Training Video: How to toilet train your puppy

Pooch and Mutt's expert trainer, Jon, is here to take us through step-by-step how to toilet train your puppy.

Toilet training is one of the very first things you can teach your puppy, and can start on day one. It certainly takes a lot of determination, patience, and maybe a few accidents, but before you know it your puppy will know exactly where to pee and poop. 

Toilet training your puppy: Top tips

• There are 3 parts to successfully toilet training your puppy. Routine, recognition and training.

• The most important thing to do is create a routine so that your puppy has lots of predictable opportunities to go to the toilet. If they know they will be going out, then they are more likely to hold on.

• Consider setting a regular alarm on your phone so you don’t forget. It will vary on your puppy’s size, but a good start point is every 30 mins. As the puppy gets older and learns to hold on, you can gradually extend this.

• Routine should also involve taking your puppy to the same place to the toilet.

• In terms of recognition, recognise when your puppy is likely to go to the toilet or when it would be a good idea to give them the opportunity to do so.

  Prime times to take your puppy to the toilet are Immediately after they wake up, after they have eaten, straight after play or exercise, and if you see your puppy start to sniff around and circle a certain area.

• When it comes to training, teach your puppy a word associated with going to the toilet. If the puppy understands what we want and is rewarded for doing it, they will learn more quickly.

• Be sure to stay outside with your puppy during toilet breaks. Watch them closely as puppies, especially small ones, can go to the toilet, especially ‘weeing’ very quickly and we don’t want to miss the opportunity to praise them.

• Using puppy pads or even newspaper is a common toilet training method. The idea is that we give the puppy a place to go to the toilet overnight or when we aren’t around to let them out.

• Finally, never scold or tell your puppy off for having an accident. The reality is that it will be human not puppy error.