How To Toilet Train Your Dog

Training a dog to urinate and defecate only outdoors or in acceptable places is not difficult provided that everyone concerned with the dog understands the routine and follows it consistently. If you are training a puppy in a single room or in a crate, place several thicknesses of newspaper in one corner of the room, and put his food and water nearby. A young puppy needs to void urine or feces, or both, immediately after eating, so as soon as he’s finished his food pick him up and put him on or near the papers. When he uses the papers, make a big fuss of him and let him know that he’s done the right thing. If you catch him in the act of voiding off the papers, pick him up immediately and put him on the papers. When he gets it right, praise him lavishly. Don’t ever discipline if you don’t actually see him making a mistake. An animal can’t associate punishment with a past act. And be very careful how you discipline when you’re trying to house-break a dog.

Physical punishment is not necessary; a stern voice is all you need. If you’re too rough you’ll end up with a dog that’s scared all the time. When the puppy is using the paper 100 percent of the time, he is ready to venture out of the confinement area. But even now watch every move until you’re quite sure he’s not going to transfer his attention from the training papers to a corner of your best rug. If you choose not to paper train, be prepared to spend a good deal of time taking the puppy outside. Immediately when he wakes from sleeping, take him out to the area you’ve designated for his use and set him down. If he voids, praise him and make a big fuss about how clever he is. If you take him out to the same place every two hours he should soon get the idea of what you want him to do. If you’re outdoor training a puppy and keeping him in a cage between outings, don’t be disturbed if he voids in the cage. You’ve probably heard that a dog will never soil his sleeping quarters, and this usually holds true for older dogs.