Here we explain how to quickly potty train your puppy.
The 3 golden rules of toilet training for puppies
Rule n°1: take your puppy out frequently and at the right times
A puppy cannot hold back his needs for very long because, physiologically, he is not able to completely control his sphincters before the age of 6 to 7 months.
To learn cleanliness as quickly as possible, he must therefore be able to access the outside as soon as he wants to do his business. During the day, it is therefore essential to take your puppy out more frequently the younger it is to speed up toilet training.When it arrives at your home, you should be able to take your little animal out every one to two hours ideally. It is therefore important to take a few days off to welcome your puppy if you work and to call on a "pet-sitter" (friend, family, neighbour, professional) who can take over from you when you resume your work during this learning time.
Among the essential outings, it will be necessary to take it out at "strategic" times such as after its meal, after a play session or when it wakes up from a nap. It is at these times that your young animal will most want to relieve itself.
Rule n°2: take a quiet walk
A puppy's ability to concentrate is very weak so that if you offer him a walk with too much stimulation, he will "forget" very quickly to do his business outside but will not fail to drop his poop on the carpet of your living room as soon as you return to calm.
To avoid this, favor calm walks, far from any source of excitement that could distract him from his "wee goal" .
Rule 3: Reward “good deeds”
On a walk or in the garden, when your puppy finally does his business outside, reward him by warmly congratulating him and/or giving him his favorite treat. By doing so, you will positively reinforce the behavior you want him to repeat, which is to relieve himself outside.
When you praise your puppy, don't hesitate to "crate" it and raise your voice in the treble. Don't be afraid of ridicule, your puppy will only understand much more quickly what you expect of him if you show him your joy in an expressive way!
Potty training: mistakes to avoid
Punishing your pup “after the fact”
Of course, it's never pleasant to find a poo in the middle of the hallway, but reprimanding your pet when you haven't caught it "in the act" is useless! He will not equate the punishment with his "stupidity" . Indeed, the dog is a being that lives in the present moment and punishing it after the fact will therefore have no positive effect on toilet training. Worse still, you could risk damaging your relationship or sending the wrong message to your dog. By arguing with your dog "after the fact" , you are sanctioning the result (poop in the hallway) and not the action (pooping in the hallway). This will therefore not deter him from continuing to poop there but may well persuade him to make his poop disappear by eating it in order to avoid incurring the wrath of his master in the future.
Scolding your dog “too hard”
If you catch your dog 'in the act', don't scold him too hard and, despite popular belief that this is a good thing, never put your pet's truffle in his feces. If you shout too loudly or if you are violent with your pet, you risk damaging the bond that unites you and you run the risk, subsequently, that your pet will go into hiding to go and relieve itself elsewhere in the house. , out of sight.
Of course, it is still possible to say "no" to him firmly (but without shouting) and to carry him so that he can finish his needs outside in order to communicate your disagreement to him.
Clean with bleach
Never clean your small animal's "nonsense" with bleach because its chlorinated smell is reminiscent of that of the components of urine. It could therefore encourage your puppy to relieve himself in the same place!
Prefer other cleaning/disinfectant products.
Use education mats
Training mats, also known as cleanliness mats, have all the wrong good idea. If they make it possible to space out the outings, they do not teach the puppy not to do his business inside your home but to do on a carpet. No wonder your pup then confuses your living room rug with his training rug.
How long does it take to potty train your puppy?
A puppy can only hold back 2 hours during the day at 2 months, 3 hours at 3 months, 4 hours at 4 months until the acquisition of total control of his sphincters which does not intervene before his 6 to 7 months. In other words, it is therefore completely normal for a puppy not to be completely clean before this age.
The "speed" with which it will become completely clean will also depend on you, your involvement, your patience, your kindness and your respect for the rules set out in this article.
In a dog that has become completely clean during the day, it is possible that accidents will continue to occur at night. To make nighttime potty training faster, it is possible to reduce its space by placing it in a puppy park rather than giving it access to an entire room of your home. This may deter your puppy from doing his business in close proximity to where he sleeps.