How To Train Your Dog To Pee Outside

Last Updated on October 3, 2022 by Editorial Team

When you have a puppy, one of the first things you need to do is teach it how to go potty.

It takes persistence and time to teach a puppy (or an older dog) basic dog commands in potty training. Keeping in mind that effective toilet training relies on positive reinforcement rather than punishment is important.

So, how exactly do you teach a dog to potty? A dog that is not potty-trained may have been given to you as an adult.

Training a Puppy to Use the Potty

The first step in potty training is to create a timetable that you and your dog can both adhere to. A repeated term, such as “bathroom” or “potty,” will help your dog learn to identify going to the elimination location with the word. Potty training a dog may be tricky, so here are some pointers to help you out.

What Can Accelerate Potty Train a Puppy?

You’ll have your puppy or adult dog toilet trained if you follow these recommendations!

Making Frequent Trips Out With Your Puppy

Puppies should be put outdoors every two hours, particularly those under 12 weeks of age. When pups are less than 12 weeks old, they are still building the muscles needed to retain their bowel movements in place.

When your puppy is done resting, playing, eating, or drinking, it is good to take them outside.

Stick to Feeding Scheduling

Feeding your dog twice a day is generally suggested. It’s best to stick to a strict feeding schedule. Consistent feeding schedules may help prevent accidents in the home by ensuring that dogs go to the bathroom right after eating.

Use Crate Training to Help Your Dog Learn to Use the Potty

Crate training is an excellent method for teaching your puppy to use the bathroom in a safe and secure environment away from the house. A dog’s instincts will advise them to seek a quiet area to relax and feed at the end of a long day since they are naturally denning creatures.

Crate training your puppy is a great way to ensure that they don’t have accidents in the house, as dogs don’t like to defecate where they sleep or eat. Using the crate as a punishment is counterproductive. Instead, it should be utilized when you can’t keep an eye on your dog or when he needs to nap or sleep at night.

It’s critical for giant breed puppies, which develop quickly, to have the proper crate size. Your puppy should only have enough room to stand, turn, and lie down comfortably.

If you offer your dog extra space, they will be able to relax in one corner and relieve themselves in the other. The partitions in many crates may be changed as your puppy develops.

Always Reward A Positive Behavior

The key to toilet training success is positive reinforcement. Your dog will learn that going outdoors to relieve themselves is rewarded via positive reinforcement.

Your puppy should be rewarded whenever they go outdoors and relieve themselves with praise, food, access to water, or a favorite toy. The incentive should come right after the action for your dog to form a positive connection between going potty outdoors and getting a treat.

Know When Your Puppy Needs To Go Outside

Another critical element in a puppy’s effective toilet training is closely monitoring their every move. The more you learn about your puppy’s cues and signs, the less likely they will make a mess in the home. When dogs need a bathroom break, they may sniff, circle, walk off, whimper, or wait near the door.

Use Leash When Potty Break

When you take your puppy out for a potty break, you should always keep him on a leash. In addition to helping your dog adjust to being on a leash, this practice will allow you to praise them for their positive conduct.

Play with your puppy for a few minutes outdoors after giving him positive reinforcement to prevent him from building a negative association between coming inside and being rewarded.

What Can Slow Down Potty Train a Puppy?

Housebreaking a puppy may be difficult, especially if you’ve heard contradicting advice. Here are some things to avoid.

Crate Training and Potty Training Pads

If you live in a high-rise flat or have restricted mobility, you should not use a puppy pee pad as a replacement for going outdoors. Puppies might get confused about where they are permitted to relieve themselves by using potty pads throughout the home. The process of potty training may be slowed by this and should be avoided if feasible.

Punishment

Punishment as a teaching tool is never appropriate or effective. To “teach them a lesson,” old-fashioned “training practices” included striking a dog with a newspaper or wiping his face in his own feces.

A dog can’t correlate these actions with wrongdoing. On the other hand, punishment instills a dread of the person doing the punishing in your dog. Potty training requires some periods of time and regular feeding schedule.

Dogs that are chastised often become frightened of their owners or other people who attempt to discipline them. In this case, potty training may be an unpleasant experience.

Not Having A Plan In Place

Consistent potty breaks and feeding times might help keep your dog from becoming confused and causing more indoor accidents.

Puppies are a tremendous responsibility, and it’s pet parents’ job to have a regular routine and oversee them as if they were children at all times. Trips to the outdoors are best when they are regular. With each successful elimination outdoors, your puppy’s potty training progresses faster and faster.

How to Train an Adult Dog to Pee Outside

Adult potty training may be comparable to puppy training, depending on the situation. Besides verbal command, adult dogs might need to have their breed behavior taught to contain their feces if not on potty.

It would help if you had a vet check-up on your new pet to make sure they are healthy and do not have any medical issues that might hinder them from being potty trained effectively (eg. urinary tract infection).

One month without an accident in the home often qualifies as potty training for a dog. If you’ve been struggling for more than a month, it may be time to seek help from your veterinarian or a professional trainer.

When accidents happen, please use ammonia-based cleaners to clean up the mess. Enzymatic cleaner also works.

Read also: How To Train Your Dog To Sit

Things To Do To Accelerate The Process

To help your dog link the terms “bathroom” or “potty” with urination, you may say it every time you take your dog outdoors and encourage them to do so.

Here are some additional advices on properly potty training an older dog, so it will have positive experience.

Plan Ahead

For potty training an adult dog outside, follow the same steps as you would for a puppy: create a routine you and your dog can stick to. Please give your dog two meals a day, and around the same potty time each day. Adult dogs typically go to the bathroom spot right after they eat, so establishing a regular feeding, regular amounts of water intake, and frequent bathroom breaks routine may help prevent accidents in the home.

While Potty Training, Keep Your Dog In A Small Area

When house training an adult dog, it’s critical to keep the area they have available to them as small as possible. Crate training or the use of baby gates may help with this. It’s important to do this every time your dog goes outside to relieve itself. If there are no accidents in your home, you can gradually increase the amount of space your kids can play in.

You Can Combine Potty Training With Crate Training

Adult dogs might benefit from crate training as well. The box they’ve adopted as a home is a no-go area for them since, like puppies, they don’t want to eliminate it. Dogs can only stand, turn, and lay down in a kennel that is just big enough for them.

If you are potty training your dog, keep him in his kennel at all times except when you are personally supervising him. The box should never be used as a punishment tool. Puppies may have more difficulty adapting to a crate than adults. If crate training is causing your dog undue stress or anxiety, speak with your veterinarian about your options.

Reward As Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement isn’t only for pups; it’s essential for any dog, even an adult, to successfully toilet train. Your tone of voice influences the success too.

Keep a treat or a favorite toy on hand for your dog whenever they go outdoors to relieve themselves. Like pups, positive reinforcement will teach your older dog that going to the potty spots outdoor is recommended.

It can help your dog associate go outside for the bathroom with a good thing if you give them something to eat right after.

Observe your dog and know when he needs to go outside.

To avoid unwanted home accidents, it is important to learn your adult dog’s medical conditions and cues for when they need to go outside. Whenever an adult dog has to relieve himself, he will behave much like a puppy. He will sit at the door, whimper, walk-off, sniff, or make circles.

Instead of letting your dog out in the yard, take him for a walk on a leash.

If you’re potty training an older dog with health issues such as kidney disease, take him on a leash to the designated elimination location. Thank them for their exemplary conduct and assures them that you are nearby. After giving your dog a positive reward, play outside for a few minutes with him to avoid making a bad connection between going outside and coming back inside.

Final Thoughts

Your dog may get confused if you don’t stick to a regular schedule, resulting in a mess in the home. Remember that it is your responsibility to set and follow a routine for your dog while always keeping an eye on him.

The quicker your dog learns to use the bathroom outdoors, the more effective and pleasant his potty training experience will be. When trained well, going to potty outside will be your normal dog behavior.

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