Toilet Training Your Puppy – Tips To Help Get It Right

Toilet training a puppy is one of the not-so-fun parts of getting a new canine family member. But if you’re diligent and know what you’re doing, you can avoid most of the accidents.

Getting the toilet training for your puppy down pat quickly will set you and your dog up well for life and you can then rest easy that they’re house trained.

Be ready for a few sleepless nights in the interim though!

Tips for toilet training your puppy

Getting your puppy housetrained will require some patience and dedication. But if you’re consistent and kind, you should have cracked it within a few weeks. Much quicker than a human baby (bonus).

And once your toilet training is sorted, here are four more age-appropriate puppy training tips to get started with. You’ll probably also need our guide on how to give medicine to your puppy too, at some point.

Give them lots of opportunity to go at the right time

When you’re toilet training your puppy, you want to set them up for success. If you expect them to hold it in for hours at a time, you’re basically asking for a mishap.

Make sure to take your puppy outside once every hour or so (as well as when they indicate they need to – the signs will become familiar). You don’t want them to associate the activity with stress.

At night, feed your pup at least three hours before bed. Remove their water about two hours before bedtime. Take them outside right before you go to bed and again first thing in the morning.

You may also need to get up in the night to take them outside. If you do this, be quiet and calm so that your puppy doesn’t think it’s play time.

Establish a routine and location

Seeing as we’re on the topic of babies, both human and fur ones respond well to a consistent routine.

Feed your new puppy at the same time each day to help yourself predict when they’ll need to go to the toilet. Take them out first thing in the morning without exception (no coffee first!) so your puppy learns they’ll have an opportunity to do their business early.

Taking them outside to the exact same spot each time is also a useful way to get that toilet training going. They’ll learn to associate the spot with toileting, through both sight and smell. Anyone who has scoured their backyard for dog poo will agree that one toilet is better than many…

While on the topic of poo and pee, watch the PD Pet Care vlog for Dr Cath’s tips to stop your puppy peeing inside:

Other helpful tips for toilet training your puppy

Lots of little things can help toilet train your puppy quickly. Here are some additional tactics you can try to put into action:

• Use the same word every time you take your puppy outside to go to the toilet. Word association helps animals retain information better too
• Remember that most puppies will need to go within half an hour after eating a meal. Plan for this and use it to your advantage
• You can keep your puppy shut within a room with you while you’re house training. This just means you can watch for any signs that they need to go out and catch them before there’s an accident in the house. Obvious signs include whining, scratching at the door, sniffing and walking in circles, and starting to squat or lift a leg.

Once your pup is trained up and ready to head out for a good long walkies, take 2 minutes to read our article on puppy poop etiquette. Then you can stride along, head up and poop bag in hand, ready for some good clean fun with your fur kid.

What to do if your puppy has an accident

It’s to be expected that your puppy will get it wrong from time to time, even with the best trainer in the world. How you respond to little accidents is a big part of successfully toilet training your puppy.

If you find a mess somewhere in the house, don’t punish your dog. The age-old advice of rubbing their nose in it and giving a smack doesn’t actually work, according to Pet School Academy’s Puppy Potty Training Guide.

They say the mess might’ve been from hours ago, and puppies aren’t able to make the connection. Instead, your puppy will just learn you could punish them without warning and for seemingly no reason. You can imagine how that might make them scared and mistrustful. Read more about the benefits of positive reinforcement dog training here.

What should you do instead? Simply clean it up quietly. Make sure to clean thoroughly though, as remaining odours might encourage your puppy to re-offend in the same spot.

If you do happen to catch your dog in the act of toileting inside your house, tell them no. Then, pick them up and take them outside where you want them to do their business. Once they’re done, give plenty of praise and a treat. Now you’re teaching them that if they go to the toilet in the right place, they get lots of love and praise.

Done consistently, they’ll understand this is the right choice.

Does your toilet training puppy need pet insurance?

While you’re navigating the important business of toilet training your puppy, maybe it’s time to think about getting a quote for dog insurance too? It can’t help you house train your pup, but insurance can provide a “soft landing” if things go wrong.

For example, when your puppy needs urgent veterinary attention, hospitalisation or surgery. Not to mention when they need all kinds of medical tests, medications and other treatments.

Did you know you get one or more months of free pet insurance when you sign up with PD Insurance online? Click below to find out more.