Cleanliness of my dog: How do I get my puppy to clean up after itself?
In the beginning, the puppy’s four-legged companion will be taught the importance of cleanliness. For good reason, nothing is more upsetting than a dog urinating in a home.
Teaching can be a challenge during this stage of learning. In an ideal world, a quick fix for accidents would be found, and we’d all jump for joy.
We’re sorry to tell you that there is currently no efficient way to do this. The process of potty training, like that of a child, takes time! Regardless of how difficult it is for some dogs to master the exercise, you’ll be pleased to learn that they all do. As a result, we implore you to be patient and to heed our guidance.
Why does my dog have accidents?
Consider the fact that dogs are generally clean. When it comes to meeting their basic needs, neither where they live nor where they rest tends to be adequate. As soon as your puppy gets home, use his natural desire to play with you to teach him the right hand gestures.
It’s impossible for the dog to relieve himself in the designated spot because he can’t read your thoughts.
As a result, your job is to make him understand that you want him to defecate outside at a specific location. This new member of your family’s mishaps should be viewed as a natural misunderstanding on his part. That’s it.
Some dogs, however, may revert to indoor urination after their training is complete. It can be attributed to two factors:
Physiological causes: A urinary tract infection can cause a dog to pee in the house. Then he has no choice but to unleash his fury. When a dog suddenly starts urinating in the house, it’s always best to get it checked out by a vet.
Behavioral causes: Peeing in the house is often caused by a dog’s misbehavior. Your dog might be afraid to go outside to use the bathroom, or he might be too dependent on you and get anxious when you leave.
If the problem with peeing in the house persists, you may need a professional: a veterinarian or a canine behaviorist.
Good to know: Chihuahuas and Shih Tzus, for example, are smaller breeds that have a harder time controlling their impulses. Be on the lookout for them because their accidents are less noticeable.
Methods for teaching your dog to be clean
First and foremost, it is important to have the right tools:
- A collar and a leash,
- A watch,
- Sweets,
- A notepad,
- A cage or a cleaning mat,
- Cleaning products are specially designed to overcome odors left by your dog.
The four stages of the proposed method are based on extensive observation by you. Consider adopting your dog while you’re on vacation or taking a break from work to help him adjust to his new surroundings and succeed at potty training.
Step 1: Teach your dog to identify his “toilet area.”
Preparation is key when welcoming a new family member into your home. As a rule of thumb, the “bathroom” should be located outside and out of the weather. This area should only be used for this reason, and should not be used for anything else.
Your dog should be praised and given a treat as soon as he accomplishes these tasks in this area! Be sure to link the gesture with the order by saying it aloud after the dog has shown the desired behaviour (e.g., “Pee,” “Toilet,” “Do your needs”).
Step 2: Supervise it constantly.
Never leave your dog alone in the house. So that it can follow you about your house, it needs to be leashed to your wrist or ankle. Knowing your puppy’s habits will help you avoid accidents, since all dogs talk to their owners before they go to the bathroom.
Some examples of this behavior include snoozing on the ground or heading to a previously soiled area. You’ll be able to avoid accidents and keep your dog clean if you can spot these behaviors.
It will be impossible for you to monitor it 24 hours a day. When you are away, two tips are recommended according to your preference:
- Get a cage or doghouse for inside. Based on the fact that a dog never soils its own home, this tool will help your pet keep himself under control for longer. This tip assumes, of course, that you won’t be gone for more than 3 hours. If you don’t, you will quickly set the animal up to fail.
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If you don’t like the dog being in a crate, you can limit his access to one room and give him a cleaning mat to use. This tip is especially good for people who live in places without direct access to green space and for people whose dogs are hard to keep under control. The problem with this method is that it will take longer to get to the bathroom because he will have to be taught to go to the bathroom only outside.
Good to know: The dog shouldn’t think of the cage as something bad. Bring in toys or treats to make them think of it as a safe place.
Step 3: Be aware of your dog’s pace.
Some people say that at first, you should take the puppy out every hour, but the truth is that every puppy is different. Instead, we suggest that you bring a notepad and write down the time of day when it is needed for a whole week. After these few days of watching, you should have a model that you can use to plan future outings. Most of the time, it’s best to take the puppy out at certain times:
- As soon as he wakes up,
- After each meal,
- After each game session,
- And if possible, two or three times a night since the puppy still has trouble holding back.
Step 4: Create a routine
Now that you have a more or less detailed schedule of how often your dog needs to be cleaned, it is time to set up a routine based on the information you have gathered. Take it out several times a day at set times, and give it a treat when it goes to the right spot. Over time, the dog will learn to take care of himself and go to the bathroom when you want him to.
Using a command while the dog is on the toilet will help him figure out what you want him to do. In the long run, you won’t have to wait. When you give the command, the dog will go to the bathroom on his own.
Additional tips
- Couldn’t you yell at him if something went wrong? Say “No” in a firm voice and take it back to the right place. If he did it while you were gone, it wouldn’t help to scold or punish him. Your poor puppy won’t be able to figure out why you’re so mad.
- Make sure to clean the droppings from your dog’s hairball with products that work and are safe for dogs, not bleach. If you leave signs of where it went to the bathroom, the dog might go there again to do his business.
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At first, don’t be afraid to use treats too much to show the dog when you like what he’s doing.
Frequent problems
My dog pees at night: what to do?
A dog may only go to the bathroom in the house at certain times, like at night.
In this case, it’s possible that your puppy won’t be able to hold it all night. Don’t worry if it’s still a puppy. It takes a dog a few weeks to get a bladder that can hold water for several hours.
If not, you should talk to a vet. Your dog might have cystitis.
No matter what, you should always take your dog for a walk in the morning and evening so you know he has gone to the bathroom before you go to bed and when you wake up. If your dog knows he’ll be taken for a walk in the morning, he’ll try harder not to act up.
My dog is hiding to defecate.
Some dogs like to hide to go to the bathroom, leave little surprises hidden (like behind the couch), or even eat their own waste. This behavioral disorder is often caused by trauma or a bad association with toilet training that was too strict or harsh. It usually happens to the most sensitive dogs, who try to hide all traces of their poop because they think they are doing something stupid.
To overcome this problem, you have to review toilet training and be sure to use fun and positive methods :
- Take him out very often and praise him when he goes outside.
- Always be in the same room as them when you are at home.
- If possible, move furniture to prevent him from hiding his accidents.
- Do not raise your voice, and never use violence!
My dog had an accident when I just took him out.
Even though you just took your hairball outside, it will sometimes land inside. First, check with your vet to make sure it’s not a medical issue. The best explanation for this behaviour is that the bladder isn’t empty enough.
Even if you think your dog is done going to the bathroom during the next trip to the bathroom, wait a little longer, especially if he drank too much during the day. Another piece of advice would be to not distract him until he is done with his little business. Saying “good job” or giving him a reward while he is doing it can stop him in his tracks.
My dog is struggling to defecate on certain surfaces
Our dogs have their own preferences, just like kids who find it hard to switch from the potty to the toilet. Some dogs have been taught to go to the bathroom only on a certain surface, like a newspaper or an educational mat, and they won’t go anywhere else. This is something that most dogs from pet stores do.
In this game, the goal is to make your partner fall in love with the chosen surface by making it more appealing.
- If your dog only poops and pees on a mat or newspaper, move the object slowly to where you want it to go (e.g., on the grass outside).
- Stop giving him treats or praise when he poops in the same place. Only give him a treat when he goes to the bathroom in the right place.
- Clean his old “toilet area” well with the right products. He should be confused by the fact that he can no longer smell it.
My dog doesn’t defecate when it’s raining.
Who could be mad at him? If a dog has never seen rain before, it might be afraid of it or not like being outside when it does. For health reasons, it can quickly become a problem. To stop this from happening, you can:
- Start early to get your puppy used to doing things with water and getting wet (e.g., swimming in a pool, playing with the automatic watering can, etc.).
- You can teach him to like the rain by taking him for walks and playing with him when it’s raining..
Traps to avoid
It can’t be said enough: punishing a dog for urinating in the house is the worst thing you can do. Your pet will never understand why you are yelling at them unless you are caught with your hand in the bag. Putting the truffle in his poop will only make things more complicated. If you pee in the house, put your dog in a separate room while you clean up. And don’t forget to tell him how great it is when he poops outside.
It should avoid other errors:
- Avoid teaching your dog to pee on a newspaper. It’s a bad habit because the dog will never be able to tell the difference between the newspaper and the carpet. Because of this, it is better to directly teach people how to urinate outside, even if it means giving them some tasks at first.
- Many teachers make the mistake of thinking that accidents are caused by how people feel. No, the dog doesn’t poop inside to get back at you or punish you. Your puppy is still learning, so it will take some time for it to get clean. Be indulgent.
- Never leave it up to your dog to choose his “toilet area”. Pick a specific place from the start. It will give your four-legged friend a place to sit, and it will be easy to find his waste.
- To clean your dog’s messes, it’s important to use the right products. Some products, like those with bleach in them, can make smells worse.
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