Toilet Training
Toilet Training
Toilet training should be quite a simple process, as long as you take the time and trouble to get into a good routine. Initially, you will have to build your routine around your puppy’s needs, and these are reliably predictable when they are very young.
Puppies need to urinate immediately after waking up, so you need to be there to take your puppy straight into the garden without any delay.
Eating its meal stimulates its digestive system, and puppies normally urinate within fifteen minutes of eating, and defecate within half an hour of eating. This might vary slightly with each individual.
Puppies have very poor bladder control, and need to urinate at least every hour or two. They can urinate spontaneously when they get excited, so take your puppy out frequently if it has been active, playing or exploring.
Repeat cue words like ‘wee wees’ and ‘poo poos’ or ‘be busy’ and ‘be clean’ while the puppy is actually urinating or defecating. Use different words for each action so that you will be able to prompt the puppy later on.
Always go with your puppy into the garden so you are there to reward and attach the cue words to the successful actions!
Fortunately, puppies are creatures of habit, so as long as you introduce the garden to your puppy as its toilet area early on, you should be able to avoid most of the common pitfalls.
Toilet training errors
There are many reasons why ‘toilet training’ might not go as smoothly as it could, so make sure you do not make any of the following mistakes…
- · Over-feeding.
- · Feeding an unsuitable diet or giving a variety of foods.
- · Not feeding at regular times.
- · Feeding too late in the evening which could cause overnight defecation.
- · Punishing the puppy for indoor toilet accidents. This can make the puppy scared of toileting in front of you and it will try and do its toileting in secret places.
- · Feeding the puppy salty foods which will make it thirsty and therefore drink more.
- · Using ammonia based cleaning compounds to clear up accidents. The ammonia smells similar to urine and the puppy will continue to urinate in the same place.
- · Expecting the puppy to tell you when it needs to go out. It is better to take them out at regular intervals. They will eventually learn how to tell you when they want to got out to the toilet.
- · Leaving the back door open for the puppy to come and go as it pleases. A puppy will think that the garden is an adventure playground, rather than a toilet area. Also, what is a puppy meant to do when the weather gets cold and it is faced with a closed door.
- · Leaving the puppy on its own too long, so that it is forced to go indoors.
- · Mistakenly associating the words ‘good girl’ or ‘good boy’ when they toilet, as opposed to the specific cue words.
- · Access to rugs or carpet, which are nice and absorbent – just like grass.
- · Laziness on your part and not taking the puppy out to toilet.
- · Leaving the puppy alone in the garden, so you are not there to reward it for going outdoors.
- · Submissive or excited urination on greeting. If this occurs, take your puppy outside before you greet it and tone down your greeting so it is less exciting or overwhelming.
- · It is unfair to expect your puppy to go right through the night when it is very young.
- · Sleeping the puppy in a crate or puppy pen can help with house training but you should let it out in the garden to relieve itself during the night.
Teaching your puppy to toilet out on a walk
Many owners are disappointed that their young puppy will not toilet when out on a walk, yet relieves itself the second it gets back home. This is because the puppy has been taught to toilet only at home. Being creatures of habit, they often wait until they have returned home before evacuating their bladder and bowels.
To break this habit get up earlier in the morning and take your puppy out on a walk before it has had its morning wee. You should encourage the puppy to go to the toilet. If however, you are unsuccessful, and your puppy has not toileted, then take it immediately into the garden on your return, or you risk it relieving itself indoors.
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