Puppy Toilet Training

How to successfully toilet train your puppy to do their toilet on a “poo tray”.

A puppy will do their toilet anytime, inside or out when they feel the need to go as they have not been taught any boundaries or rules.

The best way to teach them is to say a word or sound that will be said repeatedly while your puppy does their toilet. Make sure it’s not a word that many people use! I personally used a “psst” followed by “on the paper” in a quiet singing style…and it works!

You ALWAYS need to say the same thing in the same manner when your puppy is in the act to reinforce in their mind that this sound goes with this action. ALWAYS follow it up AFTER your puppy goes in the correct place (with your vocal command) with lots of praise, hugs and a small treat such as a piece of dry puppy food.

Once your puppy realizes they get a treat each time they go on the paper (in my case, paper in a tray I call a poo tray), then they will be doing their toilet all the time even when nothing passes as to them it’s like a game, they do something correct and then they get the treat!

When it came to poo, I used to say (once the puppy was on the paper) “push” said as a long word repeatedly until the poo had been released. I always used to avoid eye contact when Mindy did a poo, even to this present day as Mindy gets embarrassed.

In a short time if the training is followed correctly, you’ll be able to utter “psst, on the paper” on command say for example before you go out for a walk or a drive together, in that case your puppy will do their toilet, you give praise and hugs then put their harness on or collar and lead on. A treat is not advisable at this point as your going out which to them is a treat in itself as all puppies want to go out to explore with their owners.

Currently I find Mindy will ALWAYS go on her poo tray by herself then she’ll run and tell either my husband or myself that she’s done her toilet in the correct place and wants her treat…even though she’s fourteen!

We have two poo trays, one upstairs and one down. I change the papers once or twice a day. I have found it very helpful when Mindy comes on holiday with us to a cottage or apartment to bring one poo tray. Although it’s a large extra item to bring, the advantage is when Mindy wants to do her toilet late at night or in the early hours of the morning, she goes on the poo tray so you don’t have to go outside!