By nature, dogs are very clean animals and will not eliminate where he/she eats or sleeps. Dogs are also creatures of habit and naturally develop habits of where and when they like to eliminate. If you repeatedly get your dog to eliminate on grass or dirt, unless they have no other choice or they are feeling sick, they will not eliminate on concrete or gravel (or carpet and hardwood flooring). With this in mind, you can quickly develop your dogs natural tendencies into successful dog house training (or toilet training).
Unfortunately dog toilet training isn’t always that easy. Busy lifestyles and work schedules makes it difficult to spend time with your puppy (or dog) and help him/her develop the necessary habits of wanting to be outside to eliminate rather than on your carpet. Another issue is bladder size. If you’re hoping to dog toilet train your puppy, you have to realize that puppy’s have small bladders and can not hold anything for very long. They are also at a critical time in their lives in which everything is new and exciting, and learning to control their bladder is still a challenge.
Establishing The Den
No one said dog house training was going to be easy! If you’re dog doesn’t take to going outside naturally (yes, some dogs will do this almost flawlessly from the very beginning), then there are steps you can take to make changes before this bad situation becomes a bad habit.
By nature, dogs are cave dwellers and will never eliminate in their dens. So, it only seems logical to help teach your dog that your home is his/her den. It’s important to start off small. First confine your pet to a small room, such as a bathroom or a kitchen. Try to spend as much time as you can in the den with your dog. It’s important that your dog eat, sleep and play in this area to help establish the area as his/her den. Also give the dog a bed or crate. Accidents will happen and it’s very possible that he/she will eliminate here but once the den has been established, they will want to move away from the area to do their dirty business. Once your dog gets used to sleeping in his/her own bed, you’ll be able to move it around the house to where ever you are.
Establishing The Toilet Area
Once you start to identify signs that your dog needs to eliminate, you’re on your way to achieving successful dog toilet training. It’s easy to set a schedule for everything. If your dog eats on a specific schedule, it will be easier to guess when your dog will need to eliminate since they typically have to go soon after they have eaten. Every time you see the signs that your dog needs to eliminate, quickly take him/her to the toilet area. During the elimination process and afterwords, praise your dog on a job well done. A easy way to effectively praise your pet for a “job” well done is to reward them with your happy voice, a good scratch behind the ear, or dog training treats. Ultimately your dog wants confirmation from the alpha dog… which is you. By praising your dog, you are giving your dog positive reinforcement of a particular action. If he/she knows that going potty outside is good, then he/she will want to get outside everytime to do so.
Once your dog starts to eliminate consistently within the toilet area and not in his/her den, you can start extending the den to outside of a single room.
Possible Issues
If your dog continues to soil the den:
- You may have left your dog too long in that area or the area is too large. Try increasing the frequency of going to the toilet area and/or reducing the size of the den (a smaller room perhaps).
- You may have given him/her too much water. Most dogs will drink excessive amounts of water out of habit or boredom. Try giving less water or increase the frequency of going to the toilet area.
- If the accidents typically happen at night, remove the water dish after a set time (like 8pm). If your dog looks overly thirsty afterwards, try going him/her an ice cube.
If you’re having issues with toilet training your pet, you can also try checking out a dog training book to help assist you. They usually cover toilet training as well as the basics for many other tasks and tricks.
Good luck with your dog house training!
