Even if a new pet presents a variety of challenges, you will certainly feel happy when you bring a new puppy home. One of the first and biggest challenges you will face is providing potty training. Some puppies may get the hang of it quickly, but others may take longer. As you train your puppy, always remember to be patient, calm, and consistent. If you are positive, and follow these guidelines, you can easily train your puppy.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Toilet Training Basics
Step 1. Introduce the puppy to his new home, family, and role
Just like when you enter a new place or environment, your pet may be filled with curiosity, excitement, joy, or even fear. Now is the best time to build the foundation of a good and fun relationship with your pet. In order for your puppy to adapt and learn to respect and trust you and everyone in the household, you must set goals and stick to them consistently.
Only indicate areas of the house that the puppy is allowed to enter. In the early stages, don't let your pet roam the house alone, especially if you don't want him to pee there. For example, if the upstairs or bedroom is not allowed for puppies, keep the door closed and never allow puppies to roam there
Step 2. Understand your puppy's breed-specific needs and behaviors
Find out about your puppy's special traits and needs, or certain behaviors you should be aware of or watch out for. For example, if you have a chihuahua puppy, you should know that his bladder is so small that he will urinate more often. Therefore, even if you have trained your chihuahua to urinate, sometimes he may still urinate inappropriately.
Step 3. Supervise your puppy
As long as you are properly trained to defecate, you should always be able to keep an eye on your puppy at all times. That way, you can immediately spot the signs that he wants to defecate quickly and prevent him from urinating in the open. Signs that a puppy is about to poop is to start moving around in circles, clawing, and sniffing.
Some signs to watch out for are whining, circling, sniffing, barking, or other changes in your puppy's behavior. When you see any of these signs, take your puppy outside immediately
Step 4. Stop the puppy from littering
If you catch your puppy urinating or defecating in the house, make loud noises immediately, such as clapping your hands and saying "no." Then, immediately take the dog out of the house.
- You just need to startle the dog, but don't scare him. You also have to be consistent, using the same words and sounds every time you catch them.
- You probably won't get the same results if your dog is pooping, as most puppies won't be able to stop it. However, you should still give the same warnings as part of the exercise.
- You shouldn't punish a puppy for littering. Dogs do not know that what he did was wrong.
Step 5. Decide where to urinate
It's a good idea to designate a specific spot outside your home, and take your dog there whenever he needs to go to the bathroom. Designate a place that is not used by other dogs, and is easy to clean.
- Puppies will remember the smell of urine and begin to associate the place with "his toilet."
- Find a spot that's easy to get to quickly, as you'll be going back and forth while training the puppy.
- Until your puppy gets his third vaccine, you should avoid other places where your dog goes to the toilet, such as parks. Discuss this with your veterinarian.
- When taking your dog out, don't let go of the leash so you can guide him to a special place. You can also keep an eye on your dog more easily, so you know exactly when he's done.
Step 6. Define the command word
Whenever you are going to take your puppy outside to go to the bathroom, use the word "go" or some other command. This word serves to guide the dog to go to a special place to defecate.
The dog will begin to recognize the command and understand what you want. This will help your dog understand when and where he should urinate or defecate
Step 7. Praise him for his success
Always give praise every time the puppy manages to pee in the right place. Give your dog a happy, cheerful tone to let your dog know that you are satisfied with his efforts.
- Give consistent praise as an emotional boost to get your dog to pee in the right place.
- After that, you can also give a small snack to encourage his efforts. However, for some dogs this can actually be a distraction.
Step 8. Make poop time something fun that the puppy looks forward to
In order for your puppy to be more motivated to hold on and wait for the time to pee, you need to be able to make this activity fun.
- Walking and letting the puppy go outside is fun for dogs.
- Do not disturb the dog who is urinating where it should be. Let them defecate quietly and comfortably.
- You can also give your dog a small treat to help motivate him. However, for some dogs, giving these treats can also distract them.
Step 9. Immediately clean the dog litter in the house
When your dog defecates in the house, you should immediately clean the area properly. This will help the dog defecate in the same place again.
- Use an enzymatic cleaner, not one that contains ammonia or white vinegar. Enzymatic cleaners can help remove odors that attract dogs back to the site.
- The smell of ammonia in dog urine can be so strong that it stimulates the dog to sniff and mark the area with its own urine. To get your puppy to pee where it's supposed to, try placing a cotton swab that's been sprayed with ammonia.
- You can also use white vinegar to reduce the ammonia smell.
Part 2 of 3: Watching Your Dog
Step 1. Limit the dog's play area
It will be easier for you to keep an eye on your puppy if the play area in the house is limited. You can do this by closing the door, or installing a baby safety fence.
- If your dog is only playing in a small area, you can keep an eye on him and see if he needs to go outside.
- This area should be large enough for the dog to play, but narrow enough so that you can keep an eye on him at all times. A small room or separate area in a room is the right choice.
- Be sure to choose a room with easy access and quick exit. The best option is a room with an exit door.
- You should also choose an area that is easy to clean. Your pup may still be urinating at the start of the training period.
Step 2. Attach the leash to the dog
Attaching a leash, even while indoors, allows you to move freely while watching your puppy.
- A tied dog allows you to move around and has it always close to you. That way, there's no time he's out of your sight.
- Leashing your dog also allows you to take him out of the house immediately when needed.
Step 3. Use the cage as long as you can't keep an eye on it
When you need to get out of the house and can't keep an eye on your puppy, a crate can be a great way to train him to poop. Your pup will think of the crate as "his home" and won't let it get dirty.
- The crate should be large enough for the dog to stand, lie down, and roll over. However, if they are too large, your dog may use one part for defecation and the other for sleeping.
- If you have a large crate, but your puppy is small, insulate the crate until it is the right size.
- You can provide toys or food to make the dog feel happy while in the crate.
- Limit the amount of time the dog is in the crate to less than 4 hours at a time. This time should be even shorter for younger puppies. Young puppies, who are less than 12 weeks old, urinate very often and are not able to control it.
- As a general rule, a puppy's ability to hold a bowel movement increases by an hour each month he grows older, until he reaches adulthood. So, if your puppy is only one month old, don't leave him in the crate for more than an hour.
- When removing a puppy from the kennel, you should immediately take him out of the house. Until he is able to urinate properly, limiting the range of motion of the puppy will help you keep an eye on him and make the training process easier. This will also reduce the chances of the dirt spilling out as well.
Part 3 of 3: Applying Habits
Step 1. Be consistent
Consistency is one of the keys to potty training. When taking your puppy out of the house, you should always use the same door. You should always take the puppy to the same place with the same commands to help him associate the place with the appropriate action.
- Get into the habit of taking your dog out of the house. Take him out of the house in the morning and after every meal. Take him out of the house every time you come home or when you take him out of the cage. Take your puppy outside after playing or drinking water, after naps, and before going to bed at night.
- In very young puppies, and at the start of the training period, you can also take your dog outside every 20 minutes, if possible. This will prevent the puppy from littering and allow you to give more praise if the puppy manages to pee in the right place.
- Regular walks can also trigger a dog to urinate.
Step 2. Know the frequency of the dog's bowel movements
Pay attention to the frequency with which the puppy urinates. This can help you understand his habits and estimate when he should go outside.
Step 3. Get in the habit of taking your dog outside around his mealtime
Feeding your dog regularly will help him to urinate regularly too. Puppies usually need to go to the bathroom immediately after eating.
Taking your puppy out of the house after each meal will help instill an understanding of where he should go to the bathroom, as well as reduce littering in the house
Tips
- Early in the potty training process, there may not be too many habits formed. Especially in very young puppies. At this stage, you may often catch him peeing in inappropriate places. In this situation, whether the puppy is pooping or urinating, you need to be consistent with your actions.
- You can set up a potty training pad so your puppy can poop in the house. Usually these pads are given an odor that will attract dogs to defecate there. You can use these tools to help with potty training and may be needed, depending on your situation. However, they can cause problems by prolonging the training period and making the training process more difficult. Using a pad like this can confuse your puppy and think it's okay to pee in the house.
Warning
- There are several health conditions that can interfere with potty training. Dogs with urinary tract infections will often urinate in small amounts, and are unable to control their discharge. You may also see him frequently licking his genitals. If you notice a change in the hardness of your dog's stool, it may be due to a gastrointestinal problem. Some of the common causes of gastrointestinal problems in puppies are intestinal parasites, foods they don't normally eat, and sudden changes in food. If you need to change your dog's food, do so gradually over 5-7 days. If you suspect any of these conditions in your dog, consult your veterinarian.
- There are also behavioral problems that can interfere with potty training success. Spraying urine is normal dog behavior--he will lift his hind paws and squirt his urine at a specific place or object to mark it. Dogs experiencing separation anxiety may open their bowels if left alone at home. Some puppies will feel sad and anxious when their owner is away. Meanwhile, other puppies experience submissive or excitement urination problems. This can cause the puppy to defecate spontaneously on certain activities. Discuss these possibilities with your veterinarian or dog trainer if your puppy's training results are not good.
