How to potty train your dog

Good behavior is essential to maintain a healthy relationship and coexistence

Teaching your puppy to relieve himself in a specific place or area requires a lot of dedication, observation, perseverance and patience.

If you can’t go outside because your puppy is not fully vaccinated, we suggest the following tips to potty train your puppy.

It is crucial to the success of potty training that you learn to detect the moments when your dog wants to go. This usually happens shortly after waking up in the morning, after eating or drinking, and after playing. Generally, your puppy’s natural instinct will be to do his business in a place far from his food and sleeping area.

Additionally, you may also see your puppy sniffing the floor and moving in circles. At this point, place him on a newspaper or a training pad in the place you want him to urinate or defecate. Tell him what you want him to do with a simple “PEE” command. Sometimes your puppy may walk off the newspaper or training pad and you may have to lift him up and put him back on the area multiple times, but in order to get him to go off on it, be patient with him. Once he used the newspaper or training pad, reward him.

It’s important not to be too critical, treat him roughly or take him running and shouting to the right place, always use a soft and kind voice tone.

It can take a puppy up to fifteen (15) days to learn a routine, so a fair amount of repetition would be indicated. Keep in mind that control over his bodily functions isn’t complete until he’s three (3) or four (4) months old. Even so, your puppy will make mistakes in the process.

Once your puppy is consistent with potty training indoors and once he has received all his vaccines, you can move the potty training outside. You can still leave the newspaper and training pad for occasions when your puppy is indoors, but once both you and your puppy are comfortable, you can remove the newspaper or training pad.

To help foster the habit of going outside the house to do his business, maintain a walking routine, coinciding with the times you have already identified as times when your dog would go off. Give your puppy the necessary time to accomplish this task. Once he’s done, reward him or pet him. Be sure to pick up the droppings with a bag. It’s a good idea to stay out for a few more minutes before coming back home. Stay with him while he keeps interacting with his environment.

Despite what you might have heard, it’s important not to scold your puppy if he ever does his business inside the house while you’re away.

Punishing your puppy by hitting him with a newspaper, or rubbing his muzzle in the feces or urine will only traumatize him and encourage fear which can lead to negative behavioural characteristics like coprophagy.