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It’s late in the evening, it’s freezing cold, and it’s raining outside. You love your dog, but the last thing you want to do is walk out that door into the horrendous weather so he can go to the toilet. It makes getting up early throughout those winter months a truly chilling experience. Something needs to give, there has to be another way around this problem. Thankfully, there is. A porch potty will allow you to quickly let him out in the morning and the evening to go about his business. Cutting out the cold and cutting the time it takes for the toilet chore in half.
Training him to use a porch potty will make you question how you ever survived without one. The training will also be good for him. He won’t need to hold on for ages whilst you muster up the strength to brave the elements.
Fortunately, training your dog to use a porch potty is pretty straightforward. You’ve done the hardest part, which is training him not to go to the toilet inside. Now you just need to build on that training to motivate him to go somewhere specific instead. You’ll need to incentivize him to go on the porch potty using a variety of means. You’ll also need to look at his routine and put him at ease around his new toilet.
If he’s a puppy without toilet habits that are too ingrained, you may need just a week or so to get him using the porch potty regularly. If he’s older and stubborn about where and when he goes about his business then you may need up to three weeks to fully integrate it into his routine. Succeed with this training though and you’ll have a quick and easy way to let him go to the toilet if you’re in a rush, or you’ve got guests over.
Before you get to work changing up his routine you’ll need a few things. A porch potty will obviously be the first essential component. You’ll also need a decent stockpile of his favorite food or treats to motivate him.
The other main thing you need is time. You need to be around to take him to his porch potty every morning and evening until he’s comfortable with it. So patience and a proactive attitude will also be required.
Once you’ve got the above, it’s time to get to work!
The Encouragement Method
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Setting up
Set up your porch potty in an easily accessible spot. If you can, find a location where he’ll get some degree of privacy. The more enclosed and comfortable he feels, the quicker he’ll take to his new toilet.
Consistency
When you think he’s going to need the toilet within the next 20 minutes, secure him to a leash and take him out to his porch potty. If you’re always there when he needs the toilet then he’ll have no choice but to go. If you let him go to the toilet on walks all the time he won’t get used to his new toilet.
Encouragement
When you take him out to go, try and give him some space. Don’t stare at him, he need some room to go about his business. If you do want to encourage him, point at the toilet and talk softly.
Reward
As soon as he does use his new loo, give him a treat and some praise. It’s important he associates the porch potty with tasty rewards. The better the reward, the more likely he’ll be to go there again.
Lose the treats
After a week or two, when he’s got the hang of his new toilet, you can slowly cut out the treats. You don’t want him piling on the pounds and he doesn’t need the incentive anymore.
The Familiarization Method
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Introduce him
Set up the porch potty and then let him get used to it for a few days first. When you set off for a walk, go past the potty and give him a chance to sniff around it and get acquainted. You never know, he might start using it straight away!
Long leash
When it approaches toilet time, secure him to a long leash in the yard, but make sure the potty is within his reach. He’ll soon realize the porch potty is the best option around. Then you can go and point to it to give him some encouragement.
Yesterday's toilet
If he’s struggling to go, take some of yesterday's feces and wipe it on the porch potty. The smell of yesterday's toilet will put him at ease and increase his chances of going at the new spot.
Reward
Whenever he does use the porch potty, give him a good reward. His favorite food, a couple of minutes playing with his favorite toy, or even just some attention from his owner. The happier he feels afterwards the more chance he’ll go there again.
Never pressure him
Don’t encourage him too much. If he feels pressured he may get stage fright and won’t be able to go at all. While of course you’re eager for him to start using it, the calmer he feels the quicker you’ll see results.
The Set Up Method
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Away from food
It’s important you set up your porch potty correctly if you want the best chance of swift results. One of the main criteria is that it needs to be away from where he eats food or drinks water. There should be no bowls in sight.
Away from their bed
You also need to make sure it isn’t close to anywhere he sleeps or dozes during the day. Like humans, dogs don’t like going to the toilet where they relax. So choose a place with that in mind.
Close to a drain or hose
You want to be able to clean and empty your porch potty easily. So positioning it close to a drain or hose is always a sensible idea. He’ll be less inclined to go on it routinely if it’s always getting moved around. So pick the right spot on day one.
Make it home
Leave the odd treat and toy near it. This will help draw his attention to it, while also making him feel comfortable around it. Walking him around the new toilet will also help. The sooner it feels part of his territory the sooner he’ll start using it.
Get animated
If you point at the potty and talk in animated voice he’ll naturally take an interest in it. If he sees you’re confident around it, he too will feel more comfortable around it. Follow all of these steps and you’ll have the best chances of quick success.
Written by James Barra
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 11/17/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
I have a 8.5 weeks old puppy. and trying to use the Porchpotty. Everytime we open the patio access so he ca use the porchpotty he would walk around it go on it and sit there but will never use it. He would go patio deck that has a fake grass turf and do his business there. Would it help if I contain the porch potty using wire fencing and ensure I put him there during potty time ad leave him there to do his business. The at time he would just sit there when I bring him in thinking he is not ready he would do his business inside the apartment.
Dec. 25, 2020
George's Owner
Alisha Smith - Alisha S., Dog Trainer
253 Dog owners recommended
Hello! Yes that is a wonderful solution if you are able to construct something. I have suggested that to many folks over the years and they have great success with that. Sometimes it just takes a dog a few tries to understand what it is they need to do on the potty.
Dec. 28, 2020
He sleeps on the porch potty and uses the potty on the porch. We have had the porch potty for 2 days and have had no success. He has had more accidents inside since we got the porch potty than before.
Nov. 29, 2020
Arlo's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello David, First, I recommend moving the porch potty a couple of feet away so that it' not right in front of the door to inside, if that's where it is now (guessing from the picture), since pup will naturally want to sleep close to the door where you are inside. Second, I recommend following the crate training method from the article linked below for 1-2 weeks, so that pup can get into the habit of using the porch potty with your help to learn that it's a bathroom (pup doesn't understand what it is right now, only that it's more comfortable than the ground, so they are choosing to sleep on it due to that). Once pup is consistently going on the porch potty and getting treats for that, you can gradually phase out the use of the crate if you don't need pup to be crated for other reasons, if they are staying outside. Crate training method - this method mentions a litter box, but the steps should be the same when using a porch potty too. https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Finally, if you don't have a non-absorbent bed for pup on the porch, I also recommend adding that, and putting the bed where the porch potty was when pup was sleeping on it, so that pup has a comfortable option to sleep on other than the grass pad. Check out k9ballistics and their non-absorbent crate pads or cot type beds, and look for something like that. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Dec. 1, 2020
I have been trying to get my 6 year old fully potty trained dog to use the porch after moving into our high rise. I am a nurse and I work 12+ hours so letting him out on time is not an option and I can’t keep paying for a dog walker because it’s out of my budget. He is very stubborn about peeing outside ( the balcony feels too “indoor” for him I think). He will hold his pee for a full 24 hours or more rather than go out on the balcony and I’m worried he will get injured from holding his urine for so long. Things I’ve tried: - increasing the grass square footage (it is now 4x4) - put his own urine on it - put foliage there (he likes to mark things) - put a handful of rocks that other dogs have marked What else can I try 😢😭?
July 13, 2020
Mango's Owner
Darlene Stott - Dog Trainer and Groomer
102 Dog owners recommended
Hello, you have been trying the right things and being consistent, so good for you. It's possible that Mango misses his walks and not peeing on the balcony may be his way of saying that. There is also the possibility of fear - is the balcony in a noisy spot or is your balcony high up? If you are not using a real grass pad (you may be using fake grass?), try the real sod potty grass at least until he gets used to going there. You've tried putting pee on the spot; there is always the option of using an encouraging spray. It's made so that the scent makes going potty more appealing. There is the option of trying his feces, too. I would not let Mango go 24 hours without going to the bathroom because you are right - there is the chance of a urinary tract infection occurring. You can try the exercise pen method with a grass pad instead of a litter box:https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy. Mango may feel comfortable there, and then you can gradually move the pad outside. Good luck!
July 22, 2020