Training a puppy to go potty outside is a process that will take time, and often this time becomes very stressful for the family. Therefore, it is so important to approach it correctly and easily accept the puppy also needs time to understand the rules of your home and learn to cope with its physiology, same as with small children. Do not expect the puppy to immediately hold it until going outside - this is doomed to failure from the beginning. Instead, it is better to stock up on patience, pee pads, and good cleaning & odor-elimination products. It will also be useful to frequently and quickly bring the puppy to the yard - this should become your daily exercise for a while. Remove expensive carpets in advance so that the puppy does not spoil them, and instead put something simpler that you do not mind throwing away, and enjoy the first months of life with a new family member. Puppies grow up quickly (even too quickly), and instead of stressing too much, it's better to use this period on quality time.
The key to cleanliness is to hack the code of your puppy's physiological needs. Understand when he wants to pee, and try to get ahead of him - put him on a pad or take him outside before he actually pees. Usually, puppies pee when they wake up, after mealtime and during/after active play. The good news is that the frequency of urination will decrease as the puppy matures. But even for an adult dog, it is considered that the dog should be able to pee at least every 6-7 hours, but more often is better. Marking behavior and a clear regimen of going to the toilet only outside usually appears in dogs by puberty, in bitches - after the first heat, in males - at the pace of their physiological maturation. Mistakes before this age should not bother us too much.
Don't waste too much on stress. Besides the fact that punishing a puppy for fulfilling a physiological need is at least illogical and ineffective, it is also fraught with negative consequences for your relationship with the puppy. To establish good contact with you, the puppy needs to understand that you are safe, consistent, and predictable, but sudden outbursts of negative emotions will certainly affect this. Do not forget that all dogs are quite empathic, and Staffordshire bull terriers particularly are very sensitive to the mood of their family members.
Sometimes it's recommended to use a fence or a cage as one of the tools for pot training, but this method has some massive disadvantages that can later lead to development of behavioral problems. Based on the fact that even puppies already want to stay clean by instincts, the puppy will not pee where he sleeps. If the puppy sleeps in a cage, then, in theory, he should not urinate in it. Based on this it can be suggested to crate the puppy until it is possible to take him to pee or when is necessary to avoid urination. In general, this can work and save you from an extra puddle. However, a puppy's frequent need to urinate is not a whim, but a physiological need, and it is quite expected that one day he will not hold out and will pee in the place where he's used to sleep. When it comes to this, the puppy's instinctive urge for hygiene will be disrupted, and as a result, the pot training will be much more difficult than it could be without a crate.
However, these are not the only problems that puppy owners sometimes face. Some of the hints below might be useful for your pot training too:
- at first walks many owners note that their puppy does not pee outside but holds it until returning home. This happens quite often and is almost always due to lack of confidence at an early age. Walks for the puppy are so full of new smells and things that he cannot relax and literally turn his body's attention to his physiological needs. However, this passes quite quickly as the puppy gains more confidence when outside. If you experience this problem, it makes sense to concentrate on short walks in a quite environment where the puppy is more comfortable, at least until he relieves himself.
- sometimes (even often) a puppy can accidentally pee when greeting people or at another emotional moment. Some puppies outgrow this quite quickly, but sometimes similar is observed even in adult dogs on a regular episodic basis. The best solution here is to teach your dog to meet people in a calmer manner and regulate emotional attitudes on the human side too. Even if your guests are genuinely happy to meet your dog, it is worth explaining to them that overexcitement is not very good for your dog.
- sometimes there may be rollbacks in training, and then it is important to take them easy enough. However, sudden changes in toilet habits may indicate a whole range of acute and chronic diseases, ranging from a viral infection to pathogenic flora in the excretory tract. Failures in hygiene skills also sometimes occur in a result of chronic stress and sudden hormonal changes. In such cases, it is important to correctly determine the cause of such changes and take appropriate measures: consult a veterinarian and / or take a step back in pot training.
- chronic urine leakage is quite rare. Usually, this is associated with chronic diseases or can result from early or improper castration.
References
Rousseau, Stephanie; Rugaas, Turid. (2023) How to Raise a Puppy. CRC Press. Kindle Edition.
Blackwell, E.J., Twells, C., Seawright, A., & Casey, R.A. (2008). The relationship between training methods and the occurrence of behavior problems, as reported by owners, in a population of domestic dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior. doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2007.10.008
China, L., Mills, D.S., & Cooper, J.J. (2020). Efficacy of dog training with and without remote electronic collars vs. a focus on positive reinforcement. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.00508
Herron et al. (2009). Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesired behaviors. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. doi.org/10.1016/japplanim.2008.12.011
Hsu, Y., & Sun, L. (2010). Factors associated with aggressive responses in pet dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. doi.org/10.1016/japplanim.2010.01.013
Rousseau, Stephanie; Rugaas, Turid. (2023) How to Raise a Puppy. CRC Press. Kindle Edition.
Blackwell, E.J., Twells, C., Seawright, A., & Casey, R.A. (2008). The relationship between training methods and the occurrence of behavior problems, as reported by owners, in a population of domestic dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior. doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2007.10.008
China, L., Mills, D.S., & Cooper, J.J. (2020). Efficacy of dog training with and without remote electronic collars vs. a focus on positive reinforcement. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.00508
Herron et al. (2009). Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesired behaviors. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. doi.org/10.1016/japplanim.2008.12.011
Hsu, Y., & Sun, L. (2010). Factors associated with aggressive responses in pet dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. doi.org/10.1016/japplanim.2010.01.013
