Tips for Potty Training a Puppy

Obviously, if you get a new puppy you want to get him potty trained as soon as possible. You should realize, however, that it will take at least a year before you can truly trust your dog in the house alone without worrying if he is going to have an accident.

Puppies are very much like little infants. They cannot be expected to hold their bladders or bowels for any period of time. As they get older, they get better control of their muscles and can wait to go outside. Still, it is never too soon to get your puppy in the proper routine and start potty training. Here are some good tips for potty training a puppy:


1. Use a crate. Keep the puppy in the crate when you are not watching him. This will reduce the number of accidents that he will have;


2. Have an established routine when it comes to eating. If you feed your puppy at the same time each day, he will go to the bathroom at the same time each day. At first, it will be you who will be trained and not the puppy. But gradually, he will learn the concept of going outside;


3. Take the puppy to the place where you want him to go after eating. Allow him some time to sniff around and wait for him to go to the bathroom. You can either use this method or the walking method. Walking will sometimes allow the dog to go quicker and gives you some exercise, too. But it can be a real pain in the winter or rain. Once you establish a routine with a puppy, you do not want to break it often. Think carefully of where you want him to go so that it is convenient at all times of the year.


4. Give a command using the name of your puppy. Telling him to “do his business” will start to sink in. When he has done his business and you take him in, he will gradually understand the meaning of these words. Dogs can pick up tones and some words. They can understand basic commands. Give your dog the command to go to the bathroom when you take him outside.


5. Admonish bad behavior. If your dog has an accident in the house, show it to him, tell him off and send him away from the family for a few seconds. You must not rub the puppies nose in it and also do not hit the puppy. Just showing him the mess caused and sending him away gives him the message that he did not do a good thing. Do not be harsh on a puppy. You can simply say “no” when he does this. Do not hit your dog under any circumstances as you may actually hurt a little puppy and they really do not understand.


6. Reward good behavior. This is very important. Give your dog plenty of affection and a treats when he goes to the bathroom in the designated spot. He will love this reward and look forward to it each time. Make sure, if you use doggie treats, that you always have them on hand.

 

Be patient and treat your puppy kindly and do not expect too much,, too soon. Get some good carpet cleaner and wait it out. By the time your puppy is a year old, he will be potty trained to the point where you can leave him alone and he will not go in the house.