating at the wrong spot is bad; 'praises' as she eliminate at the right spot is good.

Learn to read your dog wanting to eliminate signs. Some dogs circle around a spot, some sniff a lot. When you see that, take her out immediately to the correct spot. Keep her leashed and wait for a while with her outside. Give the command 'Go pee' or 'pee pee' or something short. I use 'Go potty'. What you are doing here is you are associating her eliminating action with your command. You will be surprise at how easy this is.

Use a crate to assist in the training. Keep her in the crate when you are not watching her instead of letting her roam around the house. You want to avoid her eliminating in the wrong spot. I hear this a lot - 'DO NOT SET YOUR DOG UP TO FAIL!'. Keeping her crate while you are not watching her will not let her have the opportunity of eliminating in the wrong spot. Dogs by nature will try to keep their sleeping place/home (which is her crate) clean by not soiling it.

Just keep doing the above and your dog will learn in no time. You will be surprise at how quickly your dog will learn to hold it in until she has a chance to go to the right spot. As it grows older, you find that the toilet problem becomes non-existence. Remember, your dog success depends on you. You need to be consistent.

Good luck.
RB

Royal Canin?  Isnt that like the best of the best dog food available in the market? How long did it took you to house break your Westie and what is his / her name?

Don't believe your vet. Your dog seems naughty or stubborn because he does not know how to behave yet. You have to teach him. Hitting should never be a last option or resort. IT SHOULD NEVER BE AN OPTION.

Think... A person who speaks a foreign language comes up to you and start shouting at you. When you don't understand, he gets angry and starts hitting you. Do you think you will understand better what he is saying then? NO. Of course not.

Pennywise, here is what I have posted before on teaching proper eliminating to your dog. Hope you find it useful.

Yes, I well understand what you mean thats why I am trying, harder to learn to have more patience. I am sure patience will benefit me more than just one way.
I can see that your cage door is open so the dog can go in and out. I know, I get your concept but I am still wondering if the dog will step all over the shit / pee.

Royal Canin?  Isnt that like the best of the best dog food available in the market? How long did it took you to house break your Westie and what is his / her name?

Yes, think properly before getting a dog. I am working but do have family members to help in the beginning stage. It did not take long for her to learn. You will still have to spend time on a schedule if you are working. If you don't then you will come here and complain 'my dog pee poo all over help me!'
RB

I am not too sure how big your term "cage" is. I have an almost 3 months silky terrier in which we had created a "play pen" for it (See Below).

[attachmentid=176584]

1) The play pen is made from 4 black borders that you can form a shape to contain the pup. Since can be detached, you can also add more borders to it and form a bigger pen. Each border is sold at RM15 only...
2) The mobile crate is where I feed the guy. Making him feel that's the safe heaven is.
3) The water bottle supplies sufficient water for him throughout the day
4) The blue pillow is where it sleeps at night. It will prefer the bed than the crate - for obvious reasons
5) The cloth is where is will snuggle in if it's too cold - Yes, I've got an air cond in the room
6) The paper you see next to the door is how we paper train it. We used to open the door and allow it access to the toilet but we had sprayed some termites poison and we cardoned it off for it's safety.

For potty train, always remember a few points;

1) The pup will not want to soil it's bed unless REALLY "cannot tahan".
2) If you have a too small place for it's own activities, it may have no choice out of doing it there and sleeping with it !
3) Pups have less control over their bladders as of adult dogs. They may go more often than adult dogs
4) If your dog is accustomed to sleeping with it's own stool since a pup, you may end up having problems to train it on cleanliness
5) What you eat is what you sh*t. If you feed the dog "capalang" stuff, you ought to have stool that is "capalang" (soft and wet) making it harder to clean. So if "MAMEE" is bad for you, then it's neither good for the dog...

If you are particular about cleaning him everytime he does his business, I suggest you to get some packs of baby wipes in the pharmacy and wipe the pup clean (on it's genital areas especially) after he does his business. Before this, I had this case of bringing the pup to the groomer than found out that there are stool residue stuck onto it's hair if it's not clean enough - yucks !

Anyway I had started a blog about training my pup in friendster called "Silky Terror". You're also most welcome to join.

http://www.friendster.com/group/tabmain.php?gid=160253