Hi all, I will be picking up my puppy on Monday. From what I know, the puppy is currently potty trained (ish) on the potty pads. I however would like to start him on outdoor potting. Is starting right-away on Monday a good idea? Should I buy some pads, just in case? I am working from home so can time him etc. Any tips for correct training? I know i need him used to his name, sit/stay etc and wearing a collar as he isnt currently. Any pointers highly appreciated Do you guys use clicker? Thank you,
Welcome! I would recommend not using pads indoors at all. It can be very confusing for them as to whether they are supposed to toilet inside or not. This is from my puppy guide I give to new owners: Toilet Training: This really is easy, if rather time consuming! Your pup will want to wee regularly. The main times are 1) when he wakes up 2) when he’s been fed 3) when he’s been playing. He will want to poo when he wakes up and around 15 minutes after being fed. This is the easy part, you just need to let him out as soon as he wakes up, when he’s been playing and after he’s been fed. If none of the above have occurred for an hour or so, take him outside. This is all most easily managed by spending as much time outside with him as possible. Every time you see him weeing or pooing say “hurry up” (I find this less embarrassing in public than “go wee-wees”!) or similar, and when he’s finished “good boy” and give him a biscuit. If he wees somewhere he shouldn’t, gently carry him to where he should have gone. He’s probably finished by now, but if he does ‘resume’ then “hurry up- good boy” biscuit Don’t yell at him or grab him, it’ll only make him hide from you to toilet. During the night, let him out for last wees just before you go to bed. For the first week, I would recommend setting your alarm for 2am ish, and take him out quietly for a wee. Keep the tone down, no snuggles or play, just a wee and back to bed. Get up as early as you can and let him straight out then. If he has already had an accident before 2am (he may do if he is stressed with his first nights away from his brothers and sisters), set your alarm for an hour earlier and try to beat him to it! If he has been consistently clean for the first week, then by the second week, he should go from midnight to 6am no problem. It’s like having a newborn baby, but you have the comfort of knowing that it’s only for a few weeks, not years! It really is worth being obsessively consistent about toilet training. It can be done so quickly if you get it right, or take months if you don’t.
This is great advice! I followed this almost exactly and my pup was toilet trained within about 3 weeks. He had only 2-3 accidents and there have been no issues since. A bit of time and discipline up front but well worth it.
