How to Potty Train a Dog in 7 Days

No matter how much you love your dog you cannot help but get frustrated when it goes to the bathroom inside the house. It doesn't help that you are left with the thankless task of cleaning it up. Unless there is a medical reason for your dog's toilet patterns, then it can be fixed with training. Some methods take longer than others, but if you are desperate, there are those that can work in as little as a week.

Things You'll Need

  • A small metallic or plastic open cage big enough to comfortably fit your dog
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Instructions

  1. Train Using a Crate

    • 1

      Buy an open cage with space inside big enough to let your dog to sleep comfortably.

    • 2

      Leave the dog in the cage, under your supervision, when you are in the home. The trick of the crate is to teach the dog to hold it when it needs to relieve itself. Dogs are not likely to go in the same place they sleep. That's why size is important. If the cage is too big, the dog may designate a corner to use as a toilet.

    • 3

      Open the cage and let the dog out after a few hours have passed. Then take the animal outside.

    • 4

      Congratulate your dog when it has gone to the toilet outside before immediately going back into the house. This will show the dog that outside, and not inside, is where it is to go to the toilet.

    • 5

      Repeat this over the week before removing the cage and trusting your dog to go to the bathroom outside.

    Train Using Constant Supervision

    • 6

      Spend as much time as you possibly can monitoring your dog.

    • 7

      Usher or carry your dog outside when it appears as if it is about to do its business inside the house. Again, the objective is to get the dog to understand that outside is where it goes to the toilet, remembering to congratulate after successfully doing so.

    • 8

      Ignore a mess made by the dog if you did not see it happen. A dog is not thinking about the fact it has gone to the toilet in the recent past, therefore it will be hurt and confused when punished for something it does not understand.

    • 9

      Be stern with the dog if you catch it just about to, or in the act of, relieving itself inside the house. Only discipline if you actually catch the dog in the act, then the animal will have an idea of what it is being punished for.