Greencross Vets If you’ve recently welcomed a new puppy into your life or are planning to, you’ll quickly realise the need to effectively and efficiently toilet train them. But how long does it take to toilet train a puppy? The good news is that it can be a fairly quick process, provided you commit to the steps and lead with patience and positivity. Puppy toilet training will fast-track the constant clean-up phase, save your carpet, help your puppy understand training cues and ease them into their new home. Getting started on puppy toilet training as soon as you bring them home will ensure that this essential part of being a pet parent goes as smoothly as possible, setting you up for a brilliant partnership.
Understanding Puppy Toilet Behaviour
Before learning how to toilet train a puppy, it’s a good idea to get familiar with general puppy toileting behaviour. Puppies’ bladders are small, just like them. As they grow, their bladder capacity and control will grow, too, but in this early stage of their lives, they’ll need to go to the toilet frequently. Not only will they likely need to wee frequently (sometimes hourly), but you’ll also find they’re more likely to go after sleeping, eating or playing. These are good time frames to keep in mind as you start your training with them – encouraging them to go in the right place with a command or vocal cue after these activities.
For the sake of successful toilet training (and your carpet), you should be on ‘puppy toilet watch’ at all times, and you’ll start to notice the signs that they are about to wee or poo. Puppies will often walk in circles, sniff the ground, whine or appear to find a quiet spot when they’re in need, which will be your cue to take them to the area you’ve designated – a puppy toilet training pad, a purpose-built “pet loo” or a place in your garden. Being vigilant about acting upon these signs will help your puppy connect the lesson with their behaviour and make the training process easier.
Steps for Toilet Training a Puppy
Preparation
Before your puppy arrives, decide on a designated spot for them to go to the toilet. If you have a garden, choose a contained zone; if you’re indoors only, you’ll want to invest in a pet loo. Whether your puppy’s eventual toilet zone will be indoors or outdoors, you’ll want to use puppy toilet training pads, as these will help you guide your pet to the designated area. Your puppy will come to recognise these pads as a ‘safe’ spot for wees and poos, so you can progressively move them closer to the garden if you’re encouraging your puppy to an outdoor toilet zone. Ensuring your puppy knows exactly where they can go to the toilet will help them grasp the foundations of toilet training and streamline the process.
Routine and Consistency
Reinforce the location of the designated toilet area by taking your puppy to this spot consistently – following naps, meals and play, and every hour or so in the early days of toilet training. Once in the designated spot, use a vocal cue like “go wee-wee” and pat the pad or area to indicate where they should go. Being consistent with this approach will be the most effective way to toilet train your puppy.
Positive Reinforcement
If your puppy successfully wees or poos in the designated area, reward them with pats, positive feedback and a treat (if that’s the training approach you’re taking). Positive reinforcement is a crucial step in puppy toilet training, as it rewards the desired behaviour. Be sure your puppy knows they’ve done a great job, so they seek that reward again.
How to Toilet Train a Puppy Inside
Indoor puppy toilet training is not only for apartment dwellers – cases of extreme weather can mean your pet will need to “go” indoors. This is why puppy toilet training pads are a must-buy for all puppy parents, as they offer your pet a designated toilet zone indoors. Ideally, if your home allows it, using the toilet outdoors is the goal, but puppy toilet training pads will help you guide your pet to this spot by moving the pads progressively closer to the zone. Similarly, if you’ve bought an indoor pet loo for your apartment, you can use the pads to direct your puppy to this spot. Once your puppy has grasped their designated toilet zone successfully, you can phase out the puppy pads completely – perhaps keeping a few on hand in the event of extreme weather.
Potty Training Puppy at Night
Night-time toilet training may be a little more difficult, but your puppy will soon learn the basics. To avoid wees at night, limit your puppy’s water intake two hours before their bedtime. Before they settle into bed, take them to their designated toilet spot and use your vocal cues to encourage them to go. In the early stages of puppy toilet training, you’ll want to set alarms at night so you can get up and continue toilet training – potentially three times during the night, before waking up at about 7 am for the early morning wee and/or poo. If your puppy sleeps in a crate, you can use their time in the crate to encourage them to hold their bladder as, instinctually, they won’t want to wee where they sleep.
How to Handle Mistakes
While a toilet accident in the wrong place may be frustrating, it’s essential to remain calm. A negative reaction from you can set your training back significantly and make your puppy scared and confused about the correct behaviour. Rather than scolding your pet, redirect them to the proper spot (especially if you catch them mid-accident). Use your vocal cues to remind them of the designated toilet zone and be extra vigilant for their next wee or poo so you can reinforce and praise or calmly correct the behaviour. Your pet will learn most effectively from patterns, so remain consistent with your response to both positive and negative elements of puppy toilet training.
What Not to Do When Toilet Training
Leading with positivity when toilet training your puppy ensures they not only grasp the concepts but also builds the foundation for your ongoing partnership. You may recall outdated toilet training methods that suggest “rubbing their nose in it” or scolding toilet accidents, but this will only create fear and confusion for your puppy. These negative reactions to toilet accidents will only delay toilet training and can lead to anxiety in your pet, so taking a patient, positive approach is undoubtedly the path to success.
It’s also worth avoiding any cleaning products that contain ammonia, as the scent of these will attract your puppy back to the same spot. It’s best to use enzymatic cleaners instead.
