Toilet training can be messy – it’s simply a fact of life.
When you get a puppy, one of the things that you’ll very likely have to deal with is them getting a bit of wee on the floor.
However, according to a survey of 2,000 UK adults conducted by puppy training coaching app Zigzag, an unsettling 59% of UK dog owners identified ‘peeing on the floor’ as a behavioural issue – when it’s actually just a perfectly normal part of puppyhood.
It’s very important that people are aware of this, given that over a quarter (27%) of dog owners would consider giving up their puppy if they displayed behaviour mistakenly identified as ‘problematic’ for their age.
With that being said, it’s also essential to train your little buddy out of that behaviour with time, which is why Lorna Winter, Director of the UK Dog Behaviour and Training Charter and co-founder and head of training at Zigzag, has shared her top tips for teaching puppies how to stop seeing on the floor.
Go outside a lot
You’ll want to take lots and lots of trips to the garden.
‘You should be going outside with your pup often,’ says Lorna.
‘As often as every 30 minutes is advised.’
This will minimise the opportunity for accidents and give you ample opportunity to praise them when they do their business where they should.
Be prepared to go back and forth
You can’t expect your pup to be focused on, well, anything for an extended period of time – and for a time, that will include their own bodily functions.
‘Remember,’ Lorna tells us, ‘the outside can be extremely distracting and often your pup will swap playtime for pee time.
‘As a result, they might still need to pee once returning inside, be prepared to make a swift exit back outside.’
Never get angry over an accident
Getting mad at your dog is not the way to go here – after all, they’re not intentionally misbehaving.
Lorna says: ‘Never tell them off for having an accident.
‘This doesn’t help your puppy to learn it’s wrong and can have the opposite effect as it can delay the toilet training process.’
Stay consistent
Keeping rules and praise consistent is key to most puppy training.
‘Consistency is the secret to success,’ says Lorna.
‘Keep watching your pup for signs they need to go out. They may also develop pee patterns which will help you predict the need better.’
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