The ‘Wee-Wee’ Bible
Toileting training used to be a conversation I would have with new puppy owners, or adoptive paw parents. Now days, I find that this is a common problematic behaviour inquiry for dogs at varied life stages. Whether you’re working with a brand new wee babe (no pun intended), or an older dog that’s regressed due to stress or routine changes, it’s never too late to go back to basics and create a successful toileting routine. In fact, for sensitive or anxious dogs, it’s often essential.
Let’s walk through how to build (or rebuild) a strong toileting routine, how to avoid common setbacks, and what to do if things don’t quite go to plan.
Frequent Toileting Opportunities
When you bring a new puppy home, their tiny bladders and developing habits mean they need very frequent toilet breaks. A good starting point is every 30 minutes for young puppies. As they mature and you get a better sense of their natural rhythm, you can begin to space these breaks out to hourly or based on their personal routine, by that I mean, every time you take them outside and their toilet, note the time down. When you see consistent toileting at certain times, only take them out at that time.
Every time your alarm goes off, take your puppy outside for a toilet break. This isn’t playtime, and ideally, there’s minimal interaction. Let your dog sniff around without distraction—that sniffing is their way of preparing to toilet. Avoid calling their name, patting them, or playing with them at this stage.
Once your dog begins to toilet, wait until they’ve finished entirely. The moment their bum comes off the ground, then you mark and reward. Celebrate the win! Give them lots of treats, praise, and even some play to reinforce the behaviour. For some dogs, turning around to go straight back inside will be reinforcement! I taught Henry by teaching him going to the toilet was they key to getting back inside in the warm. So much so that if I took him outside, he would cock his leg without toileting then walk straight back over to the backdoor!
It’s best to go outside with your dog, especially early on. Many dogs, particularly young or sensitive ones, feel worried being left outside alone and may become distracted by their discomfort—scratching at the door or whining instead of focusing on the task at hand.
Different dogs can develop different toileting routines. My eldest dog Henry reliably toilets when I wake up around 6am, again when I get home from work around 5pm, and then again before bed around 10pm. My middle dog Brooke does a little toilet every time we go outside, even just to hang the washing, and she often does two or three little wees rather than emptying the tank. Aida my youngest toilets twice a day, morning and early evening. Take the time to observe your dog’s toileting habits so that you can set them up for success. Some dogs will fit into your own routine like Henry did with me, other dogs, for various uncontrollable reasons, they require their own schedules and struggle to hold past certain points.
Teaching a Toilet Cue
I love that I can ask my dog’s to go to the toilet, and if they need to they will. It makes life on the road easy, as well as the general organisation of our lives! Adding a toileting cue means you’ll eventually be able to ask them to go ‘on command’.
To add a cue:
Wait until your dog starts toileting.
Quietly say your chosen cue (e.g. “toilet”, “go busy”, etc ) once, in a calm voice, as they are toileting.
When they finish, mark the behaviour and reward as usual.
With consistency, your dog will begin to associate the cue with the action and may start to toilet when you say it—especially if there’s a reward involved!
I can ask my dog’s ‘Do you need to go toilet?’ and because they understand the word ‘toilet’, if they need to go they will get up and walk to the door, if they don’t, they ignore me.
Regressions: When Stress Disrupts Routine
Some dogs, especially those prone to stress or those who’ve experienced changes in their home or routine, may suddenly start having accidents indoors—even if they were previously toilet trained. In these cases, it’s not a step backwards—it’s a cue to slow down and reset.
The best approach is to strip everything back and return to the basics, just as you would with a new puppy. Reinstate a frequent toileting schedule, supervise closely, and celebrate every success. Sensitive dogs need extra consistency and support during these times.
Watching for Toileting Body Language
One of the most effective ways to prevent accidents indoors is to learn your dog’s toileting signals. Most dogs will show subtle signs before they go—sniffing the ground, circling, pacing, suddenly stopping play or enrichment engagement, or heading toward the door or a particular corner. Dog’s are also most likely to toilet after a nap, after eating, after enrichment, after exercise, or after big drinks. As soon as you spot these behaviours, interrupt gently and guide your dog outside immediately. Try not to startle or scold them—just calmly say something like “let’s go outside” and lead them to the appropriate spot. If they toilet once outside, reward them as usual. Catching and redirecting these early signals helps reinforce the idea that toileting happens outdoors and gives your dog every chance to get it right.
The Importance of Using Enzymatic Cleaners
When cleaning up accidents, it’s crucial to use enzymatic-based cleaners specifically designed to break down the proteins in urine and faeces. Unlike standard household cleaners or disinfectants, enzymatic cleaners eliminate the scent markers dogs use to identify previous toileting spots. If these odors remain, even if we can’t smell them, dogs often return to the same area to toilet again. Avoid using vinegar or ammonia-based products, as they can actually make the problem worse—to a dog, vinegar can smell similar to urine, which may encourage repeat accidents in that spot. Using the right cleaning product is a simple but powerful step in preventing ongoing toileting issues. If it smells like a toilet - it must be a toilet!
Introducing these products into an accident cleaning routine has single handedly solved many clients toileting complications.
Managing the Environment
Preventing accidents is just as important as reinforcing the correct behaviour. Here are a few management strategies Limit access to the whole house when you can’t supervise. Close doors to un-used rooms, or utilising baby gates, or play pens to separate housing - not forever, just while you toilet train! You might also consider create training to assist with toilet training.
Crate training can be a powerful tool in toilet training because it taps into a dog’s natural instinct to keep their sleeping and eating area clean. Most dogs will avoid toileting in the same space where they eat or rest, which makes a correctly-sized crate an ideal aid for teaching bladder and bowel control.
When used appropriately, a crate helps:
Establish a routine, as dogs learn to hold on while in the crate and relieve themselves only when taken outside.
Prevent unsupervised accidents, especially when you can’t keep eyes on your dog at all times.
Build independence and calmness, as crate time encourages downtime and self-regulation.
However, it’s important the crate isn’t too large—otherwise the dog may toilet in one end and sleep in the other. A crate should only be big enough for a dog to stand up, lie down and turn around. It should also never be used for punishment, and dogs shouldn’t be left crated for extended periods without breaks.
In short, crate training supports toilet training by giving your dog clear boundaries and structure while helping them learn when and where it’s appropriate to go.
The Secret Toileter
A secret toileter is a dog that sneaks away to toilet in hidden or quiet areas of the house—like behind furniture, in unused rooms, or corners—often without the owner realising until later. This behaviour can be frustrating, but it’s usually a sign of underlying stress or confusion about where it's appropriate to toilet.
Secret toileting often develops for a few key reasons:
Fear of being punished – If a dog has been scolded or punished for toileting indoors (especially if caught after the fact), they may learn to hide the behaviour rather than stop it. They don’t connect the punishment with the act of toileting—just with doing it in front of you. This is why it is vital to never punish toileting, as not only will it cause hidden toileting, it can also make it difficult to reinforce outside as the dog will be to scared to toilet in your presence.
Inconsistent toilet training – If a dog hasn’t had clear, consistent guidance on where and when to toilet, they may become confused and choose quiet, low-traffic areas to relieve themselves.
Stress or changes in the environment – Big life changes (like moving house, new family members, or other pets) can cause stress and lead to regressions or sneaky toileting habits. This is especially common in multi-cat households when a new cat enters the home and establishes territory, causing a second cat to toilet in inappropriate areas because cat A has claimed time or space.
Lack of supervision – If a dog has too much unsupervised access to the home too soon, they may develop the habit of toileting where they won’t be noticed.
In these cases, going back to basics—including strategies like umbilical chording, crate training, and positive reinforcement—is essential to rebuild trust, confidence, and proper habits.
When All Else Fails: Umbilical Chording
For dogs who continue to toilet indoors despite consistent training, or those who’ve become secret toileters (sneaking away to wee or poo out of sight), a more structured approach may be needed.
This behaviour often stems from:
Being punished for toileting in the past (so they hide it now)
Feeling anxious about toileting in front of humans
Lacking a clear association between the act and the reward
The solution? Umbilical chording. Umbilical cording provides constant supervision, preventing your dog from sneaking away to toilet inappropriately. At the same time, it allows you to observe their toileting signals—sniffing, circling, restlessness—and immediately guide them outside when they show signs they need to go. When you ambilocal chord, the dog is going to go to the toilet, it just gives you the control required to reinforce it when it occurs outside or in desirable spaces, or otherwise not occur through environmental management.
This strategy is especially helpful for:
Secret toileters who have learned to avoid toileting in front of people due to past punishment or anxiety.
Dogs who haven’t developed a clear association between toileting outdoors and rewards.
Dogs who seem to “regress” after routine changes or stress.
By eliminating unsupervised access to the house and pairing toileting with your guidance and rewards, you can rebuild trust and establish clear, consistent expectations.
Final Thoughts
Toilet training is a journey—not a race. Whether you’re starting fresh with a bouncy new puppy or helping a sensitive dog relearn the ropes, the key is consistency, patience, and support. Keep it simple, celebrate success, and know that every dog can get there with the right guidance.
And remember: accidents happen. It’s all part of learning, for both of you.
