Housetraining, or toilet training, as it’s also called, is one of the first and most important tasks you undertake when you bring a dog or puppy home. Potty training your puppy can seem daunting and frustrating, especially if your puppy isn’t learning quickly. This article will highlight 5 secrets to avoid puppy accidents and keep your home clean.
1. Choose A Designated Potty Area For Your Puppy
One of the first things to do when bringing home your puppy is to take them out to the designated toilet spot – the area you have decided is okay for your dog to use. Let them explore the area, and when they toilet in it, praise and reward them (a small treat).
Puppies don’t come pre-programmed, knowing what we expect from them. As far as the puppy is concerned, it needs to urinate, so it does. Your puppy does not know it’s not supposed to pee all over your new rug or bed.
It’s up to us to guide and teach them the skills they need to coexist in our world harmoniously.
2. Give Lots of Praise and Rewards
For your dog to know it’s doing the right thing, you must praise it. Praise and rewards can go a long way when training a puppy or dog in any behaviour. It also encourages the puppy to learn quickly as the experience/behaviour is rewarding. The reward should be a small, tasty treat that your puppy really enjoys.
Praising and rewarding your puppy for toileting outside will let it know it’s doing the right thing. Making the outside toileting a positive experience by giving a reward will encourage your puppy to repeat toileting outside. Making the reward small and tasty encourages the puppy to repeat the behaviour for another taste of the treat.
3. Never Scold, Shout Or Hit Your Puppy
Puppies will have accidents; they can’t help it. Physically, their bowels, bladders, and muscles are not mature enough to control the elimination of urine and faeces. Being upset about accidents will harm your puppy’s emotional state and damage your relationship.
Instead of getting upset, quietly clean up the mess and ensure you use an enzyme cleaner to clean away the scent. The less attention you give to the puppy, the better; that way, you don’t inadvertently reinforce toileting inside the home. Negative attention is still attention. Dogs and puppies often go in the same spot if they smell previous toileting.
If your puppy is anxious around you, it may actually make the accidents more frequent, known as appeasement (submission) urination. This is when your puppy urinates to let you know it’s not a threat to you. It’s a dog’s way of being very polite.
Something else to consider is if your puppy is anxious or scared about eliminating in your presence, it may hide to toilet. It will Make it difficult for you to find and clean it up, causing your home to smell.
4. Create A Routine
Keep mealtimes, nap times, play times and outside breaks regular, allowing the puppy to feel secure. It also lets you know when your puppy must go outside for a toilet break. Puppies usually need to go outside 10-20 minutes after eating and drinking.
Puppies need to go outside after sleeping, as soon as you wake up and before your first coffee. They also need to go outside after any naps.
After playing, and sometimes during playing, puppies will have to go to the toilet, and any excitement can mean a trip out to the potty spot.
Puppies thrive on routine. It makes them more secure when they know what’s coming, reducing anxiety.
Creating a routine that works for you and your puppy is essential. If you can’t take your puppy out, arranging for someone to take it out is a good idea.
5. Have Realistic Expectations
It will take time for your puppy to learn not to toilet inside. Like us, puppies all learn at different paces. Some catch on quickly, and some need more time and patience. The puppy’s age will also determine how quickly it can master toilet training. It can take some puppies a couple of months to be clean indoors.
As previously mentioned, young puppies have not physically matured enough to have control over their bladder or bowels, and accidents are to be expected. Depending on their age, they can only hold on to their toileting for a few hours. You will take your puppy outside for potty breaks throughout the day and night when they are young.
As you get to know your puppy, you will pick up on the signs of when they want to go outside to potty. Sniffing around, circling a spot, and starting to squat are all signs that your puppy wants to potty.
If you are consistent with your routine, praising and rewarding your puppy, but it is still having accidents after a few months of training, take it to get checked by a vet. It may be an undiagnosed medical condition that causes the accidents.
Good luck. Potty training can be hard work, but patience, consistency, praise and rewards, and a good supply of cleaning products will get you there.
You may find these articles helpful:
Take A Crate Break: Help For The Dirty Dog
How To Potty Bell Train Your Puppy
Dog Submissive (Appeasement) Urination: Urinates When Anxious Or Nervous
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