TRAINING HUMANS WITH CATO

Potty Training According to Cato

Cato here. Adorable, perfect, and chock-full of waste material. 💩

Rumor has it that potty training is the one downside of puppy ownership.

I’m not really sure why.

I mean, I will go wherever I want.

Apparently, that’s the problem.

Since you humans are so particular about where I conduct my business, I thought I’d give you some tips to make the whole potty-training thing a little smoother.

First tip: Get yourself a second dog.

My brother, the Rat Fink, tells Mom anytime he senses something is about to happen.

Does she listen?

Not always.

She’s usually too busy gabbing or scrolling.

Then my brother looks at her like, “I tried to tell you.”

So, if you don’t have a built-in tattletale like I do, your best friend is going to be CONSISTENCY.

My mom gets distracted easily, so when I was really little and we were just getting started, she had to put a timer on her phone— just to remind her to take me outside when I was awake and playing.

It sounds a little excessive, but apparently when you’re tiny, you have a tiny bladder and a very big opinion about where you should go. 😂

And really, I was learning when to go, and Mom was learning when to take me.

Turns out, potty training is a two-way street.

As I got older and figured out the routine, we didn’t need the timer anymore. The important thing was teaching me the pattern and being consistent.

When I wake up from a nap? BOOM. Outside.

When I finish eating? BOOM. Outside.

No refreshing your coffee. No finishing your story. No “just one more minute.”

GOGOGO!

Because if you don’t…

Well, then it’s GOGOGO AND SPOT CLEAN. 😂

Here’s a fun fact I picked up along the way: apparently the second I finish outside is my big moment. Mom’s supposed to throw a treat and a “good boy!” at me right then, while I’m still standing there like a champion, not two minutes later when we’re back inside and I’ve already forgotten what a bladder is.

Took her a minute to figure that part out, honestly. But once she did? Say less. I go, I get praised, I get a snack. Chef’s kiss. It’s basically the best deal I’ve ever negotiated.

The here-and-there approach, though? Doesn’t work. Never has. Ask literally any puppy.

Now about those accidents…

I’ve also heard some rumors from my park friends.

Apparently, there are humans out there who think that if you have an accident in the house, you should rub the puppy’s nose in it.

I thought that sounded pretty strange.

By the time you find it, in my mind that accident happened a WEEK ago. I don’t have the memory of an elephant, I have the memory of a puppy who just saw a squirrel. Rubbing my nose in something old news just confuses the heck out of me.

And when you catch me mid-accident, there’s no need for the flailing arms and dramatic yelling.

A simple “CATO… NO!” — then scoop me up and get me outside.

I’m a puppy.

I’m learning.

Love

Cato