Training Blog

Puppy and Adult Dog potty training 

A lot of the information that will be shared with you is referenced from Gary Wilk’s website ClickandTreat.com and from my own personal experience. 

To start off potty training is quite like training human children. We reward good behavior like going to the potty with praise and possibly a treat of some kind, tablet time or even with play time. The difference is you can communicate more clearly with a human child. A dog is not a human and nowhere related as such in a mental compacity. Realizing these differences will set you up with success down the line.  

The Kennel 

Most people do not use a kennel with their dogs, and that’s fine. But the kennel is a great tool in using it to help with potty training. A dog usually will not poop or pee where it sleeps, much like us. But using this logic will fail you, when a dog is confined for too long, they will more than likely potty in the kennel. This usually works because when a dog is in its kennel it's more than likely to settle down, lay down or even sleep which slows all body functions to include the bladder. As Gray Wilks says in his blog about Confinement, “A small pup (8-16 weeks) may not be able to hold it for more than about four hours”, (Gray Wilks, 2013). You have a more realistic model to follow. Yes, all dogs are different and may have different response time based on many factors. This can also help in your planning stage for your overall schedule.  

 A dog's age also comes into play; a puppy is going to have less control over the bladder as compared to older dogs. A dog's bladder isn't fully developed until around 6 months. 

DO NOT PUNISH THE DOG 

This is critical, I cannot stress this enough. From my own experience, this isn't the way to go. If you choose to use punishment, I will explain why this is counterproductive: 

• The dog will most likely start going potty in other places in the house. You may have punished for that spot but will choose another one. 

• The dog will not want to go potty in front of you, which is the most common outcome I have experienced this personally.  

• It's extremely hard to time punishment in this stage. Much like with my other methods of using punishment the timing is everything. Not saying it can't be done but it would require a lot of observation and trial and error (more work, with a lot less fruitful results). 

• It's not necessary, once a dog understands where to go it starts to make more sense for the dog. 

Step 1: Creating a schedule 

• Keep notes of what time you are free during the day to take your dog out. If you leave to go to work around 7am take your dog out at 6am. Add time for mild play time and a couple of trips outside before you leave for the day. If you have time to come home from lunch do so, to help increase your chances of getting your dog outside and loosen the bladder with some play time. If someone is home, try and take out your puppy at least every couple of hours (2 hours). This seems tedious but it will set you up to succeed later down the road when we get into other aspects of training. 

• Plan out your meal and water times. Luckly for us we control a lot of what goes into our dog. Plan for 2 meals a day, one in the morning and one in the later afternoon. I usually plan my morning mealtime around 8am, and later in the afternoon around 5pm. This creates a steady flow of nutrients and helps regulate bladder movements.  

• Take note when your dog is likely to go potty. Every single time your dog goes poop or pee take a mental note or write it down on a calendar with a time stamp. This will help you start to understand when the dog is likely to go potty. This has helped me when I brought home my puppy Kiku but also with my 2-year-old German Sheperd (GSD).  

• Now you can put all these main points into a workable schedule for you and your dog, combining your own observations, work schedule, and mealtimes you can start to see your puppy or adult dogs' day gets a little more organized.  

• Example 

• 0600-Meal Time 

• 0615-potty and play time 

• 0645-potty 

• 0700-Leave for the day (kennel or free roaming your choice of comfort level) 

• 1100-potty and playtime 

• 1145-potty 

• 1600-potty and playtime 

• 1645potty and playtime 

• 1700-Meal time 

• 1730-potty 

• 1900-potty and playtime 

• 2200-potty 

• 2230- (Kennel or free roaming your choice of comfort level) 

• This is just a mock schedule and will change according to your own needs. Adding playtime can be substituted with a walk if you choose. 

Step 2: Clicker training for a job well done 

• To increase a behavior that will most likely be repeated, like potty training we need to give a signal so the dog can make an adequate connection to an event. The clicker makes a sharp sound when pressed, alone this means nothing to a dog much like every other word that comes out of our mouths.  

• 1st click and give your dog a treat, do this several times. This is how we will pair the sound with something pleasant so the dog can make a connection to the sound with a reward. 

• Next take your dog outside to go potty and wait for the dog to go. Wait patiently, if you need to walk the dog around do so, this will help the dog get its bladder moving. Once the dog has started peeing/pooping, don’t move. Wait for the last drop of pee and the last log of pop, once the dog has emptied its tank, click and offer a reward. You're going to repeat this process many times. 

• This method can be applied with older dogs as well, not just with puppies. This builds a behavior you're going to want to have with your dog. Be patient, it's going to take a little time and practice but I'm confident you can succeed.  

Failures 

This is one of the most common troubles people have with their dogs. It's okay if they fail, they will learn with time. When you combine all these things together, you'll have success and start to see the changes. If they have an accident, don’t stress about it. Clean up messes as calmly as possible, remember they are still learning.  

Also, monitor their diet and keep an eye on their poop. As I learned recently, sometimes there can be medical related issues, like an infection or illness. If these problems come up, speak to your vet and they can make a judgement on if what you're experiencing is medical related. Take them in for a checkup if advised.  

Sometimes diet has a lot to do with issues relating to diarrhea. If you change your dog's diet too often, their system may not have adjusted properly. So, transition slowly if you wish to change their diet. If diarrhea symptoms continue call your vet.  

Remember this is one of the easiest things you'll learn how to do, but with any type of training the simplest things to do can be the most difficult. Keep your head up and keep at it, they will understand with time. Be patient, you got this and after this stage of training is over everything else will be easier.  

Special Thanks: 

I'd like to thank Gary Wilks for the knowledge. He has been a great influence on me and how I understand and has improved my training over the years. Check out his website for blogs and tons of information that can also help your training game. 

References: 

Wilkes, G. (2017, September 26). Gary Wilkes’ real clicker training. Gary Wilkes Real Clicker Training. https://clickandtreat.com/wordpress/?p=2287