Here is one method. How many others can you contribute?
I personally crate train at night and keep the crate next to my bed and initially set my alarm clock several times a night, carrying the pup initially to the closest appropriate toilet spot. Mostly by the time they are 10 weeks or so they are night dry and usually sleep through. I dont give treats for toileting as dont want the dog/pup to seek me out and toilet in perceived inappropriate places to get a treat.
Always teach toilet on command as it makes life just so much easier. My lot toilet en mass on cue!
I guess the simplistic answer is not to put the pup/dog in a position where he can make a mistake – thus limiting any kind of toilet issues. So in MHO the ownus is really on the owner – not so much the pup. The owner should control the envorinment so the pup/dog suceeds!
PUPPY POOP
This method is also ideal to “re-teach” adult dogs who have not learnt appropriate toilet habits, or have been inadvertently taught to toilet in the house by negative reinforcement methods.
Puppies are like babies. They cry a lot, they eat a lot, want lots of attention and pee and pooh a lot!
• Don’t credit the puppy with more intelligence than he has! He is just a puppy, not mean, spiteful or naughty – he is just a little baby dog!
• You are the role model and you need to set a calm example.
• Never shout or yell at your pup, (no matter what he has done!) or all that you will do, is frighten him and make him squat and piddle in fear, or excitement.
• Be as calm and matter of fact as possible when going about toilet training and you will find it easy!
• Depending on the age of your puppy, he will have varying control of his bladder.
The younger, the more often he will need to “go”.
• Very young puppies do not have much control, and any form of excitement can trigger them to urinate,
• If your pup has an “accident”, ask yourself, – was the “accident” induced by excitement? If so, change YOUR behaviour around the pup. Be calmer, slow down your body language, movements and voice, and relax a bit!
• It is YOUR responsibility to observe your pup at all times when he is in the house with you. He is unable to tell you when he wants to “go” in a language that you can understand so you must hone your observation skills!
• He should not have free access to the entire house, but when inside with the family, have access restricted and be kept under strict supervision, so that you will learn to be able to predict when he needs to go!
• When the pup is inside with the family, he should be taken outside every 15 – 20 minutes in order to prevent accidents.
• For the first couple of days you may carry him to the same spot each time. Try to find the best spot, which should be the nearest available spot outside the door.
• After a couple of days it is far better to gently shoo the puppy outside to the nearest available grassy spot to toilet. This is because we want to teach the pup to eventually go out on his own accord.
• As the pup grows, the time between being taken outside, will gradually increase, until the habit is formed and the pup will begin to let you know when he needs to toilet.
• The pup should always be placed on the same spot in the garden and given a gentle happy command such as “Busy” followed by immediate praise – “Good puppy to Busy”.
• But – when he has toileted in the correct place, you can get down on your haunches and with a jolly expression show your appreciation in facial expression and body language.
• After observing you puppy for a while you will soon be able to interpret his expression and body language is when he needs to go out.
• Don’t delay to put on your slippers/gown – don’t muck about, – or it will be too late! Take him out immediately, even if you have to occasionally gently pick him up and take him outside before he has an accident.
• If calling him outside do not become too excited, or he will not be able to hold on until he gets outside.
• As soon as he squats to urinate or defecate – give him the command “busy” and verbally praise lavishly.
• Do not offer him a treat, or the puppy will seek you out, in order to relieve himself in front of you to receive the treat!
• Rather squat down yourself, next to the pup as soon as he is finished, and point to the place where he has relieved himself and with a big happy smile, and a happy praise voice tell him – “busy – what a good pup to busy – good dog!”
• That way he will soon become accustomed to associating the word with the action and both, with the praise.
IF HE HAS AN “ACCIDENT”
• Do not punish him/do not yell shout or do anything negative!!!
• First of all this is actually ALL YOUR FAULT!
• If he had an “accident” you obviously were not observing the pup properly!
Try not to react, after all, if you were not observing him properly – it is you who should be punished not the
puppy!
• Calmly and without making a fuss, encourage the pup to go outside for a few minutes. You can lure him outside with his favourite toy or a titbit and close the door behind him to play alone while you clean up.
• Wash the area thoroughly with some mild soap, and then rinse with water, then rinse again with alcohol from the chemist and again rinse again thoroughly with water.
• This will remove all the odour and scent
• Remember a dog’s sense of smell is a couple of thousand-fold greater than ours, so we do not want to draw the pup back to the same spot to “mark” or for any other reason.
REMEMBER IT NEEDS PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING TO GET IT RIGHT!
MOST TIMES IF THE PUP HAS AN ACCIDENT – IT WILL HAVE BEEN YOUR FAULT FOR NOT OBSERVING HIM AND READING HIS BODY LANGUAGE CORRECTLY
THE ROLLED UP NEWSPAPER METHOD:
I am frequently asked if it is right to punish the puppy for any mistakes by smacking him on the nose with a rolled up newspaper.
Here is my reply:
A rolled up newspaper is a wonderful thing to use for toilet training. If the pup has had an “accident” on the carpet, you can take a rolled up newspaper and hit YOURSELF over the head three times and repeat (in a loud voice): –
“In future – I must observe my puppy more closely”
“In future – I must observe my puppy more closely”
“In future – I must observe my puppy more closely”
Remember part of good puppy/dog hygiene is to pick up faeces at least once a day to reduce flies and the spread of disease:
The Pooh Rhyme:
See a pooh and pick it up
and all the day you’ll have good luck!
See a pooh and let it lie ………
and
some poor sod is bound to put his foot in it …..
Probably You!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Is your dog protected? Click Here ►►
Recently I did a home visit – 8 week old pup, owners were struggling.
When I arrived pup was asleep as is often the case so we talked for a while, mainly about toilet training.
When pup awoke I stopped mid sentence and declared "Right, pup needs to go out now" so off we all trundled to the garden. Mum, Dad, three children, me and pup. Immediately the youngest child started running about, pup in hot pursuit so I managed to get him to be a tree and so pup sniffed about and soon squatted for a pee. Youngest child wanted to play but got him to hang on briefly and within the minute pup had pooed as well.
We then played with pup outside, spent some time showing them how to play constructively and after about ten minutes it was time to go in. I insisted we stay out until pup had peed again and sure enough once the game stopped she obliged, had another pee and then we went in.
Spent ten minutes on crate games and then got the kids to take pup out again despite their protestations that she can’t possibly need to go again. Sure enough, within the minute came cheers from outside as pup had peed and a couple of minutes later an excited head around the door " she did another poo!! she did another poo!!"
Mum was over the moon because according to her if I hadn’t have been there the three pees and two poos would have been on the carpet!!!!
I don’t normally ask people what they have done before because then I don’t have to be critical. No good punishing the wrong just set them up to get it right but I did ask them how they expected the pup to know where to go.
They believed that leaving the door open and then telling her off when she peed indoors would do it.
I too always recommend having pup in a crate in the bedroom, I wouldn’t set the alarm though I’d just let pup wake me when she needed out. Over a few nights I would gradually take slightly longer to find my slippers (not on purpose but due to sleep deprivation) and pup is meanwhile learning to hang on albeit briefly.
I agree about the not giving treats. Same as for punishment the dog percieves that they are being rewarded/punished for what they are doing not where they are doing it and so by the same token I wouldn’t go over the top with praise, just a quiet ‘good dog’.
Lots of people seem to want to teach the dog to ask to go out. I don’t necessarily think this is a good idea otherwise the dog is destined to have an accident when there is no one there to ask. Far better to have a dog that goes out on your schedule especially before bed, before going out etc.
Oh and puppy pads should say on the outside of the packet: Warning, these will seriously screw up your toilet training.
Ditto! Those things drive me slightly insane
Just a couple of things to add, don’t nag pup to ‘go’ and be as boring as possible so that pup isn’t distracted while finding the perfect spot
I train pretty much the same as you Lou and Sarabe.
I do reward in the garden, on the floor, after prause following toileting, with young puppies. Never thought about the points that you have raised, but it seems to work out pretty well. But I will think on those points. So thanks for that.
From personal experience a pup of mine, far more intelligent than I gave her credit for, cost me a few quid in vet’s fees and tests for a UTI before the penny dropped.
I have also come across owners who report their dog peeing in front of them and the circumstances they describe lead me to believe that the dog is doing it to please and elicit a reward.
Great example – and good points raised.
Hey there I am so happy I found your blog http://www.informationaboutdogs.net/dog-questions/toilet-training-a-dog, I really found you by accident, while I was browsing on Yahoo for something else, Nonetheless I am here now and would just like to say kudos for a fantastic post and an all round enjoyable blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to browse it all at the moment but I have bookmarked it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read more, Please do keep up the fantastic effort.