A couple of weeks ago I introduced you to my new pup Finley, a Sheltie now 8 and half months old. He is a fun joyful little chap who likes to wake me early!

One area that I have really struggled with DESPITE all the knowledge I have accrued over the years is toilet training. Most of my dogs have been fairly easy to toilet train and have grasped the concept of going outdoors quite quickly. Not so Finley! So, this article is for all of the puppy owners who feel like they might be failing their pup and not making any progress with toilet training.

Each puppy is unique in their development and progress and toilet training is no exception. It’s always crucial to remember this as I was so powerfully reminded with Finley. He struggled to hold his wee and poo and seemed very upset when he needed to go, almost like it was a terrible episode for him. He got very upset and it was stressful to see him so upset. I was vigilant with taking him out sometimes every 20 minutes, however, he found it difficult.

As we know it takes a while for a puppy’s bladder and bowel to develop to hold urine and faeces so in Finley’s case he needed a lot longer for this development. When he was 5 months old, I thought that I was the worse pup mum as I didn’t seem to be able to help him make progress. I was upset and Finley was upset as he was picking up on my frustration.

The gamechanger was when I reached out to a colleague to discuss what was happening, I also joined a professional group to get some support with helping Finley. I realised that Finley was quite worried about going to the toilet, he needed to feel safe and not be watched while going.

So, I created a little area outside that was cordoned off that had grass and gravel which he seemed to favour going on and where he wouldn’t be disturbed. I kept up the vigilant routine of taking him out extremely regularly and in a couple of days the accidents in the house had gone down significantly. We started to make progress and Finley felt safe and started to make a good habit of going outside.

I also restricted where he could access in the day with either me being present or him being in a puppy pen. Fast forward to 8 months and he is 95% there on the toilet training front. I am still vigilant and help him to feel safe and he also feels confident enough now to toilet out on walks now. My prediction is that he will be 100% by the time he is a year old.

I knew in my gut that he would get there but I doubted myself, hence asking for help, which was definitely the right thing to do. So, if you are struggling, please don’t be afraid to reach out for help.

My next challenge will be putting up the tree with decorations, I will definitely need a puppy pen around it this year to stop the young man stealing baubles! Happy Christmas to you all and your lovely companions, see you in 2026!