How to toilet train your puppy
Toilet training your puppy is one of the most important things that you must do when you are welcoming a new puppy into your home. There are likely to be some accidents along the way, but this is normal, and it is not a sign that you are not doing a good job. The key thing about this process is patience, and this is an important quality to bring to so many aspects of your first few weeks of training with your new puppy. We have put together a guide so that you will be able to train your pup to use the toilet successfully and in a stress-minimum way!
Routine
One of the most important things to reinforce is a routine. Take your puppy out in the morning, then at fixed points in the day. Then take your dog out into the garden again at night before bed time. For each one of these trips outside, you should be heading to the same spot. If you are using disposable puppy training pads or newspaper overnight, then you can use them if they have been soiled during the night to reinforce the new habit outside. Take the pads or newspapers and place them outside in the chosen toilet spot and you will be able to create the association in the puppy's mind.
Be supportive and clear
You should make it very clear that this routine is not the same as playtime. For this reason, when you go outside for the toilet routine, you should try not to double the journey up with a quick bit of playtime in the garden with running around, balls and toys. If you do have this kind of activity taking place in the run up to your toilet trip, the chances are that your puppy will get distracted and not even realise that going outside is connected to going to the toilet.
It is important that you are there with your puppy as they are learning. Just as was the case when we spoke of puppies getting distracted with games, if you leave the puppy outside on their own, then they will simply end up getting distracted by wanting to make it back inside to rejoin their favourite human. If you are waiting with your puppy outside for 5 minutes and they have not gone to the toilet, then simply come back inside with them and then head back out together in about 10 minutes time.
Look for the signs
When your puppy has not gone to the toilet and you come back inside with them, you will need to keep a close eye on them. If they are looking restless, circling the room, sniffing at the floor more than usual, or moving to a place in the house that they have already been to the toilet, then this is a sign that you should make a swift trip back outside with your puppy to the toilet spot!
How to manage accidents
Like we said at the beginning it is inevitable that there will be accidents along the way. This is not your fault, nor the fault of your puppy, but merely a part of the process of learning. It is important if and when your puppy does have an accident while toilet training that you do not punish them in any way or speak to them severely. This will only have the adverse effect of scaring your puppies and in turn making them think that they shouldn't go to the toilet when they are with you. If you have seen that they have already had an accident, then merely clean the area up calmly. If you catch them in action, then simply pick up them up quietly and take them outside to the toilet spot so that they are encouraged to finish up in the correct toilet area.