Puppies bring joy to any household. However, one of the challenges of caring for a puppy is toilet training them. If you don’t start early, your puppy will form bad habits of soiling anywhere in your home.
If you’re planning on welcoming one into your home, you must learn how to toilet train a puppy. Here are some tips and expert advice to be successful in your training sessions.
When Do You Start Training a Puppy?
If you have just adopted a puppy, you must get to toilet training immediately. For puppies born to your dog, you can start training them between 8 to 12 weeks old. During this time, they’ll need to go potty frequently. More accidents may happen as well, and that’s natural.
After 12 weeks, puppies should have more control of their bladders and bowel movements. If your puppy seems to have difficulty peeing and pooping at the correct spot, then there might be an issue. You may want to consider scheduling a puppy health check-up with your vet.
Step-by-Step Guide to House Train Your Puppy
If you’re wondering how to toilet train your puppy effectively, here are eight steps you can follow.
Step 1: Establish a Routine
Consistency is vital when potty training any pet. For puppies, you can follow this routine of when you must take your puppy outside at regular intervals.
- When they wake up
- After meals
- After playtime or exciting events
- Before and after being left alone
- Before bedtime
When the intervals of the occurrences listed are too far apart, you can take your puppy for potty breaks every 45 minutes to an hour in between them.
Step 2: Recognize the Signs
When you observe your puppy carefully, you’ll notice some signals that they’re about to pee or poop. Knowing these signs will prevent accidents in your home. Some common signs that your puppy needs to go include:
- Sniffing the floor
- Circling then squatting
- Fidgeting or restlessness
- Whining or vocalizing
Some puppies, even large dogs, may have different quirks before they potty. You just need to be observant and remember what actions your puppy does so you can take them outdoors before they soil your home.
Step 3: Designate a Toilet Area
Introduce a dedicated spot where your puppy should urinate or defecate. Taking them to this same spot will reinforce their training.
If you’re planning to potty train your puppy inside your home, you can buy puppy pads or use old newspapers. However, this isn’t advised if you want them to go potty outdoors as they become adults because you’ll need to train them again.
Step 4: Introduce a Cue Word
Cue words are essential to any type of dog training, including housebreaking puppies. You need to enforce a word that will remind them of toilet breaks.
Some of the common cue words you can use include “toilet” or “go potty.” You must say this while they are peeing or pooping to associate the phrase with that action. With consistency, they’ll eventually learn to go potty when you say the word.
Step 5: Reward Good Behavior
Positive reinforcement is one of the best strategies for house training a puppy. You can apply this by rewarding your pup with praise, playtime, or treat when they go potty at the correct spot. Doing this will associate correctly going to the toilet with positivity.
Step 6: Avoid Punishment
Scolding or punishing a puppy for potty accidents in your home is never effective when training them. They may not understand why you’re getting angry at them. They may become confused and anxious, leading to more accidents.
Step 7: Supervise and Confine When Necessary
Until they can go potty independently, it’s best to closely supervise your puppy to prevent accidents. It’s understandable that you may not be able to monitor them 24/7. In this case, you should use a crate or confine them in a space where they won’t be tempted to go potty.
Step 8: Be Patient and Consistent
Puppies have unique personalities and learning styles. Some can be potty trained quickly, while others may take some time. Other puppies can also be quite stubborn. No matter the case, it’s important that you stay patient and consistent during toilet training.
Additional Toilet Training Tips
When the standard steps of toilet training don’t work completely with your puppy, you can be creative to get positive results.
- Make Potty Breaks Fun – Some puppies might easily get bored when you train them. To solve this issue, you can let them explore their surroundings or play with them for a while before you head back inside your home.
- Monitor Water Intake – Keeping your puppies hydrated is important for their health. However, you may want to limit their water before bedtime to prevent accidents at night.
- Stick to a Feeding Schedule – Consistent meal times help you regulate your puppy’s digestion. You’ll be able to predict when they need to go potty.
- Gradually Extend Time Between Breaks – As your puppy grows, you can slowly increase the time between toilet breaks outside to help them control their bladder better.
- Handle Nighttime Training Carefully – Puppies may need bathroom breaks at night. During the first few weeks, you may need to set an alarm to continue training them. Make nighttime potty breaks calm so they can still continue sleeping afterward.
How to Handle Potty Accidents
If your puppy makes an accident in an area in your home, you must disinfect this spot immediately to remove the smell your puppy can recognize.
Use a mixture of warm water and biological laundry detergent with a ratio of 1 part powder to 9 parts water. Biological laundry detergent contains enzymes that break down urine, which makes it effective in removing stains and strong odors.
After potty training, accidents shouldn’t be that frequent. If they still persist, you should consult your vet for guidance. They may need to check for underlying conditions or suggest behavioral therapy to help you train your puppy more effectively.
When to Seek Veterinary Help
Sometimes, the reason for unsuccessful toilet training is a medical condition, like urinary tract infections or digestive problems. In this case, you must schedule a vet visit for professional diagnostics and treatments.
Also, if your puppy is not yet neutered, you can discuss this with your vet. Dog neutering may help reduce urinary incontinence by decreasing behaviors that are driven by hormones and improving bladder control.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to toilet train a puppy can be rewarding as you’ll help your pet be independent during potty breaks as they grow older. By being patient and following proven training steps, you’ll successfully potty train your puppy.
If you experience difficulties during the training phase, you can always consult your veterinarian for expert advice. If you don’t have time to do this, you may seek professional dog training services as well.
FAQs
1. How long does it take to house train a dog?
House training will depend on your dog’s individual traits and your consistency. It may take a few weeks to several months.
2. What do I do if my puppy won’t go outside?
If your puppy refuses to go outside to potty, you can attempt to take them out more frequently, use their favorite treats as rewards, or walk them around a bit.
3. What should I do if my puppy pees inside right after going outside?
If your puppy pees inside your home right after going outside, it could mean they’re too excited or distracted. Try staying outdoors longer to get them used to the environment. Once your puppy goes potty, reward them immediately.
4. What do I do if my dog makes messes when left alone?
Peeing or pooping when they’re alone could be a sign of separation anxiety. This is an issue that you should address through training or with the help of your veterinarian.
