When you get a tiny pup home, everything changes. You’re no more the sole planner of how your day would go; your priorities change, and responsibilities add up. Pet parenting isn’t easy, and it’s certainly not just about having a good time with your puppy during its good mood phases. And all the love and bonding that you feel while cuddling and playing with it has to be balanced with strong discipline and everyday training. Because only then will you be able to nurture a small, naïve and unmanageable pup into an obedient and self-dependent one. Teaching them how to follow your command to sit, stand and fall down at a mock gun sound is still easy, but toilet training puppies is one of the biggest speed bumps down the road.

Without proper dog toilet training, you would end up in messy situations every day, ones that none of us would like to get our hands in (even with gloves on). Setting up a regular routine of toileting is an important element of puppy training that must be executed during the initial days of bringing pets home. And this might have taken forever for your amateur friend, but you can master the art of establishing your pet’s toileting behaviour with the right guidance, and that too, in only about seven days. So, if you have been looking for some effective tips for pet toilet training in NZ, Tinytails has got you covered. Keep on reading!

1.   Mark A Designated Area

This is probably the first step in the tedious process of puppy toilet training. Only after choosing the area you want your pet to toilet in, can you train your dog to see it as a safe place to relieve itself. For starters, you can pick a puppy training pad, or simply put a grass mat on your deck as these safe zones would be easy and quick to reach for your little pup in time of need.

2.   Wrap Your Head Around Its Toileting Routine

It’s all about making them come out of their crate. Predicting rough estimates for how long your pup can hold up in one go is an essential part of puppy toilet training. Plus, you can take them to the toilet area every time they wake up, eat, drink, or resume after a long playtime or walk. While at it, remember to use some particular words like ‘wee-wee’ or ‘tinkle’ to tell your pup it’s time to empty its bladder.

3.   Let Them Know Who’s the Boss

It’s their bladder, and there is very less control known in the animal world because it’s after all ‘nature’s call’. But to avoid frequent accidents around your house, it’s better to start taking them to your defined pet toilet area on a leash. Otherwise, they can repulse from relieving themselves whenever they are on a leash, like on a stroll. While toilet training puppies, leash should be established as an acceptable behaviour.

4.   Watch for Full-Bladder Signs

Even if you are pretty good with dog training, the initial days of bringing a pet home would be full of mess. To keep it to a minimum still, pet experts advise to keep checking for some signs that imply that your pup needs to pee or poop. These signs include restless whining, sniffing the ground, nervous circling, or hopping on to a place with no audience. So, if your pup is acting strange in these ways, take it to the chosen area, and be patient till it completes its business.

5.   Adopt Both Negative and Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement works best in a pet’s most impressionable years, just like a human toddler. Rewarding your pup whenever he does something good or follows your command is a great way to foster favourable behaviour, including toileting in the right place all by itself. You can offer quality treats as a reward, so that it feels encouraged to repeat its set toileting behaviour every day. On the other hand, if it creates a mess for you despite your training, putting up a little act of scolding could be effective. When you are practicing this part of toilet training puppies, remember to use short sentences. For instance, rather than saying ‘what did you do?’, say ‘bad boy’ with a pointed finger.

6.   Stock-Up Poop Bags with A Dispenser

Nesting phase in humans come naturally when they conceive a child, but with dogs, it might not always come so effortlessly. Natural or induced, you have to be prepared with the stock of right products from day one of bringing a pup home. So, if you are practicing pet toilet training in NZ, remember to stock up some good quality pet poop bags and a poop bag dispenser. Tinytails has a premium range of poop bags and dispenser that are not just sturdy, but perfectly compatible with each other and regular dog leashes. After poop time, you can also ensure optimum hygiene and skincare with our organic pet wipes and pet paw balms.

Summary

Puppies are very playful and full of energy. They would never welcome bladder restraints, unless it is done in a smart way. But gradually, they will establish greater control over their toileting routine, and you wouldn’t have to worry about poop on your expensive carpets anymore. For a boo-boo-free house, it’s imperative to set up a toileting area, put a toileting routine into place, look for full-bladder signs, and be prepared with the right products to handle what’s on the other side of the bridge. And… you’d be ready!