Indoor Potty Training Method #1 - Using a Small Confinement Area

This is the easiest indoor potty training method for most dogs. You will create a confinement area either in a very small room or with an exercise pen (which is a multi-panel gate that can be assembled to create enclosed areas of different shapes and sizes). This confinement area should be large enough only for Fido's bed, his food and water bowls, and his potty area. There should be no visible floor space. You may be surprised by how small this initial confinement area is, but giving Fido more space, even though it may seem like a nice thing to do, will only confuse him and slow the training process. By using a small area, we're encouraging Fido to make the right decision by using the potty area to relieve himself. He doesn't want to potty in his bed or where he eats so, because it is the only other space available, the potty area becomes a natural choice.

Of course, you will want to clean the potty area regularly and remove any poos promptly. This will prevent Fido from stepping in his pee and poo and tracking it all over his confinement area. Many people believe they have to leave the potty area dirty so Fido will recognize it as his bathroom. There's some truth in this... a trace of his scent can help to draw Fido back to the area to relieve himself. But you don't need 4 piles of poo to create a trace of his scent... leaving a pad or paper with a bit of urine on it under the new fresh one or leaving a few bits of soiled litter in the fresh litter in his box is plenty! Lazy cleaners may also find that Fido is such a clean freak he refuses to use the potty area if it is dirty, creating a housebreaking problem.

The confinement area is the only place Fido should be when you are away from home or unable to supervise him. When he's out of the confinement area spending time with you, he must be directly supervised at all times so you can make sure he doesn't have any accidents. You should take him to his potty area any time you think he might need to relieve himself, either because you're watching the clock and keeping him on a schedule, because he's just done something that can get the juices flowing (napping, playing, eating, drinking, chewing) or because you see him showing signs that he needs to go, as outlined in Commandment #8.

If Fido is very young or totally new to potty training and he's small enough to carry, you might want to carry him to his papers for the first couple of weeks so you can prevent accidents from happening on the way there. Once he's matured a bit and is getting the idea, you'll definitely need to let him walk with you to the papers so he can learn the path he'll need to use to get there on his own later in training. As Fido becomes more familiar with the location of his potty area, you should let him go there anytime you see him trying to head in that direction. You'll need to follow him at first, of course, to be sure he doesn't take a detour or have an accident along the way. Anytime Fido takes himself to the papers to potty, you should fuss over him like crazy so he knows he did the right thing... treat him like he just won the Nobel Prize!

Once Fido has reliably used his potty area when confined with NO accidents for one month, start to gradually increase the size of his confinement area. If you are using an exercise pen, you can enlarge it by using additional panels or even getting a second exercise pen to attach to the first, creating an extra large pen. When Fido is reliable in the enlarged pen, you can use a closed door or puppy gate to enclose him in the room his potty area is in. If you are using a small room as your confinement area, you can gradually broaden Fido's horizons by adding on a hallway or room using puppy gates or closed doors. You can add a room every month or so, assuming there have been no accidents.

If Fido starts having accidents once you've enlarged the area, you've probably advanced too quickly. Simply put him back into the smaller confinement area, then try enlarging it again after a month of good behavior. Continue adding space until Fido is able to have the run of the whole house and take himself to his potty area every time he needs to relieve himself.