How to Train Your Dog to Use Grass4Paws
Potty training can be easy but it may take extra time and repetitions for some dogs. Remember that patience, praise and reinforcement will lead to success. Here are four tips to help better train your dog.
- Pick a location where your dog will be relaxed using the Grass4Paws potty patch and where you would like it to stay. Remember that our dogs are creatures of habit so try to avoid relocating your potty patch.
- It is always helpful to start your training when your dog has a full bladder. For example, try training your dog first thing in the morning.
- Have a treat ready to go in your pocket to offer as a reward when your dog uses or attempts to use the potty patch. We recommend hiding the treat so that it is not a distraction.
- If our dog does not automatically pee or poo on the grass you can physically place him/her on the Grass4Paws potty patch and say "go potty". This may take some repetitions but your dog is learning. Be patient!
My Dog "Went!"
Once your dog begins to pee or poo on the Grass4Paws potty patch, wait for him/her to finish then reward your dog with a treat and praise. You can move on with your day but be sure to follow up with more training sessions to help solidify the good behavior.
My Dog Still Hasn't "Gone!?"Don’t get frustrated. New habits can be hard to learn for some dogs more than others. So, if your dog still does not “go” after going through steps 2-4 above place him/her where they won’t have an accident and wait 30 minutes or an hour. After that time and their bladder is full, go through steps 2-4 with your dog again.
Use the Scent of Another Dog
If your dog still does not choose to “go” after many repetitions with a full bladder another option is to use the scent of another dog to “mark” your Grass4Paws potty patch. To do this you have a couple of options.
- You can use a synthetic pheromone spray, which we sell on grass4paws.com, and simply use as instructed.
- Sometimes the real thing works better. Take two or three paper towels and fold them in a square, wet them and place them into a zip-lock bag. On your next walk with your dog, find a spot where another dog has peed (wet or dry) and sop up the urine with the wet paper towels. Place the towels back in the zip-lock bag and then wring the liquid out onto your Grass4Paws potty patch.
The goal is to make your dog believe a strange dog has peed on his/her Grass4Paws potty patch so make sure the other dog’s scent is unknown to your dog. Any familiarity will limit the effectiveness and urge for your dog to mark over the strange scent. Also, don’t forget to reward and praise when your dog does "go!"
Dogs don't have to “go” the same way that humans have to "go." They use their urine as a way to mark their territory and they can hold it for a very long time. Much longer than humans so don’t worry about making your dog wait until their bladder is full for training. Also, if a dog knows it will be going for a walk it will choose to hold it to mark places outside. But once he/she gives up on waiting to be taken for a walk that is the best time for training. Remember, be patient and be the Alpha in the relationship.