3 Simple Tips To Toilet Train Your Dog

 3 Simple Steps To Toilet Train Your Dog

Whether you have recently adopted an older dog, or welcomed a puppy into your home, one of the first things we need to teach them is where to go and relieve themselves.  There is a lot of conflicting information out there, but it is actually quite a straight forward process.  Here are the 3 simple tips to make toilet training a breeze;

Consistency

Be sure to consistently offer your dog the opportunity to go outside to the toilet. The most common times that your dog will need to go, are after eating, when they have just woken up or when they have just finished playing. This is usually the case for both puppies and older dogs. By giving them the option to go outside at these crucial points, then you are much more likely to prevent any accidents occurring indoors.

Dog's who are still going through the toilet training process may find it difficult to realise they need to go until it becomes urgent which is when accidents are more likely to occur. By you being one step ahead of them and taking them out regularly, it will remind them to go. It is best if you go outside with your dog, that way you are there to encourage them to go and praise them when they do. This is a better alternative to simply locking your dog outside and expecting them to know what to do for themselves.

Praise

When your dog successfully wees or poos outside, be sure to praise and reward them highly.  Using high value tasty treats, or a favourite toy is often beneficial here as it motivates them to repeat this behaviour again in the future.  You may also wish to pair this up with a verbal cue so they recognise the action of urinating or defecating with the cue.  I use 'wee-wee's' for my dogs.  

If they do happen to have an accident indoors, which is usually inevitable in the early training stages, it is vital that you do not discipline them!  Some old fashioned trainers encourage you to rub your dog's nose in their urine or faeces to show them that it is wrong to do this indoors.  Not only does this method not work whatsoever, it is also very damaging to your dog's mental health and wellbeing.  Not something you want to achieve.  

Instead, you are better to ignore the fact they have had an accident and simply clean it up.  Chances are, you may have missed a sign that they wanted to go out in the first place.  Remember, our dog's often rely on us totally to be let outside and if they are desperate to go, they will have no choice but to go inside if there is not another option available.  

Bin The Puppy Pads!

Whilst puppy pads can be useful in certain circumstances, there is no real benefit to using them in your home as the only option.  If you are going to the effort of teaching your puppy or dog to relieve themselves on a puppy pad, it makes more sense to instead teach them to go outside from day one.  Puppy pads can actually encourage your dog to go to the toilet indoors , so you will be more successful if you do not use them.  

They can be beneficial to place under bedding or to line crates with just in case of any accidents, but I would not personally use or recommend them as a sole method of toilet training.  

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You can also find out more training tips in Canine Contentment - The Essential Guide