How to Train Your Dog to Poop on Newspaper

Hi there. I am going to send you information on how to train your dog to go on potty pads. The process is the same as newspaper. But I'd recommend potty pads because they are much more absorbent. Choose Your Spot Pick a space in your house where you want your dog to go. Obviously, you’ll want this spot to be a low-traffic area. Make sure this spot is easily accessible to your dog, and make sure the floor surface is linoleum or tile, as opposed to carpet. If your dog “misses,” it will be easier to clean up. If the only spot you can put the pee pad is a carpet, you might consider getting a small tarp to put underneath the puppy pee pad to guard against spillage. Choose a spot that is outside of your “smell zone.” An important tip to remember is to make sure not to let your dog decide the spot he likes. Not only might he pick an area you won’t like, but he’ll learn that he is in charge – not you – which can cause a host of problems down the line. Monitor Your Dog When you are potty training your dog, full-time monitoring is an absolute necessity. It’s impossible to correct bad behaviors if you don’t see them happen. Dogs have very short memories. It is important to catch your dog in the act. If your dog goes on the floor, and you try to correct him hours after the fact, he will be confused and upset, not knowing what he did wrong. This can hinder training and your relationship with your dog. Puppies, in particular, must be watched constantly. They have less control over their bowels and will go when they have to go. If you miss these moments, you lose precious training opportunities. Of course, it’s nearly impossible to be with your dog 24 hours a day, but try to spend more time at home during the weeks you are potty training – it will pay off in the long run. Learn Your Dog’s Schedule Dogs, for the most part, are predictable. They will go to the bathroom at predictable times. You should be able to learn when your dog has to go based on timing as much as on his signals. Take some time to study your dog’s bathroom habits. You’ll learn the amount of time after he eats or drinks that he has to go, and you’ll get in rhythm with his daily bathroom schedule. This will help you reduce accidents and speed up the potty training process. Studying your dog’s habits can also help you identify his bathroom “triggers” – like having to go after a certain amount of playtime. Once you learn your dog’s schedule, use it to your advantage in potty training. Bring him to the pee pad a few minutes before he normally goes, and encourage him. This will help him get used to going in the right spot, and help you establish repetition in your training. Choose a Command Word Dogs have keen senses – they respond to sight, smell, and sound. When you begin pee pad training, choose a command word and use it every time you take your dog to the pad. Just about any word will work. The tone of your voice is more important than the actual word. Try phrases like “go on” or “go potty” in a slightly elevated, encouraging tone. Make sure to repeat this same command, in the same tone, every time you take your dog to the pee pad. Avoid Punishment When your dog has an accident, it’s just that – an accident. When you punish your dog during potty training, he will become confused and scared. He doesn’t know what he’s done wrong, and can’t understand why the person he loves most is mad at him. Most importantly, it will not help his potty training. Positive Reinforcement Both human and dog behavior is largely based on incentives. Dogs’ incentives are very simple – they want to eat when they are hungry, play when they are excited, and sleep when they are tired. But the most important thing your dog wants in life is to please you. Use this to your advantage. Whenever your dog goes on his potty training pad, shower him with lots of praise. If he sees that he gets praise for doing his business on the pad, he will be incentivized to keep going on the pad – and he’ll be excited to do it! Potty training – whether it’s a pee pad or going outside – will take time, but if you do it right, can take less time. Many dogs are potty trained in less than two weeks. Just remember that you and your dog are partners. Do everything you can to help him learn the proper etiquette, and you will enjoy a long, quality relationship together. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Thank you for writing in.

Sept. 24, 2020

Hello Alexis, Timmy shredding the paper up now is probably due to his current age. As puppies get older they tend to "wake up" more and chew and tear things up more. Paper is an extremely common thing to shred. Plus your puppy no longer has his litter mates also pooping on the paper to encourage him to. You can try keeping a soiled paper on top of the other papers to discourage him from tearing them up, mimicking the other puppies going potty on the paper too. You can also purchase a potty encouraging spray and spray that on the papers to help him learn. The truth is that the odds of teaching him to go potty on the paper are not very good unless you can supervise him with the paper at all times to actively teach him to leave the paper alone. Leaving him alone with the paper will not only result in torn up paper but will also encourage him to learn to destroy other paper, and could possibly cause a medical issue if he eats the paper he shreds. It is common for breeders to use paper to train younger puppies because they will not usually shred it when young. As the puppies get older, they tend to shred it more though. I suggest training your puppy to use a grass toilet pad. If you wish for him to use the bathroom inside right now or permanently, then the grass pad will cause the least amount of confusion with potty training, compared to other materials, and will make outdoor potty training easier than if you had used pee pads. You can also litter box train him but you may need to wait until he is a bit older to switch to that because he might eat the litter or wood chips at this age. You can get a litter box and put a grass toilet pad in it right now to get him used to the box, and then switch to using litter later when he will not eat it, if you wish to use a litter box long term. Here is an article on how to litter box train him. If you use the grass toilet pad, which I recommend doing, then replace the litter box with the grass pad and follow the rest of the steps, or put the grass pad in an empty litter box to get him used to litter boxes for future use. https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Here is a link to a real grass pad. Look for real grass. this is one example, but there are other pads with real grass too that can be purchased online: https://www.amazon.com/DoggieLawn-Disposable-Dog-Potty-Grass/dp/B00761ZXQW/ref=pd_sim_199_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00761ZXQW&pd_rd_r=1f926811-cdc5-11e8-b42b-1db580407759&pd_rd_w=KSy9D&pd_rd_wg=qlxmQ&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=18bb0b78-4200-49b9-ac91-f141d61a1780&pf_rd_r=NHWT1C4634ED7E2KV7D7&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=NHWT1C4634ED7E2KV7D7 Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Oct. 12, 2018