Toilet training your puppy
Puppies don’t know about toilet training - we have to show them what we want.
How to toilet train your puppy
The good news is that if you go all in on toilet training you can, in most cases, achieve really good results in 3 weeks.
Remember that very young puppies may not have the neurological ability to control their bladder and bowel until about 12 weeks.
I’m not suggesting that we leave toilet training until then, it just might help understand why some puppies take a little longer to get the idea.
It’s also worth knowing, that in some cases, smaller dogs can take longer to be fully house trained.
What do I have to do to toilet train my puppy?
Probably the single most important factor in achieving a pup who is toilet trained in a short space of time, is for the owner to be really vigilant.
The goal is that our puppy will alert us to when they need to go to the toilet, but to start with, we need to be very observant and offer the pup the opportunity to toilet frequently.
A toilet break is needed after any change of activity, for example, after eating or drinking, after play, and when the pup wakes up from sleeping.
Aside from these times, you might notice little signs that they need to toilet, such as sniffing, spinning and agitation.
When puppy needs to toilet
It is my preference to take my puppy outside in the garden to toilet; I choose a specific area where they can sniff and toilet comfortably.
This is a calm interaction, we don’t want to make it exciting because this will distract the pup from what they need to do.
Likewise, if your pup is running around and playing, it might be good idea to put them on a lead, so they are less distracted.
I add in a verbal cue, I say ‘quickly, quickly’, adding a cue can be really useful later on.
Once they toilet, I reward calmly with a small treat and verbal praise. I wait a few moments before taking pup back inside.
Some clever pups will realise that if you take them straight back inside after toileting, their exploration ends and this may lead them to delay toileting!
Consider where your puppy is when they need to toilet
It’s important to consider where your pup is in the house, as this relates to their activity and the amount of supervision they need and will ultimately effect their success.
If your pup spends time in a crate, they will not need much supervision - they are unlikely to toilet in the crate -you will just need to take pup out after eating or drinking and when they wake from sleeping.
If they are in a puppy pen, they will need more supervision as they have more room to move around and therefore more choice in what they do - they are more likely to toilet in a pen than in a crate.
If the pup has free range in a room or larger part of the house, they will need close supervision as they have more choice about where to go and what to do.
Puppy toilet accidents will happen
There will be accidents, the best thing to do is to soak up the puddle with disposable towels and clean the area with an enzyme cleaner to remove all traces, otherwise the pup is likely to return to the area and soil there again.
There is no benefit to getting upset about accidents, the pup did not do it to upset you, they are not being naughty, they are learning, and with your guidance they will soon be fully toilet trained.