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While our first, and most important focus, has been on teaching puppies where to potty, how to find this area, and how to tell someone you need to relieve yourself, there are actually some other potty skills that may be important to you .Many of these skills are easiest taught concurrent with house training.
Relieving yourself on leash: We address this foundation skill as part of our basic house training protocol, that’s how important it is that your dog learn to relieve itself on leash. Why? Because if your dog ever needs to have its urine collected for testing the easiest, and least intrusive way to do this is by “catching” the first morning urine. This is MUCH easier to do if your dog is on leash and will urinate on cue. Additionally: If you ever plan to travel with your dog, either for recreation or to dog shows or trials, your dog will be much easier to travel with if it has learned to relieve itself on leash. If you ever move from a home with a yard to an apartment, or if you ever visit friends who do not have a yard.Indeed learning to void on leash is an often overlooked part of basic toilet training skills for the suburban dog.
Learning to relieve yourself on surfaces other than grass. This is likely not an issue if you live in an apartment, or in desert areas where gravel yards are common, but if you live in a typical suburban area with a grass yard this can be an issue. Again, you won’t need your puppy to relieve itself on concrete or gravel, until you do! So, if you plan on traveling with your dog there may come a day when you need your dog to relieve itself on surfaces other than grass. It’s pretty easy to fit some work on these skills into your regular house training routine with just a little bit of planning.Tips for teaching elective potty skills. One for at home, one for the road. When you see your puppy giving some urgent need cues (circling, sniffing, running to the potty door) instead of taking the puppy to the potty zone, carry the puppy (on leash) to the driveway or a sidewalk. Place the puppy down, take up your ‘boring potty break” stance and wait for your puppy to relieve itself. You can use your Go Potty Cue just like you do on a regular potty break and click/treat once your puppy has relieved itself. Rotate this elective spot, devoting 1 potty break per day to going to a different area (sidewalk, cement or gravel driveway, different areas of the front yard) to help your puppy learn that it can potty anywhere. Remember “Potty before Play” and take this with you on the road. As you take your puppy to classes, out for socialization, and etc remember to continue your Potty before Play protocol in new places too. It can help at first if you give your puppy a big drink about 30 minutes before leaving home. I ofter my puppies some water mixed with canned food, or homemade broth, to dilute it. The extra flavoring encourages the puppy to drink the water (skip this if your puppy gets car sick). The big drink just about guarantees when I arrive at my chosen location my puppy will be able to urinate.
1. Leash up your puppy and exit the vehicle.
2. Take your puppy to the potty spot of choice.
3.Take up your “boring” go potty stance and cue your puppy to “go potty”
4. Give your puppy up to 5 minutes to realize it should pee here.Click/treat once your puppy relieves itself.
5. Use a High Value treat if your puppy relieves itself right when you use the cue.
6. Reward your puppy with a fun walk or outing.
7. If your puppy “tries” to potty but doesn’t produce much urine, be sure to click and treat that effort, it means your puppy understands what you want, and just has an empty bladder at that moment. A for effort!
Repeat this routine when you take your puppy for outings. This is especially helpful dogs who travel, or who compete in show and sports.