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Housetraining a puppy requires time and patience. Following the
guidelines below, you can minimize house soiling incidents, but every
puppy will have one or more accidents in the house – it’s part of
raising a puppy. The more consistent you are in following the basic
housetraining procedures, the faster your puppy will learn and it may
only take several weeks not months!
Routine! Routine! Routine!
Like babies, puppies do best on a regular schedule. They don't
understand English or read but they do pick up very quickly patterns
of events and what to expect. Take your puppy outside frequently, at
least every two hours, and immediately after he wakes up from a nap,
after playing and after eating. Praise your puppy lavishly every time
he goes to the toilet outdoors and give him a treat immediately he
performs so he understands exactly what the praise is for. The praise
if for toileting outdoors not for walking back to the house!
Choose a location not too far from the door to be the bathroom spot.
Always take your puppy directly to the bathroom spot and take him for
a walk or play with him only after he has gone to the toilet. If you
clean up an accident in the house, take the soiled rags or paper
towels and leave them in the bathroom spot. The smell will help your
puppy recognize the area as the place he is supposed to eliminate. You
can train your puppy to empty on command by using a word or phrase,
like "wee wee's" when he is actually in the process of eliminating. He
will eventually associate the word with going to the toilet and you
can use this as a command to request he goes empties himself at a tie
that is convenient to you both - always handy before car trips!
Keep your puppy on a regular feeding schedule as feeding your puppy at
the same times each day will make it more likely that he’ll need the
toilet at consistent times as well. This makes housetraining easier
for both of you.
Be Watchful
Don’t give your puppy an opportunity to soil in the house. Watch his
behaviour at all times when he is indoors and for cues he is thinking
of needing the bathroom such as sniffing around or circling. When you
see these signs, immediately take him outside to his bathroom spot.
Use your chosen cue words and if he goes, praise him lavishly and
reward him with a treat.
Crate Training
When you’re unable to watch your puppy at all times, place newspapers
at the farthest point from his sleeping area as dogs will always
eliminate as far away as possible from where they sleep. If this is by
the doorway that you let him in and out of place the papers to the
side so that if he jumps at the door to greet you he doesn't cover his
feet in it! If he has used the papers, say nothing, just dispose of
them - if he hasn't take take him straight to this toilet spot in the
garden and when he does go praise him lavishly.
Oops!
Puppies will have accidents until they learn to control their bowels -
it is a learnt bodily function and not something they are born with.
As they get older they will learn to control and anticipate the need
to go to the toilet.
When you catch your puppy in the act of soiling in the house, do
something to interrupt him, like make a startling noise or call his
name (be careful not to scare him). Immediately take him to his
bathroom spot, praise him and give him a treat if he finishes going to
the toilet there. If you find a soiled area, it’s too late to correct
him. Do nothing but clean it up. Rubbing your puppy's nose in it,
taking him to the spot and scolding him, or any other punishment or
discipline, will only make him afraid of you or afraid to go to the
toilet in your presence. Animals don’t understand punishment after the
fact, even if it’s only seconds later. Punishment will do more harm
than good.
Cleaning the soiled area is very important because puppies are highly
motivated to continue soiling in areas that smell like urine or
faeces.
It’s extremely important that you use the supervision and routine
procedures outlined above to minimise the number of accidents. If you
allow your puppy to eliminate frequently in the house, he’ll get
confused about where he’s supposed to eliminate which will prolong the
housetraining process.
Other Types Of House-Soiling Problems
If you’ve consistently followed the housetraining procedures and your
puppy continues to eliminate in the house, there may be another reason
for his behaviour.
Medical Problems: House soiling can often be caused by physical
problems such as a urinary tract infection or a parasite infection.
Check with your veterinarian to rule out any possibility of disease or
illness.
Submissive/Excitement Urination: Some dogs, especially young ones,
temporarily lose control of their bladders when they become excited or
feel threatened. This usually occurs during greetings, intense play or
when they’re about to be punished.
Territorial Urine-Marking: Dogs sometimes deposit urine or faeces,
usually in small amounts, to scent-mark their territory. Both male and
female dogs do this, and it most often occurs when they believe their
territory has been invaded.
Separation Anxiety: Dogs that become anxious when they’re left alone
may house soil as a result. Usually, there are other symptoms, such as
destructive behaviour or vocalisation
Fears Or Phobias: When animals become frightened, they may lose
control of their bladder and/or bowels. If your puppy is afraid of
loud noises, such as thunderstorms or fireworks, he may house soil
when he’s exposed to these sounds.
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