Teaching your dog to ‘go’ in all the right places

Sometimes housetraining a puppy or newly adopted dog can seem difficult and very frustrating. However, many puppies and dogs can be housetrained in around two weeks, as long as you stick to two basic rules: Provide your dog with as many opportunities as possible to get it right (the more times he is rewarded for going to the toilet in the right place, the quicker he will learn) and ignore any mistakes that he makes during this training.

There are several key times when dogs will need to go the “loo�, such as, first thing in the morning, after meal times and after play times. You will also find that puppies need the loo more often than older dogs. The key to successful house training is to be vigilant and patient. First thing in the morning, take your dog outside, and wait for him to go to the toilet. Then give him lots of praise as he finishes (being careful not to interrupt what he is doing) and give him a treat. Remember, once the business has been done, lavish them with praise for doing the right thing. Take your dog out every hour on the hour through the day, to give him the opportunity to go to the toilet. You will also need to do this after exercise or play and after meals. If he goes to the toilet, praise and reward him and then write down the time of day that he went and what he did. If you keep a note of this every day, you will find that a pattern of when he goes appears.

You can then use this to predict when he’ll need to go outside. Any time that you cannot watch your dog, place him in a safe, comfortable area with something to do, such as a chew toy. You should also put him there when he is sleeping or resting during the day. It is far kinder to put him in his safe area when you cannot watch him, than to tell him off if he goes in the wrong place.

Accidents do happen. However, your reaction to accidents is a critical element of the learning process. Do not rub the dog’s nose in his own mess. You are only telling your dog that you have a problem with poo. This will not make him go outside, but will encourage him to make sure you can’t find the poo next time – so he’s likely to go behind your sofa.

And do not chastise your dog after the event – they won’t know what you’re talking about. Also, if you tell your dog off when he has accidents you will only be bringing attention to them. This can also make it harder for him to go outside in the right places because he won’t want to go in front of you any more.

Make sure that you remove any smells left by accidents, preferably by using a purpose-made cleaner from the pet shop. This will take away any smells and stains. Do not use cleaning products that contain ammonia, as this smells like urine to dogs and will encourage them to use the same spot again. Your dog won’t poo on your precious
carpet on purpose – so don’t make a fuss, clean it up and forget about it. If he is still going in the wrong place, then it may be because you are not watching him carefully enough. If you can’t watch him, he should be in his safe area. It is not fair to let him get it wrong.

Some puppies may be too young to hold it for long, as their bladders may be too small to cope. If this is the case, then you will need to take him out more often until he is a little older and more grown. If a dog has diarrhoea or soft, runny poo and needs to go very often, then you may need to change his food, so that it becomes more solid. Ask your vet for advice about this.

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