Effective guide: how to train a puppy to go to the toilet on a diaper in an apartment

Although teaching a puppy to use a diaper in an apartment can seem like a difficult task, it is completely possible to accomplish with the correct strategy. Puppies pick things up quickly, especially when their owners are patient and consistent. It keeps your home tidy and stress-free if you teach them where to use the restroom indoors.

We’ll walk you through realistic steps in this guide to help your puppy get used to wearing a diaper. You’ll find advice to help the process go more smoothly for you and your new pet, from picking the ideal location to dealing with accidents.

Even in an apartment, you can help your puppy learn where to relieve themselves by implementing these easy techniques from an early age.

Step Description
1. Choose the spot Pick a designated area in your apartment where the diaper will always be placed.
2. Introduce the diaper Let your puppy sniff and explore the diaper to become familiar with it.
3. Watch for signs Keep an eye on your puppy, especially after meals, for signs they need to go.
4. Place the puppy on the diaper When they show signs, gently place them on the diaper to reinforce the idea.
5. Use positive reinforcement Reward your puppy with praise or treats when they successfully use the diaper.
6. Be patient and consistent Accidents will happen; keep a routine and stay consistent with training.

What is important to know before teaching a puppy to go to the toilet on a diaper

In addition to buying food, care items, you need to deal with the toilet issue. Ask the breeder whether the puppy is accustomed to the diaper or not. If yes, then everything is quite simple, you need to buy the same. If the baby is not yet familiar with the features of the toilet, then all the responsible work will fall on your shoulders. You need to opt for disposable absorbent diapers or reusable ones that can be washed. For a dog, there is no big difference, it is about the convenience of the owner. If you have a miniature pet and in the future you do not plan to walk it to relieve itself on the street, then, for example, you can immediately train a Yorkie puppy to a special tray for dogs.

Veterinary pharmacies and pet stores sell special training aids in the form of a spray for training on the toilet and another for areas where it is not permitted to urinate. Several manufacturers, including 8 in 1, Mr. Fresh, Smart spray, Kiss, and others, produce these solutions.

  • At 3-4 weeks in 45 minutes.
  • At 2 months in 1 hour 15 minutes.
  • At 3 months 1.5 hours.
  • At 4-5 months 2 hours.
  • After 6 months, the interval becomes even longer.

Urinating more than once every 45 minutes should prompt a visit to the veterinarian in order to rule out cystitis.

Training a puppy to a diaper at 1 month

Clear the apartment of any carpets, shoes, and other items that may be laying around to make room for the new tenant. If the surface is slick, you will need to purchase a covering that will be simple to clean and that you won’t mind discarding once the child outgrows it. A dog may sustain paw injuries on a slick floor.

Use diapers to cover the remaining area where the puppy will relieve itself. A month old babies are not yet in control of the process, so they can poop anywhere and write. There’s no use berating him for this.

Just getting to know each other is the first step. A month-old puppy cannot yet be trained to use a diaper; errors will still occur.

How to accustom a 2-month-old puppy to a diaper

The baby has not been using the restroom for a longer period of time by two months. Diapers can be kept in locations that are convenient for you and you can use fewer of them.

Puppies typically use the restroom following meals, sleeps, and vigorous games. It is the owner’s responsibility to time the exact moment and carry the animal so he can urinate on the diaper. If the dog makes mistakes frequently, don’t worry; at this stage in his development, he is still too small to control the process and doesn’t know what is expected of him.

Features of accustoming at 3 months

After receiving all scheduled vaccinations, a puppy should ideally be transferred from the breeder to a new home no sooner than three months. It’s also possible that the baby has already been acclimated to the diaper by the previous owner, in which case you won’t have to do much work.

The puppy is already more aware of the urination and defecation processes at this age. Nonetheless, you should always carry the puppy in a diaper following a meal and nap.

Use a diaper to blot any puddles the baby may have made in the wrong area. Approach this location with caution. In order to teach the puppy that he must urinate on the diaper, put him in it.

Avoid using physical force on him; avoid hitting him with a newspaper or poking him with your nose. There won’t be any comprehension as to why the owner punishes for a typical physiological process—just fear. You can take the dog for brief walks in your arms to get it ready for future walks outside. Start introducing the collar and leash at home.

Patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement are necessary when teaching a puppy to use a diaper in an apartment. Once you’ve decided on a location for the diaper, take your puppy there for playtime, meals, and naps. When they successfully change their diaper, give them praise or treats. If an accident occurs, clean it up without punishing the puppy to keep them from becoming confused. Your puppy’s indoor toilet training will go more smoothly if they learn to associate the diaper with their bathroom needs with time and consistency.

Tips and methods of training at 4 months

The grown puppy is starting to gradually regulate his or her urination and defecation by the time it is four months old. You don’t need to cover everything with diapers at this point. It’s sufficient to have one or two in a litter tray or a designated area.

The dog still doesn’t need to be reprimanded for errors. The following behavior strategies ought to be used:

  1. Went to the diaper – actively praise , pet, you can reward with a treat.
  2. Missed the toilet – ignore . No need to shout, violently express emotions or punish. The dog will understand that it is being scolded, but the cause-and-effect relationship is not clear to it.

It’s up to you to decide whether or not to take the dog for walks outside after four months. It is not possible to force a Spitz puppy to urinate and defecate outside of the apartment, for example, if you are trying to train them to use a diaper or tray. When it comes to larger breeds, you can fully introduce them to using the restroom outside at this age, rather than just taking them for a walk in your arms.

How often should you change the diaper and what else can be used as a toilet

Disposable diapers shouldn’t require additional washing or cleaning; they are meant to be thrown away right away. For the first four months of the dog’s life, it is preferable to leave it alone, dirty, and pee-filled. This will aid in acclimating the puppy to the scent of humans, though there may be some discomfort for you at first. It is imperative to remove the feces right away in order to prevent koprophagia, or dog feces eating, which is common.

Everything is the same when using reusable diapers; the only thing that differs is that hypoallergenic or kid-friendly powders must be used to wash them. To ensure that the sheets dry out, you need to have at least four of them.

A dog tray is an additional choice. It resembles a cat, but it’s usually larger and features a column at the center. Filler is applied as needed. There are even models that mimic lawn grass. It is best to select the most basic plastic version for a puppy and place the diaper there for the first time. If the dog is small and you do not intend to walk it on the street all the time, the apartment is the most convenient option.

Possible problems and their solution

Even though everything appears straightforward in theory, the owner may run into a variety of issues in real life. However, there are answers to all problems:

  • The puppy goes to the diaper every other time.

Maybe he just doesn’t have time to run because he is still too small, so he urinates past the diaper. This is because until they are four months old, they are unable to exercise self control. This is akin to attempting to teach a six-month-old infant to consistently ask to use the restroom. If the issue arises later, it might be because the diaper is unclean, smells strange, or something else took his focus.

  • The puppy has stopped going to the diaper.

The causes are the same as those of recurrent breakdowns. It is not appropriate to feel resentful towards the puppy and assume that he acts spitefully. In dog terms, there is no such thing as "on purpose, to take revenge." They do not find it repulsive, viewing urination and defecation as entirely normal physiological processes. Recall that a dog is able to eat its own or another person’s excrement without flinching. However, this makes people feel disgusted.

What you take to be guilt: closed eyes, pressed ears, and a floored posture; these are not expressions of guilt but rather fear. If you discipline the puppy for not using the potty, training may come to an abrupt end. What should I do in this circumstance? It’s important for you to take a deep breath, sip some chamomile tea, gather your thoughts, and acknowledge that the puppy was not the intended culprit. Reverse your behavior and begin training from the beginning: give praise for accomplishments, ignore errors, and carry it to the diaper.

Use an anti-poop if the puppy poops outside of the diaper. It’s important to keep in mind that your dog will soon grow up and that nature has a rule against it urinating in its den, which has now become your home.

  • The puppy chews the toilet diaper.

For owners, this is an extremely prevalent issue. Babies use their mouths to explore the world; they bite and chew everything, and this process is particularly intense when they are getting new teeth. Start by giving the puppy additional items to try tasting, such as balls, ropes, and squeakers. Don’t forget to spend enough time conversing and playing with the baby.

The puppy still eats diapers even though he gets plenty of attention and toys. Sometimes it’s unclear what to do in such a circumstance. Additionally, you can’t go without a diaper because there’s a chance the pet will swallow something and cause vomiting or intestinal blockage. In this instance, switching to reusable diapers and applying a chew-deterrent spray are worthwhile.

Ways to accustom a puppy to the street after a diaper

When a puppy learns to walk and relieve itself on the street, it will have reached the next stage of development. Attempting to acclimate after six months is worthwhile. Some dogs pick up on things quickly and don’t need their owners to put in extra effort.

If not, the following is an algorithm that outlines how to wean a puppy out of a diaper:

  1. It is better to take the first walks after feeding or sleep. If you go for a walk after eating, avoid active games, otherwise there is a risk of gastric torsion, especially in large breeds.
  2. On a walk, take a diaper and spray for toilet training with you, if you used it before. The puppy does not yet understand the soil, grass or snow, so it may refuse to go to the toilet, because at home there is a familiar, comfortable diaper waiting for you.
  3. Over time, the diaper can be cut into small pieces, and then completely removed. But you can leave the spray for now.
  4. Gradually remove the diaper at home when you see that the dog is able to hold it until a walk.
  5. Be careful, if the dog resists, stubbornly does not want to pee and poop outside, then make the interval between the training points longer or return to the previous stage.
  6. If you do everything according to the instructions, but the dog still continues to poop at home, and it is older than 7-8 months, then there is a reason to contact specialists – a zoopsychologist and a veterinarian. The reasons for this behavior can be obsessive-compulsive disorder, diseases of the urinary and digestive systems.

Rejecting a diaper and toilet at home and teaching someone to use the streets typically takes one to four weeks.

It can take some time and patience to train your puppy to use a diaper in an apartment, but it is completely possible with the correct method. Your puppy will quickly learn where to go if you follow a schedule, are consistent, and give them positive reinforcement.

If you want to eventually move them to outdoor training, make sure you set up a special place for the diaper and move it closer to the door gradually. Never forget to reinforce excellent behavior in your puppy by giving them treats and praise when they get it right.

It’s crucial to exercise patience with your puppy since mishaps will occur. Remain composed and continue leading them to the diaper. Your perseverance will eventually pay off, and your puppy will pick up the proper potty location.

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Igor Semenov

Zoopsychologist with extensive experience. Specialization - behavior correction for cats and dogs. I help owners understand why their pets behave in certain ways and how to change unwanted behavior without stressing the animal.

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