Watch This Dog Use a Human Toilet. Could Your Dog Do This?

We know what every dog owner thinks: Life would be so much easier if our pets would just use the toilet. Many viral videos show cats using the toilet, but few show dogs doing the same. Is it even possible? This video might show one successful case of a dog using the bathroom, but the answer is far more complicated. This is why your dog will probably never use the bathroom like their human family.

How to Train Your Dog to Use the Toilet

Training your dog to go to the bathroom indoors is entirely possible, but the toilet is a different story. Toilets are designed for humans, and even cats have an easier time using one than dogs. The pup in this video was likely placed on the toilet. Walking backward doesn’t come naturally to dogs, so getting its hind legs on the seat would prove challenging. The staging of the second pup as a toilet paper holder makes it look like this was a carefully scripted scene.

However, training a dog to do something similar is not impossible. Some experts recommend a pallet potty, which is more comfortable for dogs. Pallet potties are made with a wood pallet and a hole for a bucket or other container placed underneath. Dogs can be trained to sit on this spot to use the bathroom, but it requires tremendous patience and dedication. Owners who live in apartment buildings may use faux greenery indoors in place of a backyard. The training behind this is similar to teaching a dog how to sit on a pallet to use the bathroom.

Toilet Training Requires Consistency

Training a dog to use the bathroom anywhere other than the backyard requires steps. The first step is to familiarize your dog with a distinct spot. This could be near the bathroom, an indoor puppy pad, a faux grass patch, or a large litter box. Once they’re comfortable doing that, the next step is to get them into or onto the area they’ll use as a bathroom. When they successfully find the spot to potty, they get rewarded!

The hard part comes after they’re comfortable in their new bathroom spot. Routine and consistency are crucial, and knowing when your dog usually relieves itself is important. Around that time, you can bring your dog to the potty spot, and when they successfully use the new toilet, it’s treat time!

How Common Is Toilet Training For Dogs?

This video shows that dogs using an indoor toilet are not common. Cats have an easier time because of their small size. They’re also comfortable using litter boxes, so it’s not a far stretch to train them to use a toilet. On the other hand, it’s instinctive for a dog to use the bathroom outdoors. While training them to use a spot indoors is possible, it’s often difficult and might feel unnatural to them.