How To Toilet Train A Dog
Introduction
Toilet training a dog is one of those important steps in making them part of the family. It’s also a great way to make your own life easier: no more coming home to little “surprises” around the house or having to rush outside at 3 AM with your puppy under one arm and a flashlight in the other. While it’s not rocket science, toilet training does take time and patience. If you’re prepared, have a routine, and are consistent with both rewards and praise, you should be able to have your dog on its way to success within weeks.
Be prepared.
Before you can begin toilet training your dog, you must be prepared. You will need to have a toilet ready for your dog and the reward system set up. This will require your patience and consistency as well as confidence in yourself.
Choose a routine.
The first thing you need to do is choose a routine for toilet training. You will want to pick a time of day that suits you, your dog, and your schedule. If there’s anything we learned from our own experience with dog toilet training, it’s that consistency is key!
Keep your toilet training sessions short and sweet.
Since dogs are creatures of habit, it’s important to keep your training sessions short and sweet. For example, do not train when you are tired or stressed out. Also avoid toilet training your dog in the morning or after a meal.
The main thing is not to overdo it with the training. Make sure that there aren’t any other pets or people around when you begin training so that your dog can focus on what you’re asking him/her to do without distractions from others in their environment.
Give your dog lots of praise.
When your dog does go to the toilet outside, you should give them lots of praise. This will encourage them to continue going there, and make them feel good about themselves. You could reward your dog with a treat or belly rub if they go to the toilet outside when you need to leave home, or if they go while you’re at home but not in the house.
Don’t punish your dog for accidents, instead stay calm and reward successful toilet trips outside.
- Don’t punish your dog for accidents, instead stay calm and reward successful toilet trips outside.
- Punishing your dog for going in the house or peeing on the carpet is a sure way to make them afraid of you. This will cause them to be anxious and stressed out when they are near you, which is not good at all! Instead, stay calm when they have an accident and try to help them understand what they should do instead: go outside!
- Reward your dog when they do go outside.* You can use treats or toys as rewards if that helps motivate him/her but remember to only reward them with positive reinforcement (like giving them attention) once he’s finished going outside so that he knows it’s safe to go there again next time.
Toilet training a dog is a process and it’s important to be patient as they learn
The process of toilet training a dog is a gradual one, and it’s important to be patient as they learn.
- Don’t punish your dog for accidents or mistakes. You should never hit or yell at your pet when he urinates or defecates in the wrong place. Instead, clean up the mess and take some time to think about why the accident happened. Often times, dogs will have accidents if they feel rushed when they are going outside or if they are stressed out because there is too much activity happening nearby.
- Be consistent in giving him opportunities to use his toilet area throughout the day, especially right before you leave home each morning and right after you return home at night. It may seem inconvenient at first (especially if you work long hours), but this will help speed along their learning process in no time!
Conclusion
There you have it folks. A few tips on toilet training a dog. Remember, it’s important to stay patient and not punish your dog for any accidents they may have. It’s also a good idea to take them outside at set times each day so they learn to go at the same time every day. Good luck!