As part of house training, knowing the signs of when your puppy needs the toilet is pretty important. Spotting these signs and getting your puppy outside before an accident is part of the toilet training journey, and the more successful you are, the quicker your pup will learn inside isn’t where they go for pee and poop!
Classic signs your puppy needs the toilet are sniffing the floor and circling, walking uncomfortably and looking elsewhere, whining, licking themselves and waiting by the door or scratching the door (once they are starting to get the hang of it).
So if you are feeling constantly on edge worrying your puppy is about to use your new rug as their toilet and delaying the toilet training process, read on to see more of the classic signs as well as tips and tricks to further avoid accidents in the future!
The Signs
So you have brought your puppy home and they are around 8-12 weeks old. It’s this initial period you’re going to have to watch them like a hawk whilst they figure out where you want them to go to the toilet. Puppies when they need to go won’t give you much warning, if any, so you need to know the signs that they are looking for a spot to relieve themselves.
- Uncomfortably walking and looking elsewhere – The key thing here is to note the looking elsewhere element. You’ll notice when they suddenly stop focusing on you or their toy and appear like something else is on their mind! You’ll begin to pick up on this cue naturally the more and more they do it.
- Sniffing the floor and circling – A classic sign and typically what they do when outside. Finding the perfect spot..but not so perfect if it’s inside!!
- Licking themselves – Licking their groin is another sign and stems from when they were in the litter and their mother would lick them the same way to make them go to the toilet!
- Whining – but be careful if they are in the crate – Tread carefully with this one. Whining won’t always mean they need the toilet, especially when they are in the crate. They may just want attention. Keep an eye on the clock to know if it’s been a while since they last went, as letting them out again after a short time, especially if it means letting them out the crate, might just be the puppy wanting to play!
- Waiting by the door and scratching it– This is more a trait for an older puppy as they are now understanding they need to go outside for the toilet. It’s a very obvious sign if it’s been a while since their last toilet trip! They won’t wait for long though, so act fast!
Tips to Avoid Accidents
As well as watching for the signs, set yourself up for success in toilet training by taking your puppy out at these times of the day regardless, as it’s very likely they will need the toilet!
- First thing in the morning
- Whilst they can’t go through the night without the toilet, set alarms to let them out, increasing the time between each alarm over time
- Same for in the day, set alarms
- After every nap – carry them in the early puppy days if you don’t trust them to make it without an accident
- Not too long after food or a drink
- After play time
- Before Bed
See my post on How Long Can Puppies Hold Their Poop at Night? CLARIFIED!
Always take your puppy outside after a nap!
Bell Training
Another little trick is to train them to ring bells in the house when they need the loo! Set your bells up on a door handle or a coat hook by the back door, and when it’s time to go out ring the bell each time to build up the association! It will take a bit of time, but a wonderful trick to train when they ring the bells when they need the toilet!
Here is what we bought for our dog Albus when he was a puppy (not an affiliate link, just a friendly recommendation 🙂 )!
Don’t Punish Your Puppy
Accidents will happen! They may even happen after long periods of success! It’s just one of those things with toilet training, but under no circumstances should you punish your puppy for it! It is counterproductive and won’t fix the issue. They won’t associate the accident with the punishment, so they will just see you as hurting them! They might actually have more accidents out of fear!