Toilet training can be frustrating and challenging, that is true. There are different dogs, with different characters; some will listen to you and learn fast, others will kill you with stubbornness or they will forget what you have taught them. You must stay calm and persistent, and you should not punish your dog when he makes a mistake. Whether you have adopted a puppy, or an adult dog, you will need to put effort in his training. Although a puppy, it doesn’t mean that you will teach him to use the toilet place from the first day. An older dog can make mistakes too, especially if he has his own habits or comes from shelter, or another family.
Watch your new puppy as much as you can; follow him and search for signs that will show you your dog’s needs. These incorporate sniffing the ground, moving from one to another place nervously and losing enthusiasm for what they were doing at the given moment. Any of these could be a sign that you should take your dog out, or to the place where his toilet is. When you bring him to the place, repeat few times the word that will mean “toilet,” You can use short phrases, if you want to. For example, you can say “Go here,” “This is your toilet,” or simply you can tell him “This place.” After the dog uses the place as toilet, give him a treat as reward. Repeat this until the dog understands what it means.
In cases when your dog forgets the place and makes a mistakes, do not punish him. Just clean the place and cover the smell. Do not worry about this; once in a while, dogs forget what they have learned, or refuse to do it. Situations to which you should pay attention are the ones in which your dog can’t control when going to toilet (health problems) and if your dog relieve his scent on purpose, because of separation anxiety (you have left them alone, or you haven’t given them love).
