Toilet training

You may be thinking of getting a puppy (or you've had one for a while), and you need to potty train him. This first major apprenticeship isn't always easy for a young animal who's just been thrust into your home, having been brutally torn away from his mother and siblings, losing all his first bearings in life. Disoriented, he needs above all emotional tranquillity to tackle this difficult apprenticeship. It's in the spontaneous, tender and indulgent welcome of his new masters (though not their permissiveness!) that the puppy finds this tranquillity, and can thus transfer to them the attachment he had for his mother and siblings. It's up to you to build your puppy's self-confidence on this attachment, because learning is never better than when it's based on trust.

But what do we mean by “puppy cleanliness”?

For him, cleanliness means not doing anything to the places where he sleeps or eats. This is something he's already learned from his mother at the breeder's (in the case of the best breeding conditions).
In fact, from birth and as long as they are still suckling, puppies are incapable of eliminating spontaneously on their own. It's their mother who provokes elimination and absorbs the products, keeping the bedding clean.
As soon as her puppies begin to eat solid food, she no longer ingests their faeces, and encourages them to relieve themselves outside the nest.
If you take in a puppy at 8 weeks (the minimum legal selling age), he's already “clean”, as he no longer relieves himself in the nest.
The puppy must therefore adjust to our view of cleanliness when he arrives in our homes: in other words, he must relieve himself outside the home. For him, it's a question of widening the space between the nest, where he no longer eliminates, and the place where he can relieve himself.
To make him understand what you expect of him, and any strong manner is never conducive to learning, you'll need to proceed calmly to ensure his equilibrium.

Pre-requisites to facilitate learning :

-- Distribute food according to a precise protocol and at a fixed time, to better manage elimination, of course, but above all to ensure that your puppy recognizes your authority (essential with puppies to facilitate learning).
From weaning onwards, the mother teaches her puppies that there is an order of access to the bowl: adult dogs eat first, quietly and undisturbed, then puppies.
To help regulate the young animal's eating behavior, after family meals (when the puppy is given nothing), we leave him to eat alone in peace and quiet and take away his bowl ¼ h later, whether it's empty or not, and the same thing at subsequent meals (always leaving the water available).
Knowing that puppies usually relieve themselves after eating, taking them out at these times makes potty training easier.

-- Limit the space the puppy can occupy (especially in your absence) and decide on a sleeping area.
This not only reduces the areas the young animal can soil, but also imposes your control over the living space, continuing what its mother did by calling her puppies to order when they strayed too far from the permitted areas.
From the very first days, it's another way for your puppy to recognize your authority (always to encourage learning!).
Whether you're away, resting during the day or sleeping at night, the kitchen is often the preferred sleeping area, because it's easy to clean.
A puppy sleeps a lot, so he'll rest there for many hours, and almost automatically wants to relieve himself each time he wakes up. Taking him out just at these times again guarantees easy elimination.

-- Provide a “comfort zone
An 8-week-old puppy can't hold it in for more than 1 or 2 hours during the day, or 3 or 4 hours at night, and you shouldn't expect him to be able to hold it in for several hours before he's 6 months old.
If you can take him out after naps, meals and play sessions (when the puppy also easily feels the need to eliminate), it's easy to get a young animal who relieves himself easily outside within a few weeks.
As it's not always possible to be so available, it's best to plan for him to relieve himself naturally in the house, without of course having to punish him for this.
If you're going to be away for several hours (or if you live on the 6th floor without an elevator!), you can mark out a “potty area” (in the kitchen, on the terrace, etc....) with newspaper or a floorcloth, for example, at a sufficient distance from his water bowl. Stimulated by the smell of his previous eliminations there, he'll be more likely to return.
This method is convenient for many owners, but we mustn't lose sight of the fact that it delays the puppy's learning to eliminate outdoors. In a way, we're “teaching” him that it's okay to pee or poop in the house! But we're trying to get him to understand precisely the opposite...! So you'll have to be very lenient when your puppy takes a long time to “go potty”!
This is the case with puppies from pet shops, who often take longer to be housebroken because they've been held captive in small boxes, where they were forced to relieve themselves on the bedding. There, they literally underwent the “forced apprenticeship” of: “I do where I am. We must therefore undo what has been “learned” and relearn “the right way”, in accordance with human criteria for cleanliness: patience and indulgence.

Take the puppy out often and from an early age (but not under any conditions)

Since puppies eliminate spontaneously after meals, naps and playtime, if they start turning and sniffing the ground after one of these moments, it's best to react promptly and take them outside right away!
At the beginning of the learning process, choose to take your dog on a leash to the same quiet, clean places if possible, so that he can become familiar with them and find the confidence to settle there.
To learn to eliminate in any outdoor environment, a puppy needs to be fairly sure of himself, and his confidence in you at the end of the leash will help him to do just that.
Noisy places, crowded with people and congeners, disturb and distract puppies, who will wait until they get home to relieve themselves! It's so much quieter at home!

Don't wait for your puppy's last vaccination before taking him for a walk!

There's more to fear from not socializing your puppy to the outside world by not taking him out, than by keeping him indoors for fear of possible infections.
That's why we recommend taking him out before he's 3 months old. The risk of infection is minimal compared to the risk of ending up with a puppy who won't be able to fearlessly go out in an urban environment, mainly because he hasn't been familiarized with it early enough.
The risk is even greater if your puppy comes from an isolated kennel in the countryside, where he's had no contact whatsoever with street noise.
But don't take him right away to relieve himself on the busiest sidewalks! (because they're often the dirtiest), it's a good idea to gradually introduce him to all the situations he'll encounter later on.
In this way, he'll become a well-balanced dog, able to relieve himself on a leash wherever you go.
And even if the puppy has a garden, this doesn't mean you don't have to take him out into the street, for the reasons set out above.

How to proceed :

Once you've found “the right place”, let your puppy sniff around, without showing impatience, which he'll perceive clearly and which will only stress him and certainly not relieve him quickly.
To eliminate, he may prefer absorbent, sandy soil with small stones, or grass (not always easy in big cities!), a habit he may already have picked up from his breeders.
Always bring him back to this spot, and you'll find it easier to eliminate him there.
As soon as the puppy has done his job, congratulate him and show your approval with a loud, happy OUIIIIII and lots of petting, so that he understands that this is exactly what you want from him.
Be careful, however, to wait until he's just finished before congratulating him, as he may stop in his tracks!
In the vicinity of residential areas, in towns and cities, inside residences, etc., always bring your own little bags to pick up his droppings. By doing so, you'll be helping to keep your dog cleaner and make people who see dogs as a nuisance more fond of them!
You can then continue walking your dog on a leash for a while, and gradually increase the area he can explore, offering him one of his toys (but be sure not to pick up any papers, pebbles, etc.).
Gradually, you'll make the outdoors a familiar and positive place, and above all, you shouldn't go inside immediately after relieving yourself - otherwise your puppy will quickly associate “pee/poo” with the end of the walk!

If your puppy relieves himself at home

Assuming you're available enough, it's of course laborious to take your very young puppy out 6 to 8 times a day (and 1 or 2 times at night!) if you don't have a house with a garden. There are bound to be a few “accidents” along the way, and it's vital to react appropriately in order to optimize the learning process.

If you don't catch your puppy just relieving himself, don't scold him. Don't hit him or inflict the all-too-practical punishment of sticking his nose in it! This teaches him nothing except to fear you without understanding. Dogs are in the present and won't associate your sudden anger with the fact that they relieved themselves a few moments ago.
The sheepish look he'll adopt at each of your outbursts of fury when you catch a pee in the house is (in dog language) merely the submissive attitude of a puppy who fears your anger and demands your appeasement.
Don't be fooled by the nonsensical idea that he “knows he's guilty” and is asking for forgiveness - this interpretation is nothing but anthropomorphism!
On the other hand, if you see him sniffing, circling and wanting to land anywhere, make your disagreement known immediately with a NO! Sound.
Grab him and, without further ado, take him outside or to the part of the apartment you've set aside for this purpose.
Congratulate him warmly if you're lucky enough to get him to comply and finish where you put him.
The aim is for him to associate that you want him to relieve himself there and not elsewhere. But also, and above all, that he doesn't fear your presence when he has an urge he can't hold back. Because then he might not be able to do it easily on a leash outside (fearing your proximity), or he might try to hide his night-time droppings by absorbing them, for example! (One of the causes of coprophagia in puppies).

When you haven't surprised him, simply pick up or sponge up outside his presence, so he doesn't mistake your crouching position for a play call!
Cleaning with vinegar and water is preferable to bleach, the smell of which would encourage him to do it again!
If you've provided optimal training conditions, your puppy will be housebroken between the ages of 4 and 6 months, but sometimes a little later if he's left alone for many hours.

So be indulgent with your puppy, and never punish him for this training as for any other, as this is in no way educational!