How to toilet train your puppy or adult dog.

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Mattie
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How to toilet train your puppy or adult dog.

Post by Mattie »

I have just put this up on another forum and as we often get questions on this thought I would put it here as well. Feel free to add to it. :D

How to toilet train your pup or adult dog.

IIt is very important to us humans for our dogs not to toilet in our homes but teaching a dog not to seems to be causing a lot of problems. It doesn't matter how young or old your dog is, they can still be toilet trained but you have to be very consistant, slip up once, and it will set your dog back.

First make sure you have several days free to concentrate on toilet training your dog, you need this to get it established for yourself and your dog. Dogs learn by being repetitive, miss and your dog goes backwards.

1. Never try to teach your dog to toilet on paper or pads.
Many dogs taught this way never learn to toilet outside because they have been taught it is ok to toilet inside, dogs don't generalise and don't understand that they can't toilet inside when there is no paper or pads.

2. Keep all outside doors closed while you are toilet training no matter how hot it is.
If you have the outside doors open your dog doesn't know where the house stops and the garden begins, this really does confuse your dog so all doors must be closed.

3. Always take your dog outside, never put him out while training him.
If you put your dog outside you can't see when he goes, if you can't see him go you can't tell him that is what you want him to do by giving him lots and lots and lots and lots of praise, party, make him feel is the the best thing since sliced bread. Many give dogs treats but I prefer to use praise.

Puppies do a double wee, they go outside, you praise and bring them in only for your puppy to go on your lovely, white carpet, this is normal, with pups once they have gone and you have had a party, take him for a walk round the garden/yard to give him the chance to do the double wee.

4. Take him outside as soon as he wakes up
Dogs normally want to toilet when they wake up so take him outside and give him the chance to. This is for afternoon snoozes or anytime your dog sleeps.

5. Take him outside before and after he is fed.
Some dogs prefer to go before being fed, some after and some like to go before and after they have been fed.

6. Take him outside after a training or play session.
Often after a play or training session the dog relaxes and needs to toilet so give your dog the chance to do this by taking him outside as soon as these are over.

7. Take him outside ever 30/45 minutes for pups, every hour for adult dogs.
Pups like human babies are not developed enough to hold when they need to go, they have to release it, we have nappies on our babies but expect pups to know they have to go outside, they don't. We have to give them the chance to toilet where we want them to by taking them there at times that will suit their needs not ours. If you go over this time to finish a job you are doing and your dog toilets in the house, that is your fault not your dog's so roll up a newspaper and hit yourself over the head with it saying "I must take my dog out to toilet when he should go".

8. If your dog does go inside, put him outside before you clean up.
With may dogs or pups it won't matter if you clean up in front of them but with a sensitive dog it does. No matter how much we try if a dog toilets inside our body language changes, dogs pick up on this and think they have done something wrong, they haven't, they have not yet learnt to toilet outside. By putting the dog outside before we clean up, the dog doesn't get the same chance to think he has done wrong. Dogs that think they have done wrong to toilet inside are harder to train.

9. What to clean up with.
Never use normal household cleaners, most have armonia in which encourages a dog to toilet in that spot again. Even though we can't smell the wee, our dogs can because they have a much better smell than we do. You have to take the smell away for the dog as well as us.

You can clean up with white vinegar or biological washing liquid or buy something for the job from a pet shop. They will all take the smell away for your dog which is very important when you are training your dog.

Some breeds are easier to train than others, some dogs are more excitable than others, some dogs are slow to pick things up like this, no matter how quick or slow your dog is it is very important to be consistant, only by being consistant will you succeed in teaching your dog to toilet outside and not in.

With pups remember that their bodies are not mature, they may not be capapable of holding so don't expect them to. It is normal for a pup to go through the night even though they are not mature enough to hold, this is because their bodies, like ours, slows down when we are asleep. With very young pups, they will be clean and dry quicker if you get up during the night to take them outside to toilet, my stopping them from toileting in the house completely by taking them out, they don't get mixed messages.

It isn't difficult to toilet train a dog or pup but does take a lot of work but well worth the effort when they are clean.
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Katharine
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Re: How to toilet train your puppy or adult dog.

Post by Katharine »

Thank you for this post, Mattie. There were a couple of things I didn't know. The one about the doors is interesting (although since we live in a cold climate the doors are always shut). The one about always taking them out makes sense. We've almost always gone out with them, but not always. I'll go back to always doing that until we have seen success. We're doing everything else you mention.

The problem became acute when they were spayed. While they were recovering, throwng up, completely distraut, not able to hold it at all, it was storming outside with wind so strong it was difficult for a person to deal with. So, at various times those few days they peed on the floor. That I think is what has made this so hard.
bsalem21
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Re: How to toilet train your puppy or adult dog.

Post by bsalem21 »

Hi Mattie this post really helped! I do have one question though. My 15 week old puppy is starting to regress a little bit. We have had him almost 3 weeks and he had been doing well with minor accidents. The past couple of days he is crying and barking uncontrollably at night in his crate and when I go to take him out nothing! Before he would wake me up at 3 am and go potty, put up a little fuss when he was put back in his crate, but fall asleep. Yesterday he peed on my carpet in the house, then he pooed in his crate last night. I take him out often, and make sure I always do before and after he eats and right before he is put in his crate. Also when I take him out, lately he wants to run back in. I always try to stay out there with him, but my husband took him out this morning, left him, and watched him from the window. After my husband left, only then did he decide to go up and down the stairs and then out to the yard to poo. Is he shy about going in front of us? Is it okay to take him out and leave him, and just spy from inside? I try to stay out so I know if he goes potty so I can praise him, but like I said lately he just won't go if we are there. Any advice will be appreciated!


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Brittany
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forkin14
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Re: How to toilet train your puppy or adult dog.

Post by forkin14 »

bsalem21 wrote:Hi Mattie this post really helped! I do have one question though. My 15 week old puppy is starting to regress a little bit. We have had him almost 3 weeks and he had been doing well with minor accidents. The past couple of days he is crying and barking uncontrollably at night in his crate and when I go to take him out nothing! Before he would wake me up at 3 am and go potty, put up a little fuss when he was put back in his crate, but fall asleep. Yesterday he peed on my carpet in the house, then he pooed in his crate last night. I take him out often, and make sure I always do before and after he eats and right before he is put in his crate. Also when I take him out, lately he wants to run back in. I always try to stay out there with him, but my husband took him out this morning, left him, and watched him from the window. After my husband left, only then did he decide to go up and down the stairs and then out to the yard to poo. Is he shy about going in front of us? Is it okay to take him out and leave him, and just spy from inside? I try to stay out so I know if he goes potty so I can praise him, but like I said lately he just won't go if we are there. Any advice will be appreciated!


Thanks
Brittany

Brittany, I'm not one of the experts but I do have one question..

Have you ever scolded or yelled "no!" at him while he did potty in front of you (like if it was in the house) ?
bsalem21
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Re: How to toilet train your puppy or adult dog.

Post by bsalem21 »

Yes, when I have caught him in the act I have yelled "No," showed him and then immediately took him outside to finish, which 9 times out of 10 he will... I do not scold him though if I do not catch him. It is rare that he does potty in the house so there haven't been many times where I have yelled no. Am I not supposed to scold him?
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forkin14
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Re: How to toilet train your puppy or adult dog.

Post by forkin14 »

bsalem21 wrote:Yes, when I have caught him in the act I have yelled "No," showed him and then immediately took him outside to finish, which 9 times out of 10 he will... I do not scold him though if I do not catch him. It is rare that he does potty in the house so there haven't been many times where I have yelled no. Am I not supposed to scold him?
It could have startled him and taught him that going in front of you is bad and makes you yell at him. He doesn't know that saying "NO" = don't do that. Just offer up treats and praise when he does go outside and if he does while you are out there with him, extra treats and praise!
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Mattie
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Re: How to toilet train your puppy or adult dog.

Post by Mattie »

bsalem21 wrote:Yes, when I have caught him in the act I have yelled "No," showed him and then immediately took him outside to finish, which 9 times out of 10 he will... I do not scold him though if I do not catch him. It is rare that he does potty in the house so there haven't been many times where I have yelled no. Am I not supposed to scold him?
Let me put it this way, if you are doing something and someone yells "No", what is your reaction? Never, ever do this to a pup, you are making your pup frightened of you and of toileting in front of you. You don't have to scold him, yelling at him is more than enough.

You have a baby and like all babies they are not capable of holding pee or poo at first, of course your put will have accidents, it is why we have nappies/diapers on our babies.

He hasn't regressed you are expecting far too much from him, he is only 15/16 weeks old.

No it is not ok to watch from inside, how can you reward him when he goes, by the time you get to him to reward him he won't know what he is being rewarded for. Watching from inside is laziness, and you can't afford to do this when training a puppy. I know you won't like being told this but you took the pup on, he had no choice, unless you train him properly with patience and understanding you won't get him clean and dry in the house.

Take him back to the beginning and start over again, let him know that outside is the place to toilet by having a party when he goes outside, if he goes inside, under no circumstances should you yell at him, stay calm, put him outside and clean up.

During the night you will need to set the alarm so you can take him out before he goes in his crate, having spent 3 years having to get up to let my Greyhound out during the night you do get used to it and it becomes part of your life but if you train you pup properly now being very very consistant, he will be trained before you adapt. Just remember, he may not be capable of going through the night yet.
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bsalem21
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Re: How to toilet train your puppy or adult dog.

Post by bsalem21 »

Thanks everyone.

Mattie I appreciate your input. Like I said I always stay outside with him, it was my husband who walked in and watched from inside, but I will get him back to staying out there with him. I have no problem staying out there one because I want to know he has gone and if he didnt roughly I will know what time he will be getting up at night and two so I can praise him. I wouldn't call myself or my husband lazy whatsoever, however your criticism is duely noted.

On a positive note he hasn't had any accidents lately, and is going outside again with out and care about me watching!
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Mattie
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Re: How to toilet train your puppy or adult dog.

Post by Mattie »

bsalem21, when we reply to posts we have to take into account people who come looking for advice that don't post, we also have to be very clear in what we write so there can't be any mistakes, I wasn't saying you or your husband was lazy, just that it is a lazy way to do it. We all try to take short cuts at times for many reasons, done it myself at times for various reasons.
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fresteve
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Re: How to toilet train your puppy or adult dog.

Post by fresteve »

My 12 week daschund puppy seems to be confused about toileting in the house. She will not violate her enclosed area, crate or outside pen. We have tried using a pad but no success. We have been taking her out frequently with success. But when she is allowed to be free inside the house and outside of her enclosures, she toilets.

I have taught her to touch a bell that I attached to the door when taking her out but she has not associated it with toileting outside as of yet. I try to take her out every hour. Should I abandon using the inside enclosures allowing her free roam and continue only frequent outside praise parties? I am planning to fence the backyard. Will she see this as another enclosure not to be violated? She also is reluctant to walk on wet grass and advice?
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Mattie
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Re: How to toilet train your puppy or adult dog.

Post by Mattie »

At 12 weeks old she is still a baby and her body may not be mature enough to tell her she wants to go, we put diapers on our babies until their bodies are mature enough to be toilet trained.

Forget toilet areas in the house, all you are doing is teaching her that it is ok to toilet in the house, many dogs never get fully house trained when trained to do this so take her outside every 30 to 45 minutes, an hour is too long for her.

At the moment I wouldn't bother with the bell until she is clean in the house, her brain can only take so much in at a time and that on top of toilet training may be too much for her to learn at once.

You need to have a safe place outside for her as soon as possible otherwise she will have to be on the lead every time she goes out, at the moment you need to go with her but eventually you will want to put her out once she is fully trained, you won't be able to do that if you don't have a secure area for her.

It does take time and patience to toilet train a puppy, but the more you put in now the better dog she will become, you can also clicker train her, the earlier you start her training the better it will be for both you and her.

As a Dachshund her tummy is close to the wet grass, don't think I would like my tummy getting wet either :lol: Either keep the grass very short or have another area, soil may be easier on her paws, were she can go when it is wet. Some dogs don't like walking on gravel and concrete, paving etc splashes a dogs legs which they don't like, don't think I would like my legs getting splashed either. :lol:
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***Melissa***
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Re: How to toilet train your puppy or adult dog.

Post by ***Melissa*** »

Mattie wrote:As a Dachshund her tummy is close to the wet grass, don't think I would like my tummy getting wet either :lol:
Yup, I have a weenie too, and he hates wet grass. There is a small part of our back yard that's paved. He will always go on the grass, except when wet, then he goes on the paving (which is fine by us). :wink:
There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. ~Ben Williams
simonapete1
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Re: How to toilet train your puppy or adult dog.

Post by simonapete1 »

hi,
if anybody can help, please help. i have bought 14weeks puppy boxer on 8 of october, unfortunately he wasnt look after properly.the owner left him outside all day with his brothers and parents so he was toileting outside with now problem,but of course didnt know its good think becouse nobody praise him. unfortunately his owner didnt vaccinate him yet so now i have problem. he just been vaccinated yesterday so he cannot go out but he is not potty training home. i have tried newspaper down but he always going in different place. i dont know what to do. because only i do is confuse him. ,, he was out for tiolet , now he is home for toilet and when he will able to go out after vaccination then he will go out for toilet again. it must confuse him and i worry he will do wee and poo home afterwards. and any tips how to toilet inside for at least 3 weeks and not to confuse dog that would be great. please please help. also before he is going to sleep i put him in the cage and then he starting barking . does anybody know why? do you thing he is scared or ?????? . please if anybody can help please help me. thank you for any ideas.
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Mattie
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Re: How to toilet train your puppy or adult dog.

Post by Mattie »

I wish vets would be clearer with taking pups outside, of course you pup needs to go outside to toilet, preferably in a backyard but you can't teach a dog to toilet outside if you don't take them out. If you don't have a backyard, find somewhere were he can have a little sniff so he can toilet and don't forget the double pee. When you pup has peed, don't take him back in or he will do another as soon as you get in, wait for the second pee.

You can take your pup out to socialise him, this is very important, more dogs are pts because of aggression caused by not socialising as pups than die from what we vaccinate them from. When you do take your pup out, apart from when he is toileting don't put him on the ground, keep him off it, experienced dog owners carry their pups out and about with them but the pups are in a bag were they can see everything but are in no danger.
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simonapete1
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Re: How to toilet train your puppy or adult dog.

Post by simonapete1 »

hi, thank you mattie for your help. i will take him out than but not putting him down till he wants pee. i was just worried that because of his vaccination he cannot go anywhere at all or he will get ill or can die. you right , sometimes vet dont explain properly. so i will take him out and see how it will go. than you very much . :D
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