Puppy Toilet Training

Puppy Toilet Training

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How To Toilet Train A Puppy

Would you like to learn how to toilet train a puppy? Puppy toilet training doesn’t have to be difficult!  With careful management, supervision and routine, you can set your puppy up for toilet training success from the moment you bring them home.  Read on to learn more.

1.      Manage Your Puppy’s Environment

The first step is to carefully manage your puppy’s environment so that they are unable to toilet in areas that they shouldn’t.   Until your puppy is toilet trained, they should either be with you where you can supervise them 100% of the time, in a puppy-proof long-term confinement area such as a laundry or a play pen which has a toilet area, bed or crate, water and chew toys when you are unable to supervise them or in their outdoor toilet area which is close to the exit, under cover if possible and separated off from the rest of the yard with a playpen.  The outdoor toilet area should be big enough that they can pee at one end and poop at the other.  Until you can fully trust your puppy, close doors and use baby gates to prevent your puppy from accessing areas of your house and pick up rugs and mats as puppies often find these tempting to toilet on.  You may also decide to use a crate to assist your puppy with toilet training, however ensure you understand how to teach your puppy to love their crate before using it.

2.      Supervision

Toilet training mistakes often happen when we take our eye off our puppy, even if just for a brief moment so it’s important that you closely supervise your puppy.  If your puppy isn’t in their long-term confinement area or their toilet area, a great idea is to have them attached to you with a leash or relaxing beside you on a mat or bed so you know exactly where they are and what they are doing.  Learn to read the signs that your puppy is about to toilet – look for sniffing the ground, circling, inability to focus, irritability, moving away and squatting.  If you see any of these signs, quickly scoop your puppy up and take them to their outdoor toilet area.

3.      Routine

Puppies can generally hold their bladder for their age in months plus one, for example a two-month old puppy can hold their bladder for 2-3 hours, although this varies for each puppy.  Teach your puppy to hold their bladder through using a crate and provide plenty of opportunities for your puppy to toilet in their outdoor toilet area by taking them directly to the toilet area every hour on the hour, immediately after eating, drinking, sleeping and playing.  Quietly wait with your puppy in their outdoor toilet area until they toilet.  Each time they toilet and while they are toileting, add your verbal cue such as ‘Toilet’ or ‘Busy, busy’ so you can ask them toilet on cue when they have made the connection.

4.      Rewards

Immediately after your puppy has finished toileting in their outdoor toilet area, reward them with lots of verbal praise and 3-4 pieces of high value food, such as roast chicken or something else that they love and don’t often get.  Make a big deal out of it to let your puppy know how happy you are!

5.      Avoid Punishing Your Puppy

Avoid punishing your puppy for toilet training mistakes – this includes telling your puppy off or any other forms of verbal or physical punishment either in the moment or after the fact.  If you punish your puppy, they don’t learn that they shouldn’t toilet inside – instead, they learn not to toilet in front of you, which makes things difficult when you are waiting for them to toilet in the appropriate area. 

6.      Common Mistakes

If your puppy is toileting in areas they shouldn’t, tighten up on your management and supervision.  Ensure you are taking your puppy out to their outdoor toilet area often enough as puppies would much rather stay with us than go to their toilet spot alone!  Puppies often don’t completely empty their bladder when they toilet so avoid bringing them back inside without supervision as they will sometimes either toilet as soon as you put them onto the ground or move away to find a spot to toilet. 

If you would like some help toilet training your puppy then contact us for a private in-home puppy consultation or join our comprehensive fun and informative Puppy Pre-School programme where we can help you resolve your toilet training issues and set your and your puppy up for success!

 
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We had been to previous dog training classes elsewhere with our older dog and found that it didn’t quite deliver on what we hoped - especially given our older dog’s needs. When we adopted George we did more research on puppy training and wanted someone who specialised more in this area. We are so glad we picked Kelly and her team! We booked the drop-in puppy sessions - she has a 5 for 4 deal, and found George has benefited so much, we even booked a 6th class, which would then lead us into the silver training, which will also be run by Kelly - this is how pleased we are with Kelly and her team! We wanted to ensure George was well socialised, meaning he learns how to interact appropriately with other dogs and also that he builds a stronger bond with us - thank you Kelly for helping us achieve this! George was reactive (barking) at other dogs when we arrived and immediately Kelly approached and gave us instructions/advice on how to help manage this behaviour. Within a few minutes he was responding really well to the advice Kelly gave us. We noticed each session, an improvement in his reactivity, he now greets dogs very politely and doesn’t react negatively in any way. We highly recommend these classes for socialisation and picking up the basics you need to know - wait/stay, eye contact, on and off lead meet and greet, settling - all of which we think are vital building blocks to our dog being an awesome and very good boy! The bonus about these puppy classes is that it’s not only Kelly but a team of people, where Kelly is able to specifically assist with any of you and your dogs needs, providing her professional advice. Kelly and her team of trainers are approachable and all make the effort to get to know you and your puppy. The thing we loved most is that you learn more about how to understand and read your dog better, picking up on their needs and what’s best for them. If you want to learn how to read dog body language, and have plenty of opportunities ensure you understand/learn how to socialise your dog than we highly recommend Kelly and team!

“We tried a traditional puppy class at first but was disappointed with the lack of socialisation. We switched to Waggle Tails and the difference was COLOSSAL. My puppy experienced quality puppy plays in a safe environment and together with Kelly’s online training modules for the hoomans, has moulded her into a confident and happy puppy who is now smashing it out at our local dog park. We travelled from Safety Bay to Osborne Park (55km) to attend these classes because the benefits of investing in the right training is everything and Kelly’s model was the best I could find. I have no enrolled in the online Ultimate Dog Programme for further training. Honestly people, Kelly’s amazing! Her doggo knowledge is next level.” (Louise Power, Perth, WA)

“The Ultimate Dog programme was very thorough and provided us with a lot of useful and interesting information, training tools and resources that we can keep referring back to. I am now more aware of what Windy’s behaviours mean, how to manage them for his benefit (and mine!), how to enrich his days and how to assist him to be a calmer, more well mannered dog. I’d highly recommend the Ultimate Dog Programme to other dog owners.” (Elissa Mehegan, Perth, WA)

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“Not only did the Ultimate Dog Programme calm my very excitable Staffy Cross, Elissa - it also helped me immensely in understanding her. I cannot recommend Kelly enough.” (Carole Dougans, Perth, WA)

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“I have no hesitation in recommending Kelly as a highly skilled trainer. What Kelly has been able to achieve with Jake (and me!) has been nothing short of miraculous. Jake came to me as a rescue dog - a loving but boisterous chap. Kelly taught me how to handle Jake and has given me a much better understanding of dogs in general. Jake and I have a become a great team, he is wonderful companion and I feel confident with him.” (Ann Morrison, Christchurch, NZ)

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“Having met Kelly was a true blessing for me, my classes, my private training and my work with my own dogs. Kelly’s educated clarity on training topics has brought my understanding of training to a new level which I am incredibly grateful for.” (Lisa Sturm, Sit Happens, Christchurch, NZ)

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“I had the pleasure of working with Kelly when she volunteered at the shelter where I am an Animal Care Specialist and Behavior Tech. She is extremely reliable and helped many of our dogs learn not just manners, but tools of which to rehab dogs with behavior problems. She was a key factor in multiple dogs finding their forever homes through our program. I recommend her services to anyone and everyone! She is not only an amazing trainer, but an amazing person.’’ (Atalie Michelle Walding, Friends for Life Animal Rescue and Adoption Organisation, Texas, USA)

“Kelly is absolutely amazing! After our first Ultimate Dog Programme session we have already started to see huge improvements with our girl. Kelly teaches you to reward with positive reinforcement and be kind and caring at all times when training your dog and proves there is no need to be dominant or forceful towards your dog. She also provides a heap of resources that are super useful, plus her sessions are a great place to meet other dogs/dog owners.” (Lucy Cole, Perth, WA)

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“Kelly is an amazing trainer, with huge amounts of knowledge. She also places an emphasis on a gentle, kind, scientifically based approach to training, which is evidenced by her continuing education. I have watched Kelly in action many times and I have always been impressed by her calm, gentle approach and true affinity with dogs and puppies.” (Julie Best, Best for Pets, Christchurch, NZ)