Pete the Vet: The best way to toilet train your pet

The good news is that all three of the most popular companion animals – dogs, cats and rabbits – can easily be house trained

House training is one of the most important behaviours that our pets need to learn.

We like to live in clean, odour-free homes. Much as we love our pets living beside us, there are some rules that they must obey to allow co-living in peace. And this includes peeing and pooing in designated places, rather than just in any convenient corner of the room.

The good news is that all three of the most popular companion animals – dogs, cats and rabbits – can easily be house trained. This is done in a different way for each species.

Dogs have a natural instinct not to mess in their own den; this kicks in from an early age. The challenge is to convince young dogs that the entire indoors of your house is their den. They do not naturally understand that the far corner of the living room is “den”, and to them, it may seem logical to go there.

The best way to teach dogs good toiletting habits is to use “crate training”. A “crate” is a metal cage, usually of the fold-down type traditionally used to transport dogs to shows or in the back of cars or vans.

This crate is set up in a corner of the human living area, with bedding and perhaps a few toys in it. This becomes the dog’s “private bedroom”, and when the dog is not being directly supervised, they are asked to go into their crate, and the door is shut.

This should never be done as a punishment: the dog should like going into the crate, and they should see it as a pleasant place that they choose to spend time in. Most dogs automatically understand that they must not go to the toilet inside their crate, and so if they need to go, they will let their owner know by whining, barking or becoming agitated.

Puppies can be introduced to their crate as soon as they arrive in their new homes, and for many dogs, the crate becomes their long term private space. Dogs often learn to love their crates: if they want some quiet time on their own, they go to their crate to chill out. They usually sleep there at night.

And the family know that if the dog is in the crate, they should not be hauled out: they should be asked if they would like to come out. Just as a child’s bedroom space should be respected, so should a dog’s crate space.

For toilet training with puppies in the early days, the idea is to keep a very close eye on them at all times even if they are not in their crate. In particular, they should be watched closely on occasions when they are more likely to want to go to the toilet. Examples include when they get up after sleeping, soon after eating their meals, or at any time when they stop what they are doing and begin to look restless.

At these times, they should be taken straight outside, and their owner should wait with them. Then when they go to the toilet, they should be praised effusively, and ideally a treat should be given.

Some people say a key phrase when this happens (e.g “busy busy”) at the same time as rewarding them. The idea is that the dog learns that it’s a good thing to go to the toilet outside, and they may also link the key phrase to the act. On a later date, if you go outside and say the key phrase, they will be prompted to go to the toilet with less waiting around.

If you cannot keep a very close eye on your pup, they should go into their crate rather than being allowed to roam around the house. They are less likely to have an “accident” in there, due to their natural desire not to mess their den. You may wish to leave a puppy training pad (an absorbent sheet of plastic-lined tissue) in at one end of the crate, to allow them to have somewhere to go if they cannot quite hold on long enough.

The principle of crate training can be applied to dogs of all ages, but most pups continue to be fully house trained after this initial learning phase.

Cats and rabbits also have a strong urge not to mess in their home area: they also know from an early age to visit a designated toiletting area to do their business. Ideally, this should have some sort of substrate in it: garden soil if outside, or a litter tray if indoors.

Litter trays can be lined with different types of litter material. My favourite is clumping litter, which forms solid, easily-removable clumps when it becomes moist with urine or faeces. Cat (and rabbit) owners can then use a special type of slatted scooping utensil to lift out the used solid clumps of litter from the tray, leaving the dry uncontaminated litter behind.

This method allows the prompt removal of any urine and faeces, reducing odours. Non-clumping litter is also available, made from absorbent material, like pellets of compressed sawdust or wheat or corn, or a different type of clay, or some type of synthetic material. Owners wait until the litter is all “used” and the whole tray is then emptied, cleaned and refilled.

The Litter Kwitter is an interesting alternative: you clip this contraption onto your bathroom toilet, and your cat learns to stand astride the loo while they do their business, so that you can simply flush away the results once they are done.

I’m not sure if anyone has trained rabbits (or dogs) to use Litter Kwitters: that’s an interesting challenge for an enthusiastic bunny or dog keeper to consider.

The good news is that all three of the most popular companion animals – dogs, cats and rabbits – can easily be house trained

House training is one of the most important behaviours that our pets need to learn.

We like to live in clean, odour-free homes. Much as we love our pets living beside us, there are some rules that they must obey to allow co-living in peace. And this includes peeing and pooing in designated places, rather than just in any convenient corner of the room.

The good news is that all three of the most popular companion animals – dogs, cats and rabbits – can easily be house trained. This is done in a different way for each species.

Dogs have a natural instinct not to mess in their own den; this kicks in from an early age. The challenge is to convince young dogs that the entire indoors of your house is their den. They do not naturally understand that the far corner of the living room is “den”, and to them, it may seem logical to go there.

The best way to teach dogs good toiletting habits is to use “crate training”. A “crate” is a metal cage, usually of the fold-down type traditionally used to transport dogs to shows or in the back of cars or vans.

This crate is set up in a corner of the human living area, with bedding and perhaps a few toys in it. This becomes the dog’s “private bedroom”, and when the dog is not being directly supervised, they are asked to go into their crate, and the door is shut.

This should never be done as a punishment: the dog should like going into the crate, and they should see it as a pleasant place that they choose to spend time in. Most dogs automatically understand that they must not go to the toilet inside their crate, and so if they need to go, they will let their owner know by whining, barking or becoming agitated.

Puppies can be introduced to their crate as soon as they arrive in their new homes, and for many dogs, the crate becomes their long term private space. Dogs often learn to love their crates: if they want some quiet time on their own, they go to their crate to chill out. They usually sleep there at night.

And the family know that if the dog is in the crate, they should not be hauled out: they should be asked if they would like to come out. Just as a child’s bedroom space should be respected, so should a dog’s crate space.

For toilet training with puppies in the early days, the idea is to keep a very close eye on them at all times even if they are not in their crate. In particular, they should be watched closely on occasions when they are more likely to want to go to the toilet. Examples include when they get up after sleeping, soon after eating their meals, or at any time when they stop what they are doing and begin to look restless.

At these times, they should be taken straight outside, and their owner should wait with them. Then when they go to the toilet, they should be praised effusively, and ideally a treat should be given.

Some people say a key phrase when this happens (e.g “busy busy”) at the same time as rewarding them. The idea is that the dog learns that it’s a good thing to go to the toilet outside, and they may also link the key phrase to the act. On a later date, if you go outside and say the key phrase, they will be prompted to go to the toilet with less waiting around.

If you cannot keep a very close eye on your pup, they should go into their crate rather than being allowed to roam around the house. They are less likely to have an “accident” in there, due to their natural desire not to mess their den. You may wish to leave a puppy training pad (an absorbent sheet of plastic-lined tissue) in at one end of the crate, to allow them to have somewhere to go if they cannot quite hold on long enough.

The principle of crate training can be applied to dogs of all ages, but most pups continue to be fully house trained after this initial learning phase.

Cats and rabbits also have a strong urge not to mess in their home area: they also know from an early age to visit a designated toiletting area to do their business. Ideally, this should have some sort of substrate in it: garden soil if outside, or a litter tray if indoors.

Litter trays can be lined with different types of litter material. My favourite is clumping litter, which forms solid, easily-removable clumps when it becomes moist with urine or faeces. Cat (and rabbit) owners can then use a special type of slatted scooping utensil to lift out the used solid clumps of litter from the tray, leaving the dry uncontaminated litter behind.

This method allows the prompt removal of any urine and faeces, reducing odours. Non-clumping litter is also available, made from absorbent material, like pellets of compressed sawdust or wheat or corn, or a different type of clay, or some type of synthetic material. Owners wait until the litter is all “used” and the whole tray is then emptied, cleaned and refilled.

The Litter Kwitter is an interesting alternative: you clip this contraption onto your bathroom toilet, and your cat learns to stand astride the loo while they do their business, so that you can simply flush away the results once they are done.

I’m not sure if anyone has trained rabbits (or dogs) to use Litter Kwitters: that’s an interesting challenge for an enthusiastic bunny or dog keeper to consider.
The good news is that all three of the most popular companion animals – dogs, cats and rabbits – can easily be house trained

House training is one of the most important behaviours that our pets need to learn.

We like to live in clean, odour-free homes. Much as we love our pets living beside us, there are some rules that they must obey to allow co-living in peace. And this includes peeing and pooing in designated places, rather than just in any convenient corner of the room.

The good news is that all three of the most popular companion animals – dogs, cats and rabbits – can easily be house trained. This is done in a different way for each species.

Dogs have a natural instinct not to mess in their own den; this kicks in from an early age. The challenge is to convince young dogs that the entire indoors of your house is their den. They do not naturally understand that the far corner of the living room is “den”, and to them, it may seem logical to go there.

The best way to teach dogs good toiletting habits is to use “crate training”. A “crate” is a metal cage, usually of the fold-down type traditionally used to transport dogs to shows or in the back of cars or vans.

This crate is set up in a corner of the human living area, with bedding and perhaps a few toys in it. This becomes the dog’s “private bedroom”, and when the dog is not being directly supervised, they are asked to go into their crate, and the door is shut.

This should never be done as a punishment: the dog should like going into the crate, and they should see it as a pleasant place that they choose to spend time in. Most dogs automatically understand that they must not go to the toilet inside their crate, and so if they need to go, they will let their owner know by whining, barking or becoming agitated.

Puppies can be introduced to their crate as soon as they arrive in their new homes, and for many dogs, the crate becomes their long term private space. Dogs often learn to love their crates: if they want some quiet time on their own, they go to their crate to chill out. They usually sleep there at night.

And the family know that if the dog is in the crate, they should not be hauled out: they should be asked if they would like to come out. Just as a child’s bedroom space should be respected, so should a dog’s crate space.

For toilet training with puppies in the early days, the idea is to keep a very close eye on them at all times even if they are not in their crate. In particular, they should be watched closely on occasions when they are more likely to want to go to the toilet. Examples include when they get up after sleeping, soon after eating their meals, or at any time when they stop what they are doing and begin to look restless.

At these times, they should be taken straight outside, and their owner should wait with them. Then when they go to the toilet, they should be praised effusively, and ideally a treat should be given.

Some people say a key phrase when this happens (e.g “busy busy”) at the same time as rewarding them. The idea is that the dog learns that it’s a good thing to go to the toilet outside, and they may also link the key phrase to the act. On a later date, if you go outside and say the key phrase, they will be prompted to go to the toilet with less waiting around.

If you cannot keep a very close eye on your pup, they should go into their crate rather than being allowed to roam around the house. They are less likely to have an “accident” in there, due to their natural desire not to mess their den. You may wish to leave a puppy training pad (an absorbent sheet of plastic-lined tissue) in at one end of the crate, to allow them to have somewhere to go if they cannot quite hold on long enough.

The principle of crate training can be applied to dogs of all ages, but most pups continue to be fully house trained after this initial learning phase.

Cats and rabbits also have a strong urge not to mess in their home area: they also know from an early age to visit a designated toiletting area to do their business. Ideally, this should have some sort of substrate in it: garden soil if outside, or a litter tray if indoors.

Litter trays can be lined with different types of litter material. My favourite is clumping litter, which forms solid, easily-removable clumps when it becomes moist with urine or faeces. Cat (and rabbit) owners can then use a special type of slatted scooping utensil to lift out the used solid clumps of litter from the tray, leaving the dry uncontaminated litter behind.

This method allows the prompt removal of any urine and faeces, reducing odours. Non-clumping litter is also available, made from absorbent material, like pellets of compressed sawdust or wheat or corn, or a different type of clay, or some type of synthetic material. Owners wait until the litter is all “used” and the whole tray is then emptied, cleaned and refilled.

The Litter Kwitter is an interesting alternative: you clip this contraption onto your bathroom toilet, and your cat learns to stand astride the loo while they do their business, so that you can simply flush away the results once they are done.

I’m not sure if anyone has trained rabbits (or dogs) to use Litter Kwitters: that’s an interesting challenge for an enthusiastic bunny or dog keeper to consider.