As I’ve already explained two of the key rules to get right with puppy toilet training are;
- Not to punish or scold your puppy unless you catch them in the act
- To praise the puppy directly after they have displayed the right behaviour
But there are more nuggets of information that can help you. I got them from the excellent housebreaking guide book I told you about, obviously I cant give you all their information here but if you are serious about puppy toilet training you can check it out by CLICKING HERE.
In the meantime here are some golden nuggets of dog training advice.
Puppy Toilet Training Tips
One of the main things you need to learn is the pre toilet pattern. All puppies (and even my older dog) have them and they are all very similar. It can include restlessness, head down, lots of sniffing, often going around in circles looking for their favourite potty spot. If you can recognise this you can command the puppy outside before they do the act!
This sort of vigilance is always needed when you are puppy toilet training, there is no way around it.
Using consistent verbal commands really helps in potty training your dog. Use one for telling the puppy that you want her to go outside, I simply use “outside”. It’s really important that the whole family sticks to the same language so make sure everyone is aware of the term you are using.
Only use the “outside” command when it is time for the puppy to go to the toilet. If you are taking them for a walk or a play use another word. It’s important that the puppy knows that “outside” means toilet time.
Use the “outside” communication as more of a command than a question. Eventually the puppy will come to you rather than the door when they need to go.
Having another word to encourage them to actually go can also be helpful. People use anything from “go potty” or “go toilet”, I feel a little embarrassed using those phrases so I just use “do it”.
Remember soon as the puppy has done it praise them, this positive reinforcement really helps set their behaviour pattern for life.
What to Do If There Is an Accident?
As I’ve already said in one of the golden rules you never punish the puppy unless you catch them in the act. If you punish them later they will have no idea what you are punishing them for. Just clean up the mess and tell them “outside”.
Never, ever push their noses in the poop, it does not help. In fact it’s been proven to encourage poor long term behaviour.
If you catch them in the act say no firmly, pick them up and take them outside or to their paper.
If they then go praise them in the normal way.
These are just a few of the techniques I learnt when I used a guide to potty train my older dog and new puppy. If you want to train your puppy quickly I recommend you check out the guide that helped me by CLICKING HERE.
