How to train an adult dog to urinate and defecate at home?

Having a well-behaved and sensible dog that can relieve itself in a fixed place at home is every pet owner's dream. Just imagine that your home is always kept clean and tidy, without any unpleasant odors suddenly hitting your nose, and your dog can live comfortably and freely. Such a harmonious and beautiful picture makes people feel full of joy just by thinking about it. However, training an adult dog to relieve itself at home is not as simple as it seems. It requires us to invest enough patience and love, and also master scientific and effective methods.

When we decide to start training an adult dog to relieve itself at home, first of all, we need to understand that dogs and humans have completely different ways of thinking. In their world, there is no concept of "hygiene" as we understand it. Dogs' excretion is mainly influenced by their instincts and environmental factors. They are used to excreting in areas with familiar smells, which stems from their instinct to mark their territory in the wild. Therefore, creating an exclusive toilet area for the dog filled with enticing smells is the crucial first step in the training. This area can be selected in a well-ventilated and relatively secluded corner, such as a corner of the bathroom or a specific position on the balcony. Lay special pet pee pads or place a suitable dog toilet. You can spray some pet attractant on the pee pads in advance. This attractant mimics the special odor components in a dog's urine and can attract the dog to take the initiative to go to this area to excrete.

At the beginning of the training, the dog may feel strange and curious about this newly set-up toilet area, and may even show resistance. At this time, we must not be impatient, and we must not scold the dog loudly just because it doesn't understand our intention immediately. Dogs are very sensitive animals, and they can keenly sense the emotional changes of their owners. Harsh scolding not only fails to make the dog understand the correct behavior but also makes them feel scared and confused, and then develop a resistant mentality towards the training. What we need to do is to treat the dog like a child who is trying hard to learn new knowledge and give it full encouragement and guidance.

In daily life, closely observing the dog's behavior is an important part of the success of the training. Dogs usually have some obvious signs before they excrete, such as circling in place, sniffing the ground, squatting frequently, etc. Once you detect these signals, immediately and gently guide the dog to the pre-prepared toilet area. During the guiding process, do not pull the dog's leash forcefully, so as not to make it feel uncomfortable or frightened. After arriving at the toilet area, use a gentle but firm tone to say some specific commands to the dog, such as "Go pee", and then patiently wait for the dog to finish excreting. When the dog successfully excretes in the designated area, immediately give it enthusiastic praise and rewards. The rewards can be its favorite snacks, a warm hug, or words full of praise. After receiving these positive feedbacks, the dog will gradually associate excreting in a specific area with getting rewards, thus reinforcing this correct behavior.

However, the training process is not smooth sailing, and it is inevitable that the dog will make mistakes. For example, they may excrete in other places because they are too playful or unable to hold it in time. When this happens, never find out and punish the dog afterwards. Dogs have a relatively short memory, and it is difficult for them to connect the wrong behavior that occurred a few hours or even a few minutes ago with the current punishment. On the contrary, excessive punishment will make the dog feel confused and frightened, and damage the trust relationship between the owner and the dog. The correct approach is that when you find the dog excreting in the wrong place, use an unobtrusive small sound, such as clapping your hands gently or making a "shh" sound, to attract the dog's attention, and then quickly pick it up and carry it to the correct toilet area. If the dog stops excreting during the transfer process, don't worry. Continue to wait patiently and give it enough time to finish excreting.

In addition, the dog's eating and drinking habits will also have an impact on the training. Regular eating and drinking are helpful for us to better master the dog's excretion time. Try to feed and give water to the dog at fixed times every day. Generally speaking, about 30 minutes after eating and about 15 minutes after drinking water, the dog will have the need to excrete. Use these regular times to take the dog to the toilet area in advance and wait, increasing the probability of it excreting in the correct place. At the same time, pay attention to controlling the dog's food intake and water intake to avoid excessive excretion or loss of control due to overeating.

Training an adult dog to relieve itself at home is a protracted battle that requires patience and perseverance. In this process, every time the dog successfully excretes in the designated area, it is the result of its hard work in learning and a great progress in our training. We should always maintain a positive and optimistic attitude and accompany the dog's growth with love and understanding. When we see that the dog can consciously go to the exclusive toilet area to solve its physiological problems, that sense of accomplishment and joy will instantly fill our hearts. After all, dogs are our close companions in life. They give us endless company and joy, and we also have the responsibility to help them develop good living habits with scientific methods.