How to potty train a dog?

Teaching your dog how to go to the bathroom will help keep your apartment, house, or garden clean without having to worry about stepping on a surprise when walking.

All dogs can be educated regardless of their age. Training them is not difficult, but it does require time, patience, and dedication.

Click here to learn the best way to train the dog

Choosing the perfect place

Potty training a dog and training him to recognize the designated spot requires repetition, treats, and time to get used to new routines.

The first thing you should do is define a fixed place. Keep in mind that you should not change this place ever again. You must get used to that one place, so you do not have accidents and find feces or urine all over the house or yard.

The place you choose as a bathroom should be separate from the places where your dog plays, rests, or feeds. For no reason can he be near his food plate or bed.

Many dogs have their genetic memory that they must relieve themselves on the grass or the ground so that they may prefer similar substrates in their indoor baths.

What do I need to teach my dog to go to the bathroom?

To potty train a dog, you will need to have your dog’s leash close by to direct him to the designated location to defecate and begin training. Also, make sure you have a supply of special prizes on hand specifically for this purpose. With these elements and the designated point already defined, you are ready to go.

If you are training a puppy, this can take up to six weeks. In dogs that come from another place where they already had a designated place, such as in-house changes or adoptions, this can take a little longer and patience before you get into the new habit.

Each dog is unique and has its rhythm and time to learn, do not be discouraged and keep repeatedly repeating until it succeeds.

You can also help yourself with products that function as health educators, which help your dog identify the authorized area to relieve himself.

TIP:

Reward him, encourage him and treat him every time he has a correct behavior, and if he makes a mistake and does it in the wrong place, just quickly clean him up and go about your day, ignoring the situation.

It is time to train

Now with the essential points of teaching a dog to go to the bathroom, get down to work!

Photo by Samson Katt from Pexels

Mark the place

For this, you will need some poop or pee from your dog. You read that correctly. You will need a small sample that will serve to mark its smell the point designated by you as the bathroom. A small amount is enough.

Introducing him to the bathroom

Put your dog on a leash and take him to his new bathroom. Once at the scene, let him smell and investigate. Accompany this process with a phrase like “go to the bathroom” “to pee.” It will be used as an order and will serve as a reinforcement. Reward him with caresses, and you can even give him a treat while he smells and stands on his new bathroom, and even more so if, by chance, he gets to relieve himself on the spot on this first try.

We are not playing

Please do not play with him while you show him the bathroom, do not allow him to play with the diary and training sheet.

Keep the brand

Until you get into the habit of going to the bathroom, it is advisable to always keep a small amount of stool and urine at that point.

Ensure the other parts of your house or yard are clean and free of odor marks from the stool. To eliminate the smell that may have left in different places, use a little vinegar mixed with water, this will neutralize the aroma, and your dog can focus on the right place.

Repeat

Do this exercise at least three times a day, ideally after you feed him when he is most likely to have the urge to have a bowel movement. Repeat until you notice that he is going alone or when you give him the command “go to the bathroom” or “to pee.”

Reward him

Every time your dog urinates or defecates in his bathroom, treat him like there is no tomorrow. Make love to him, tell him what a good dog he is, you can give him a treat, but without overdoing it. If he does not succeed or is in the wrong place, do not challenge or punish him. Just pay no attention to the matter.

Watch closely

Keep an eye on your dog after meals, after waking up, and after playing. Make sure to take him to his bathroom several times, especially at the beginning of training, so that he begins to understand that this is his specific place to defecate.

Remember that training is based on repeating many times until you achieve the desired behavior, and of course, on positively reinforcing new habits.