A few tips:
Think ahead and be ready. Be sure to take your puppy outside at the following times:
- Before going to bed at night
- As soon as they wake up
- After a daytime nap
- After eating
- After exuberant play
- When your puppy has been left at home and you return
Take your puppy to the same place each time.
Stay with your puppy or place them in a playpen. For those who live in apartments, a box of turf or sand on your patio can act as your puppy’s designated toileting area.
As your puppy toilets, say “go pee”, “busy busy” or “quick quick”.
This will help build an association between these words and toileting, which will help your puppy know when it is time to go. Be sure to praise your puppy AFTER they have finished toileting.
Have a ‘Zen den’ where your puppy can sleep.
This is somewhere (like a crate or pen) to put your puppy if you cannot watch them. Puppies are much less likely to pee where they sleep, so this will help prevent mistakes. It is important to closely monitor your puppy when they are not in their Zen den. If your puppy disappears from your sight, it may be off toileting or chewing.
Your puppy will make mistakes.
Be patient with your puppy and use your hands for praise only. Do not rub their nose in it or get mad after it has happened. This serves no purpose and will only make toilet training more difficult. If your puppy does make a mistake, simply mop up the urine with a sponge (do not use bleach or ammonia-based products). Then, cut off the urine-soaked sponge parts and disperse them around their toileting area. You may also place their poop in places where you want them to go. Be sure to thoroughly clean the accident so no odour is left to confuse your puppy.
Your puppy will learn quickest with consistency.
The more you eliminate the possibility of mistakes, the easier it will be for your pup to learn.
Feed or leave fresh water in areas where you do not want your puppy to go.
This will encourage your dog to toilet in a specific place. Puppies will generally not toilet in areas where they eat, drink, or sleep.
Lavender oil can also help.
Your puppy will associate the smell of the oil with his den, such that they avoid using their den as a toilet area. You can also add a few drops of oil into the water of a spray bottle to strategically spray around your house. An alternative would be adding lavender oil to the solution used to mop your floors in which case their den would be your entire house, not just their crate.
Need more help with Puppy Toilet Training or other Puppy related training topics?
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