When you get a puppy, one of the first and most important things you want to teach them is to eliminate outside the home. The terms housetraining, housebreaking, toilet training, and potty training for your puppy are used interchangeably to teach your puppy to eliminate outside the house.
I am also guilty of using these terms interchangeably; however, their meanings have subtle differences.
Housetraining or Housebreaking
Housetraining or housebreaking (depending on where you are in the world) your puppy means teaching your puppy not to toilet in the home. To consistently eliminate outside in a designated area or while out and about.
I prefer the word housetraining over housebreaking – this is a personal preference as I find the word housebreaking to be quite negative sounding.
Potty Training or Toilet Training
Again, the words potty and toilet training will really depend on where you live in the world. I have always used the phrase toilet training, but potty training means the same.
Potty/toilet training is slightly different to housetraining in that you teach your puppy a verbal cue to eliminate outside. You teach your puppy to toilet when you give them the cue, essentially eliminating on-cue.
My dog Luna has a verbal cue at night; her cue is ‘pee pee time, ‘ which means she has to go for her last toilet break before sleep. I don’t expect her to go to the toilet instantly; she’s a living being and sometimes has to wander around and sniff before anything happens. I’m fine with that.
Teaching your puppy a verbal cue to toilet is very useful; it comes in handy if you are travelling with your puppy or for the last toilet break of the day.
Housetraining And Toilet Training
Housetraining/housebreaking and toilet/potty training teach your puppy to eliminate outside the home. However, toilet training involves a verbal cue for your puppy to do its business outside.
It’s a subtle difference, so most people use the terms interchangeably. The main goal at the beginning of training is to get your puppy to toilet outside the home. A verbal cue to toilet outside is often added after the puppy eliminates more consistently outside. A cue doesn’t have to be added at all; it’s a personal preference.
How To Tell If A Puppy or Dog Is Housetrained
A housetrained/housebroken dog will let you know that it needs to go outside. It has learned that to eliminate, it needs to be done outside.
My dog will sit facing the door when she needs to go outside. If I haven’t let her out, she will either let out a little whine or come and nudge me to get my attention.
When your dog signals that it needs to go out, you know it is housetrained/housebroken.
How To Tell If A Puppy or Dog Is Toilet Trained
A toilet/potty trained dog will be housetrained too, so it knows to eliminate outside the home. However, if your dog consistently eliminates when you give the verbal cue, you know it’s toilet trained.
An actual toilet/potty trained dog will eliminate on cue in different locations, not just a designated toileting spot.
Top Tips On How To Housetrain Your Puppy
Your puppy is not yet fully developed. This means that the muscles that control bladder and bowel movements are not strong enough to hold for very long. A puppy will need to be taken outside to toilet:
- When it wakes up – this includes naps, and before your morning coffee.
- Between 10-20 minutes after eating and drinking.
- After playing (sometimes during playtime).
- If it gets excited.
Being pre-emptive when taking your puppy outside reduces accidents inside and sets your puppy up for success.
- Choose a designated toilet spot for your puppy. Allow your puppy to investigate the area.
- Have a routine that suits you and your puppy. Be consistent with the routine. Having a routine gives you a better idea of when your puppy must go outside.
- Give lots of praise and a small tasty reward every time your puppy toilets outside.
- If your puppy has an accident inside, don’t make a fuss. Ignore your puppy and quietly clean up the accident. Ensure you use an enzyme cleaner to clean the soiled area thoroughly.
- Be patient and consistent. Your puppy will learn quickly when you are consistent with the routine.
- Learn your puppy’s cues for when it needs to go out and take it out. Sniffing around, circling a spot, getting ready to squat.
Tips on How To Toilet Train Your Puppy
The steps to toilet train your puppy are the same as those to housetrain your puppy. The additional step is giving your puppy a verbal cue, like “potty time” or “go pee pee” when it is toileting, lots of praise and a small tasty reward as soon as it’s done.
Use the verbal cue every time your puppy is toileting so that it associates the action with the cue. Always praise and reward; this teaches the puppy that it’s rewarding to toilet outside.
Introduce the verbal cue in different locations. To succeed, observe your puppy for signs that it is about to eliminate – this sets your puppy up for success and won’t poison the cue. There is no point in using the cue if your puppy doesn’t need to eliminate at that moment. If you do, you will teach the puppy that it doesn’t have to follow the cue if you use it too often when it doesn’t need to toilet.
Always praise and reward your puppy for toileting outside. You want to reinforce that toileting outside is a positive and rewarding behaviour. The more a behaviour is repeated, the quicker it becomes a habit.
Accidents
There is no getting away from puppy accidents; they will happen. However, suppose your puppy is still having accidents indoors after a few months, and you are consistent with your routine. In that case, a vet checkup is necessary to rule out any underlying medical conditions.
Even housetrained dogs can have accidents. Usually, these accidents are down to illness, stress, anxiety, or a significant change in routine. Getting your dog checked out at the vet for any behaviour changes, including having accidents indoors when they have been housetrained, is always a good idea.
Good luck, and you may find these articles helpful:
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