7 Quick tips for toilet training a Puppy or Dog

7 Quick tips for toilet training a puppy or dog

1. Manage and supervise to avoid mistakes

Try your best to limit the opportunities your dog has to toilet in undesirable locations every time. Your dog goes in a certain place. It increases the chances that they will go there again next time you can help to prevent accidents in a number of ways including active supervision crate training limiting access to preferred surfaces and locations providing an indoor toilet when your dog is unsupervised

2. Reward your dog for toileting in the right place

set up a schedule appropriate for your dog's age and toileting habits and take your dog to the place you would like them to toilet remember to add in extra toilet breaks immediately after eating drinking playing or waking from a nap once your dog has finished toileting shower them with praise and give them a reward be sure to wait until your dog has finished toileting to start your praise otherwise you may distract them before they are finished.

3. avoid punishing

your dog for toileting mistakes while toilet training can be frustrating especially if it isn't going well punishing a dog for toileting inside the house will more than likely make the situation worse remember that dogs learn by associations a dog is far more likely to make the association that toileting in front of humans equals punishment rather than toileting in the house equals punishment this association is strengthened when the dog inevitably toilets in the house when an owner isn't watching and therefore no punishment occurs puppies and dogs with this history of punishment for toileting become stealth toilet is this means that they will avoid going in front of humans and wait till they get a moment alone to duck away and toilet.

4. Be aware of surface

preference young puppies develop a preference for a certain surface to toilet on each time a dog toilets on a type of surface they are more likely to search for it again next time this is why puppy pee pads can create issues with long-term toilet training they teach puppies to look for soft cloth like surfaces such as rugs carpet bedding and clothing the best way to help your dog develop the correct surface preference is to take them to the real thing as my as you can when that isn't possible try to use something that mimics the texture of your goal surface like fake grass over the top of puppy pee pads the older your dog is the more ingrained their surface preference will be you will have to be patient and persistent to change it to a more appropriate choice.

5. Clean up soiled areas orally

Be sure to use an enzymatic cleaner your dog's nose is far more sensitive than yours and vinegar or bleach will not be sufficient.

6. Don't stop toilet training too

soon a lot of dog owners tend to stop focusing on toilet training because they mistakenly think the process has been completed prematurely it can take weeks months or even longer to fully toilet train a dog depending on their natural tendencies and how long they went before you started the process

7. If you're still having problems

Get a vet check there are a multitude of medical problems that could cause issues with toileting if your dog seems to be having more trouble than as usual it will be worth getting them checked out with your veterinarian this point is especially important if your previously toilet trained dog starts to relapse if you would like further help with toilet training

I recommend contacting your local professional dog trainer for dogs with long-term toileting issues a good trainer will be crucial in helping to determine if there is a deeper behavioural issue underlying the toileting problem, I hope you have found this article is useful for starting the toilet training process. please feel free to share the article.