top of page
Search

Potty Training 101

allegiantk9s

Let me first say, you do not need a trainer or behaviorist to help you with potty training :) You simply need this blog.

 

Whether you just got a new puppy, rescued an adult dog or have had a dog for years that is all of a sudden having accidents in the home, one thing is for sure: you want to make sure your 4-legged buddy is potty trained!

 

I have dog owners that call me quite frequently about potty training issues: everything from new puppies to adult dogs. I've had dog owners with dogs that can be outside for an hour and never relieve themselves and then the minute they come back in the home they urinate or defecate. I've had dog owners swear, "My dog is doing it because he is mad at me!" I've had other clients tell me, "He has not had an accident in the home for years... and now he has them all the time. Why???"

 

Simply put: your dog is having potty accidents in the home for 1 or more of the following reasons:

 

1. It has not yet learned where it should and should not relieve itself: Common with puppies or maybe a rescued/adopted adult dog that was never properly potty trained.

2. It has had enough accidents in the home that it has become a learned behavior.

3. Something has changed in the dog's life or environment (a new baby in the home, owners moved to a new home, another dog has been added to the family, etc): a stressor has been added

4. The dog has a biological health issue (UTI, diseases like Cushing's or Kidney disease, etc)

5. The puppy/dog is not getting an adequate number of potty breaks throughout the day.

 

Here are some tips and strategies to getting your dog's potty training (regardless of age ) under control:

 

#1.) Plenty of potty breaks (especially for puppies)  LOTS of supervised potty breaks (at least 4 a day for adult dogs and 6 for puppies): go outside with your dog and immediately after your dog relieves itself throw it a "party:" Lots of praise, treats, touch, affection, etc. Really let your dog know it did an awesome job!


#2.)  Rule out Health Issues: If it is an adult dog that has been potty trained for years but is suddenly having accidents again, then its a good idea to rule out health issues by a simple Vet visit.

 

#3.) Micromanaging (for a while):  Use a crate and NO free roam in the home.... for a while... maybe a few months. This is a must. This will set your puppy/dog up for success with potty training. This will NOT be forever but it is absolutely necessary to get the dog on the right track with the right behavior. Assuming your puppy/dog is no longer having accidents in the crate, then this method is just about fail-proof:


Crate: Make sure it is an appropriate sized crate: too small is stressful and unfair to the dog and too large will open up options for the dog relieving itself in the crate in one corner and then laying down farther away. While very young puppies may still have some accidents in a crate once in a while, it is uncommon for puppies 5+ months old and adult dogs to have recurring accidents in their crates (assuming they are having several opportunities for potty breaks outside throughout the day).

 

No Free roam in the home (not forever.. for a while): Either no roaming in the home at all or the puppy/dog is ON leash with you in the home when it is out of it's crate. This will make it very difficult for your puppy or adult dog to fail and very EASY for your puppy/dog to be successful. This is done with no free roam in the home (or puppy/dog on leash with you) until the puppy is fully potty trained and/or the adult dog has re-learned/reshaped the correct behavior (going potty outside). I know this sounds like a major pain in the butt and it is, but... it is very well worth it. Keep in mind this will not be forever. This will be temporary... until you shape the proper behavior: going potty outside. You basically have 2 options here with using a leash or no free roam at all when dog is not in it's crate:

 

Option #1: Use a leash: the dog comes in the home from being outside and you put a leash on the dog immediately. Where ever you go in the home... the dog goes too. The dog is basically tethered to you 100% of the time when moving around inside the home. Then use common sense- if your dog is demonstrating any peculiar behavior- take it outside! If you are not in the mood to play tethered dog trainer or are too busy to have the dog with you... put the dog in it's crate.

 

Option #2: No roaming the home at all: The dog comes in from being outside and goes directly into the crate. When let out of it's crate the dog goes directly outside. We are attempting to break the pattern and make it easy for the dog to be successful and virtually making it impossible for them to fail. By doing this, you are basically eliminating the option of the dog relieving itself in the home. The dog goes straight from the crate to outside for exercise and/or a potty break and then right back in the crate. I know this may sound rough on the dog, but if the dog is getting proper exercise & stimulation every day, whether it be a 3 mile walk, play time in the yard, a trip to dog daycare, games of fetch in the yard, or a long bike ride, the dog will be just fine :) Again, if you don't do this, then the dog has the option to relieve itself in the home again (and it only takes a few seconds of you taking your eyes off the dog before you realizing it is urinating or defecating in the home again)...furthering the dog's bad learned behavior of going in the house. Make it almost impossible for the dog to fail. Over time, you can slowly start to give your dog intervals of free roam in the home.

 

#4.) Clean up any accidents in the home as well as possible. The dog being able to smell previous urine or feces on the home floor is a cue to the dog that is OK to go there again :/ Yikes! Carpet is really bad for reinforcing potty accidents for dogs because it is so challenging to truly clean. Steam cleaning helps.

 

#5.) Lots of exercise outside the home. All that stimulation and movement gets the bowel movements going and at some point: the dog will have to go. Plus, with all the crate time, we need to be fair to our dog- Make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise and fun!

 

#6:) Evaluate your own life and your dog's life. Has anything changed that could be causing undue stress on your dog? New home? New family member or pet member? Stress at the workplace? The smallest changes can really impact dogs in peculiar ways. If you suspect that your dog is going through some stress, then all of the above suggestions still apply. And one of the best ways to alleviate stress: EXERCISE! Your dog doesn't need you to feel sorry for it. Get out and do something FUN with your dog! Get back to basics. Get back to CALM energy in the home and get back to routine for your dog :)

 

#7.) Generally speaking, I do not recommend punishing your dog for accidents in the home, especially young puppies. Chances are if you were to try to use punishment you'd be too late with timing. As we all know, dogs understand the "now," so punishing your dog for something it did 4 or 5 seconds ago (let alone 4 or 5 minutes or hours ago) will most likely confuse and/or frighten your dog. You also want to make sure that your dog doesn't think "going to the bathroom" is wrong. The act itself is never wrong (the location can be wrong...to us humans that is).

 

#8.) As your dog continues to do well, you can start to give it more roam/freedom in the house but I would highly recommend supervising your dog closely. And when you do start to give your puppy or dog more free roam in the home SET IT UP FOR SUCCESS by getting your puppy or dog a good exercise session (long walk or hike, long game of fetch, etc) BEFORE giving it more free roam in the home.


Within time, you should have a puppy/dog that is completely potty trained but it is going to take some micromanaging for a while.

 

 

 

Dave Meyer

Allegiant K9s

10 views0 comments

Opmerkingen


Contact

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Email:     Allegiantk9s@gmail.com

Phone:    704-359-7878

Special Notes:

  • Please read about Dave's Training Philosophy and Tools before submitting the Contact Form - all explained on this website.

​​

  • Dogs must be at least 5 months old & updated on vaccinations before beginning training.

Thanks for submitting!

bottom of page