As soon as they get home, take them outside show them where they can go and praise them for it. Get off to the right start!

They can hold their bladders for about 1hr per month of age whilst awake so if you want house training to go quickly you want someone to be letting them out at the very least that often, ideally more to begin with. You get +1 every time they go in the right place and -5 every time they go in the wrong place so help them get it right by letting them out frequently and ensuring you are there to praise them for doing so. It’s no good just leaving the door open as you are not there to praise them so how do they know if they are getting it right?

  • If they do go in the wrong place, ignore but as above help create opportunities that they go in the correct place so you can praise them. If you consider you pup a confident pup and they go in the wrong place near the outside, you could gently interrupt them and quickly take them outside so you can praise them for doing it in the right place and get a + point.

  • What goes in on time goes out on time; Work this out so you can praise them as often as possible for going where you want them to.

  • Saying a cue like ‘Do your Business’ half a second before they go can put the behavior on cue to help you encourage them to go when you want.

  • A bit of movement helps the system get going, so for example, after a bit of training or games they are likely to want to go.

  • Their system shuts down at night so, whilst asleep you have longer that they don’t need to pee.

  • Start small; one area for sleeping, one for peeing. Eg crate/pen to sleep, garden to pee. Then the kitchen is a den, garden to pee. Build up to the whole house being the den and outside being for peeing.

  • Make sure you clean soiled areas with an enzyme based cleaner or biological powder to prevent repeat marking.

  • Be patient too, they only got the physical and mental control to be house trained around seven weeks though they started getting control of their bladder around three to four weeks when they should be choosing not to pee where they sleep.

  • You could start to feed outside and then praise when they go.

  • For me puppy pads are a waste of time, it just means you have an extra step between successfully teaching your pup to go outside and you are more likely to fail to take them out as regularly as you should so the whole process will take longer.

HOUSE TRAINING

TOILET TRAINING - REGRESSION

(From Donna.)

You are not alone ......... You have worked hard at toilet training and your dog has been toileting in all the right places and then all of a sudden they are peeing and defecating everywhere?

I know it’s frustrating, you have put in so much work. However, your dog’s brain is still developing and sometimes they forget what you have spent weeks teaching them. But fear not you will get there with them.

Before we start looking at training issues please check your dog isn’t unwell. Is your dog urinating more frequently? Could they have an STI? If you think this may be the case please get them checked out by the vet.

WHAT IS THE TOILETING PATTERN

Does your dog keep going to the toilet in the same spot or very close to it? - if this is the case it is usually because they can sniff out their odour. Using biological powder or enzyme-based cleaner can fully remove your dog’s scent from the space. ( please test patch your carpet etc before using it on the main area) or a cleaner with enzymatic ingredients.

You can also move your dog’s sleeping area to see if they are more comfortable sleeping in different locations. Sometimes where we want them to sleep isn’t as comfortable to them as we think. Maybe light comes through a window and wakes them in the early hours.

HOW MANY TIMES SHOULD YOUR DOG GO TO THE TOILET

Dogs should be able to hold their bladders for between 6-8 hours on average. This control develops over time and just like humans your dog may find that they need to go to the toilet without warning. This can be down to the food eaten, different stimulations and even stress or worry.

You should aim for your dog to go out to the toilet 5-6 times per day.

*Sometimes when your dog goes out for a toilet walk they may forget what they were going out to do as they get excited and all they can think about is play!

If this is the case, encourage your dog to pee by using the find it cue.

WHY DOES YOUR DOG HAVE MORE ACCIDENTS AT NIGHT

Sometimes your dog gets stuck in a cycle and pees at night. This could be because of the time they last ate and the food has caused them to take in water close to bedtime.

You could look at feeding earlier or later to see if this helps.

*Anxious dogs tend to toilet more at night when we aren’t around to watch. This is because when you dog goes to the toilet in the day they are at their most vulnerable.

When we are asleep this pressure is taken off them.

HOW TO GET YOUR DOG BACK ON TRACK

Always use positive reinforcement based techniques. If you punish your dog this can have a negative effect. Remember going to the toilet is potentially something that they cannot control and the more you punish them the more worried they may feel and in return they will toilet more out of anxiety

or stress.

BACK TO BASICS

Take a look at your toileting routine and keep a log of when your dog has had an accident.

Did anything happen that night?

What was the weather like?

Did your dog drink lots of water right before bed? Etc...

ROUTINE IS EVERYTHING

An hour before bedtime start your wind-down routine. Keep everything as calm as possible.

When taking your dog out for their last walk, encourage them to get their nose down so they toilet. Then go back in.

Persistent Elimination Problems,

For persistent elimination problems, or if your dog is eliminating whenever you leave them alone go back to crate training and book a consultation. If your male dog who is entire over 7 months is peeing indoors when you or others are present it may be time to neuter. If your dog is peering whenever a certain person comes over or when you do something book a behaviour appointment.