If you’ve brought a new puppy into the home, you’ll no doubt want to start toilet training right away. Although puppies don’t have full bladder capacity until they are around 12 months old, toilet training is an important part of responsible dog ownership, teaching them vital life skills, and can be done while they’re still young.
Unsure where to start when it comes to toilet training? You’ve come to the right place. Our guide is full of everything you need to know to make toilet training a puppy that little bit easier
The toilet training process may take a few months before a puppy is fully house-trained with no accidents. Naturally dogs want to toilet away from their living area where their bed, food and water bowls are so toilet training is often easier than expected.
However, the ease and time frame can be dependent on several factors, such as how well they are adjusting to their new home and where your dog came from. Many rescue charities and breeders will start the toilet training before they go home with you, giving you a head start.
It’s important to remember that it’s also perfectly normal for a puppy to sometimes take a little longer as their bowel and bladder muscles are still growing.
Toilet training a puppy can seem like a daunting (and messy) task. Luckily, we’ve created this guide to help you house-train your new puppy in no time. Just follow the steps below!
When it comes to puppies, routine is key. You should quickly establish a routine with plenty of opportunities to go to the toilet in an appropriate place, such as a garden or other outdoor space, no matter the weather. The times your puppy should be taken outside are:
Depending on the puppy’s age, you may also find it useful to let them out every 45 minutes to an hour. While letting them out, keep them on the lead if they are very young and allow them to walk and sniff around as this helps stimulate them to go to the loo. Try not to distract them while they are outside and wait until they have done their business before playing. This will help them to quickly understand when and where they should toilet.
There are common signs you should learn and watch out for that your puppy will show when they need to go to the toilet. These signs often happen after naps, meals or after they’ve been left alone and include:
By watching out for these signs, you’ll be able to catch accidents before they happen and take them outside to teach them that’s where they need to go.
For the most effective results, dogs need positive reward-based training. It’s important to always reward your puppy with some extra tasty puppy treats and lots of praise after they’ve been to the toilet outside so they know that you are pleased with their behaviour and begin to associate going to the toilet outside as a positive action. The more you reward the behaviours you want from your dog, the more they will exhibit these behaviours.
Puppies should never be shouted at or punished for having an accident. They probably feel bad enough already, especially if the accident happened in their living area! Some believe that puppies purposely have an accident as a way of punishing the owner for leaving them, but their brains are not wired to think this way. They also aren’t able to associate the reason you are mad to the accident if it happened a while ago.
Quietly repeating a specific word or phrase each time you notice your puppy begins toileting may help prompt them to use the toilet in the future. Giving them a specific command will allow them to understand what you want them to do. But it may take some time for it to register. Some popular commands you can use are:
Puppies don’t have strong enough bladders to hold it overnight. This means you’ll need to expect to come downstairs to a mess or take them outside every few hours throughout the night until they can hold it. Alternatively, you can lay down newspaper away from their bed for them to use until their bladders are stronger. Remember to take your puppy outside first thing in the morning to help them relieve themselves as soon as possible.
For the times when you’re not at home, whether you’re working or running errands, take them out before you leave, and then leave them in a small space they feel comfortable in, such as the bathroom or their crate. Since they won’t want to use the toilet in their sleeping space, this may help teach them how to hold it for longer. However, during the initial toilet training stages, it’s recommended not to leave your puppy alone until the house training is well established.
It’s extremely common for your puppy to have an accident while they’re learning. While this, understandably, will feel frustrating for you, it’s important not to punish the puppy or create any kind of fear or anxiety around toileting. In the past, some would say to rub your puppy’s nose in any mess they make, but this can be very damaging, confusing, and cruel, so avoid this method entirely.
Instead, remain calm and patient, clean up the accident and continue with the training. If the accident was particularly messy, you may need to give the pup a bath. Read our blog on how to bathe a puppy.
Accidents should be cleaned up quickly so they don’t stain, soak in, or start to smell worse. Use a solution of biological detergent and warm water to clean the area and remove the smell completely, which should prevent them from wanting to go to the same spot again. Avoid using products with ammonia, such as bleach, as this won’t get rid of the smell and will likely cause your puppy to use the same area for the toilet again.
If you’re having difficulty with the training or it’s proving to be unsuccessful after several months and your puppy is still having frequent accidents, get them checked by a vet to rule out any other health concerns or issues. After ruling out any medical problems, they’ll be able to refer you to a qualified dog trainer or animal behaviourist who will be able to help you further.
Toilet training your puppy should be a fun and rewarding experience for you both. By following the steps above, giving your puppy plenty of opportunities to do their business outside and rewarding them with delicious treats, your puppy should be house trained in no time. The right puppy diet and nutrition also plays an important role in successful toilet training.
Check out our natural puppy dog food which has been specifically designed to support pupils grow into happy and healthy dogs.
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