How to train a dog to go to the toilet on the street

General information

Training a dog to use the toilet is the most important step in education. Any owner feels much more joy and satisfaction from communicating with a four-legged friend, if his pet does not shit anywhere, he does not need to run around with a rag all day and think about how to remove fetid smells from the floor, sofa or carpet. A settled toilet issue is one of the integral components of a good relationship between a dog and its owner.

Teaching a dog to go to the toilet on the street is simple and difficult at the same time. In fact, you need to focus on just two things: preventing flaws at home and praise for the need during walks. The difficulty lies in the fact that you will have to follow the rules every day without breaking the regime, showing restraint, calmness and goodwill towards your pet. The skill should be firmly fixed in the dog's mind so that she is not afraid of the street and does not bring "surprises" with her. To do this, both the dog and the owner must acquire useful habits that will become part of their daily activities.

The scheme below works for both puppies and adult dogs that were not engaged in by past owners, or if for some reason they had a "rollback" in upbringing. At the same time, the following nuances should be taken into account: grown-up dogs may not go to the toilet for longer than puppies, due to the larger volume of the bladder, but in case of a fiasco, cleaning will be more extensive; adults often have to be retrained, and toddlers are a blank sheet, which simplifies the task, since they do not have to first forget old patterns of behavior.

How to find out that it's time to take the puppy outside

In the process of training a dog to use the toilet, ideally you need to take your pet outside every time he wants to relieve himself. There are both standard situations and spontaneous moments that the puppy will try to signal to you. The sooner you learn to understand dog hints, the sooner a four-legged friend will stop dirtying floors and carpets. Look closely at your dog, learn to read its behavior patterns.

The collection contains the most common cases when a dog wants to go to the toilet.

• After waking up.
• The puppy ate or drank.
• He starts to sit down.
• He has just been released from a cage, playpen, aviary, bathroom, small room or other enclosed space.
• The dog gnawed on some object for a long time, and then got up and fell into a stupor.
• The pet has become more active and excited than usual.
• And vice versa, he looks confused, lost, doesn't know where to put himself.
• The dog has moved away from the place where he used to play or rest, sniffing the floor.
• The puppy came to where he was shitting earlier, started sniffing the floor.
• Basically every time he sniffs the floor.
• The dog began to look at the door often or runs around the corridor, as if he wants to leave the apartment.
• She walks from side to side and whines.
• The puppy refuses treats or games.
• When a pet plays for a long time and with passion – especially with other pets or people – he can get so immersed in the process that he forgets about finding a suitable location for the toilet. Instead, the baby will just sit down on the spot when it feels like it. To prevent such an accident, alternate prolonged games with toilet breaks.

Take your pet outside at least every hour when he is active. In the morning and in the evening, you can go out even more often. In the learning process, this is absolutely normal.

Detailed plan for training a dog to use the toilet

Training a dog to use the toilet on the street is a step–by-step process. Fortunately, most dogs try to have a certain place where they relieve themselves, and tend not to shit where they eat and sleep, so dogs are perfectly trained according to the standard plan. First, make sure that you control your pet, that is, he is always in one of three positions:

• on the street, where you are watching him;
• in an apartment/house under your supervision;
• in a closed, relatively small space, for example, in a cage, a playpen or a small room.

Depending on the situation, you should take certain actions. Let's consider each case separately.

1. You are walking your dog on the street.

While hanging out with your pet on the street, you keep an eye on him and, accordingly, you know whether he has done his business before returning home. You can encourage the dog to go to the toilet on the street so that she understands that such actions on her part are correct.

Prepare treats for your pet in advance, they can be hidden in a jacket pocket, trousers or in a bag. Make sure that the treats are really good – for the dog's taste. Just as people want to be rewarded with a piece of cake or a chocolate bar, rather than broccoli, so dogs have their own preferences. For many animals, pieces of low-fat cheese or meat are an excellent reward. Special dry fragrant treats are also very effective – by human standards, they can be compared to cookies. Ordinary pellets of dry food, which the dog already receives every day, may not be in too much demand, like carrots in children.

Find a specific place near the house where you would like the dog to go to the toilet. If at first you bring the puppy to the same corner, then over time he will resort there himself. When you arrive at the selected location, stop and wait until the dog starts to relieve himself. It should be fairly level, but at the same time a secluded space.

The main thing is not to look at the pet closely while he sniffs the ground and "shoots". The animal may take a direct look for your desire to chat or play, so it will not get down to business. If eye contact has already taken place, and the dog is interested in you, or in the alluring smell from your pocket, just look somewhere to the side with your arms crossed over your chest. The pet will quickly lose interest in you and return to exploring the toilet seat.

Wait until the puppy relieves himself. As soon as he finishes, praise him and give him a treat. While the dog is eating, you can stroke him, saying that he is a good fellow, and calling him a good dog.

Positive reinforcement with food is an important component of the dog's toilet training plan, but not all owners know about it. Many give the pet a delicious encouragement when he has already emptied himself and ran back to them. But look at it from the puppy's point of view: in his ideas, he received a reward for approaching the owner. The reward must be received immediately, which means that for the first time you will have to constantly be near the dog on the street, without leaving her. In some cases, it is the moment when the treats are given out that determines whether the puppy will get used to the toilet on the street.

Kind words spoken with an enthusiastic intonation are also very pleasing to puppies, but when combined with praise and encouragement with food, they still learn faster. Some owners don't want to use treats, but it's a really effective tool, so why not use it? Judge for yourself: it's one thing if they tell you at work: "You are well done, thank you!", and quite another – "You are well done, thank you, keep the award!". Over time, when the puppy begins to walk steadily in need on the street, you will begin to give treats every other time, then even less often, and when the process reaches automatism, you will be able to refuse them.

2. The puppy is at home under supervision.

In an apartment or house, you must constantly look after the dog. To do this, you do not need to look at the pet point–blank, without taking your eyes away - so he can get scared. It's enough to look at him with half an eye while doing your own business, for example, making tea or listening to an audiobook. A puppy who finds himself in a new home can be compared to a baby who has just learned to walk. A second is enough for the child to disappear from sight. In the same way, a puppy, previously quiet and calm, may suddenly think about something of his own and run to make puddles. To make it easier to monitor him, you can close the doors or put partitions in the openings, limiting the space for maneuvers to 1-2 rooms. If your dog – small or medium size , then you can fasten her to yourself by tying a leash at the waist, then she will not be able to sneak away until you see.

If you do not look after the dog well, constantly missing the moment when she goes to the toilet, especially at an early stage of getting used to the street, then training can be seriously delayed or completely useless. It is the responsibility of the owner to take the dog out in time to relieve himself. Do not forget, initially the puppy does not realize that it matters a lot to people where he goes to the toilet.

3. The dog is left to himself in a cage or a room.

In those moments when you are busy with your own affairs and cannot fully look after the puppy, you should leave him in a limited area. For this purpose, a playpen, a cage or a small room ready for testing by a dog is suitable. If the space is small, then the probability that the puppy will shit there will be less, because the baby will instinctively try not to dirty the area where he sleeps or eats. In addition, the limited space will not allow the dog to relieve himself in any other places in the apartment, which will avoid the appearance of bad habits, for example, shitting in the kitchen or marking in the hallway.

The presence of a cage for a dog causes conflicting feelings among the owners, however, it should be said that many puppies are comfortable sleeping in confined spaces resembling a den if they have been accustomed to it since childhood. It is advisable to place the cage in the bedroom so that at night the pet feels that you are next to him. If your ward belongs to the number of dogs that do not tolerate a cage, or you simply would not like to use it, then leave the puppy in a small room or in the kitchen, isolating his habitat with a partition. You can also use a playpen in which a bowl of water, a couch and various toys will be waiting for your pet. It should be borne in mind that the arena is suitable only for small dog breeds because animals average and of the big sizes can flip it over and get out.

Make sure in advance that there is a floor covering in the area allocated for the dog, which is easy to clean, then the mistakes that occur at first in almost all puppies will not upset you too much. Whatever you use – a cage, a playpen or a couch – they should be cozy and comfortable for the dog, that is, it's too cold or hot there, and the size allows the animal to sleep comfortably. Make sure that the dog is not near the window, because he may be overly interested in what is happening on the street, and overly worried, or, conversely, frustrated.

In order for the puppy to get used to the cage and perceive it as his safe corner, and not as a trap and a form of punishment, act according to the following scheme.

Step 1. Stock up on treats and throw them inside the cage so that the puppy enters it and eats the bait. If he began to suspect something and is afraid to come in, put the treat on the threshold. Gradually, you will be able to throw pieces of food further and further. The dog should be free to enter and exit the cage whenever he wants. Thus, climbing inside will begin to be associated with the game and encouragement. Do this exercise 3-5 times, repeat several times a day.

Step 2. As soon as the puppy gets comfortable and runs freely into the cage, wagging his tail, it's time to close the door behind him. Start with 2-3 seconds. After a couple of days, put the treat, close the door, then feed the pet through the bars and finally let it out of the cage.

Step 3. Now it's time to leave the puppy in the cage for a longer time. To do this, you can use a Kong-type toy. It is a ball with a hole for feed. The dog will gnaw the toy and periodically take out pieces of food from there, which will definitely interest her more than the cage door. If there is no Kong, you can use other items that the pet likes and usually distract him. When the puppy is busy playing or eating treats, go to another place for half a minute or a minute. Then open the cage door and call the puppy outside. If you practice this regularly, increasing the time intervals, the dog will learn to be calm in the cage.

To make it easier for the puppy to get used to the sleeping place, you can put a towel there on which he slept at the breeder's with his mother, brothers and sisters, or put his T-shirt. In extreme cases, a small soft blanket or a fluffy toy will do.

It is advisable to put a pet in a cage when you see that he is beginning to fall asleep, then it will be easier to develop the habit of sleeping in a certain place. Usually dogs want to sleep after they have run and played enough. They nod their noses or lie down on the floor, as if an internal switch is triggered. If you missed the moment, and the baby managed to fall asleep somewhere in the apartment, gently take him in your arms and put him on the bed. Do it as quietly as you can.

Now you can use the cage both at night and during the day – in those moments when you cannot look after the dog at home and do not walk with her on the street. As for the location of the cage, it is preferable that it is located in your bedroom. At night, the pet will feel your presence nearby, feel your smell, hear your breathing, which will calm him down. The puppy could never spend the night alone with the breeder, so your proximity will make the adaptation faster. During the day, the cage can be moved to another part of the apartment, if it is more convenient. The only thing is that it is undesirable to put it on the aisle, where the dog can often be disturbed by the household passing back and forth.

What should I do if the puppy relieved himself in the cage? Do not worry, clean up so that there is no unpleasant smell and analyze what caused the failure. Was the dog locked up for too long? Did she go to the toilet before you put her in the cage? Maybe her diet or drinking regime has changed? Do you walk with a puppy often enough? Are there any medical problems that do not allow you to maintain sufficient time intervals?

Even if you don't understand why there was an embarrassment, don't get upset. Failures happen to everyone. Any dog can make mistakes several times during the training process. If the situation looks as if the puppy is specifically relieving himself in a cage, move him to another fenced place or a small room.

There are animals that accept a sleeping place prepared for them right away, while others are capricious or afraid when the owners are going to put them to sleep. It is worth dwelling on this in more detail, since it is extremely important to distinguish whether the puppy is whining or barking, because he knows that in this way he will get out of the cage, or he signals that it is time for him to go outside, and his needs cannot be ignored. Most often, you can ignore the puppy's discontent when you have just put him in a cage, and recently he was relieving himself. Many pets go to bed within a few minutes and immediately fall asleep. But if a quiet and balanced baby suddenly started whining in the middle of the night, get up and take him outside to find out if he needs to go to the toilet. See how he will behave in the following nights. If you realize that the puppy does not need to relieve himself, and he wakes you up just to play, then ignore his calls in the future. If he gets into the habit of going to the toilet at night, then every time wait more and more time before going out with him. It is especially worth listening to dogs that start crying at 5-6 in the morning – the probability that they need to go to the toilet is the highest. Try to let the pet out of the cage at the moment when it quiets down, and does not bark, so that the dog does not think that he can achieve what he wants, just by giving a voice. Wait for a pause or make some kind of scary sound yourself, which will confuse the pet and make it quiet, pricking up its ears.

Puppies usually love their cages and get used to them quickly. This place can be compared to a bedroom for a person. But there are also individuals who do not fit this option. When they get into the cage, they breathe heavily, drool, bark with anguish and do not calm down in any way. It will be better for such puppies to stay in a small room. After all, they haven't read articles about how they should love den-like spaces. But this category of pets is in the minority, so do not give up training the dog to the cage if she just fussed there for a couple of minutes. It is necessary to take the puppy outside immediately after opening the cage – otherwise why did he suffer?

Gradually expand the freedom of movement of your dog in the house around the apartment. Spend time with your pet in different rooms, leaving your scent in them, train there or just play.

4. Other situations

They simply don't exist! In the process of getting used to going outside in need, the puppy should always be in one of 3 positions: with you on a walk, under the supervision of the house, or alone in a limited safe space.

Don't make exceptions. If you do not make mistakes, toilet training will be effective and will not take much time. Literally a month of effort – and you will get a comfortable life with a clean dog.

What you need to know about the physiology of puppies

Puppies cannot fully control their bladder until about 20 weeks of age. In this regard, during the waking period, they need to be taken out to relieve themselves approximately every hour. As a rule, males can endure longer than bitches.

If the dog small breed , or she is only 7-12 weeks old, she may need to go to the toilet even more often. Sometimes it happens that especially active, playful, winding circles around the house pets will need to go "on business" within a quarter of an hour after the last promenade.

As for the representatives of medium and large breeds, their bladder is larger, so they can endure longer. For them, there is a way to determine the approximate number of hours how much the puppy is able to restrain himself. To the age of the dog in months, you need to add 1. For example, a four-month-old golden retriever will be able to stay in the cage for no more than 5 hours in a row. This is a general formula, so the time period may vary for different puppies.

Dogs get used to defecating on the street and become completely reliable at the age of 6 months to 3 years, depending on size, gender and individual characteristics.

Metabolism in dogs is most active in two daily intervals: first in the morning, after sleep, and then after lunch and until the beginning of the evening. At these moments, the owner should be on the alert.

It is necessary to bring the puppy to the face immediately after he has eaten or drunk, that is, 1-2 minutes after the end of the meal or water.

It is important to feed the dog at the same time, do not deviate from the regime. In this case, she will walk in a big way like by the clock.

During sleep, the puppy can restrain himself much longer than during the day. He does not need to be woken up and dragged out into the street every hour. But do not think that since the pet has suffered without a toilet for so much time at night, now he will do without frequent walks in the daytime. Dogs, as well as humans, have a faster metabolism when they are on the move. Imagine that you sleep peacefully for 8-9 hours at night, and you do not need to get up to go to the toilet, but it will be very difficult to withstand such an interval during the day.

The most common problem of concern to newly minted dog owners is that the puppy does not go to the toilet on the street, but on returning home relieves himself. If such a trend takes place, study the typical scenarios of your puppy's behavior. It is considered normal if the baby went to the toilet on the street, returned home, and then wanted to go out again after 10 minutes. This is due to his physiological characteristics, he does not do so out of harmfulness. If the baby does not relieve himself on the street at all, he may need a longer walk. In this case, walk together in the fresh air, play a lot, wait a few minutes and, if nothing happens, go home. In the apartment, do not allow the puppy to move freely wherever he pleases. Carefully watch the pet, and it is better to put it in a limited space. After 10 minutes, release the dog and go outside again.

Sometimes puppies don't go to the toilet at all when you take them outside. Repeat the attempts until the result is achieved.

Even if the puppy does "toilet business" on your personal fenced area, it will be useful sometimes to take him out on a leash. So he will get used to it and will be able to go to the toilet on a leash in adulthood. This skill will come in handy if you need to leave your pet with relatives, friends or in the clinic for a while in the future. You can also experiment with different types of surfaces, for example, teach a dog to relieve himself on the ground, grass, sand.

In case of an error, first of all fight with the smell, not the stain. According to dog logic, if something smells like a toilet, then it is a toilet. Household chemicals, cleaning products with ammonia and vinegar can only aggravate the problem. Use enzyme products that neutralize odors. In extreme cases, soda will do.

Be patient, don't punish the dog for mistakes. Mistakes happen to absolutely everyone. Analyze what went wrong and try to avoid similar situations in the future. Don't forget that you are both trying your best!