How To Potty Train A Puppy – 6 Tips To Make House Training Easier
January 27, 2009 by Christine Andrews · Comments Off
Some people call it potty training. Others call it housebreaking. No matter what you call it, housetraining a puppy is something most new dog owners dread. Everyone you talk to will probably give you different advice, which can leave you pretty confused.
Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be a terrible experience. With the right information, potty training a puppy can be quicker and easier than you might have expected. Here a six tips that will help make housebreaking your new puppy a lot easier.
Tip #1: Feed Your Puppy At The Same Times Each Day
Free feeding as become popular among dog owners. This is where the dog food is left out so your dog can eat whenever he wants to. This might be fine for older, housebroken dogs, but when you are house training a new dog it’s best to feed him at the same times each day.
Most dogs need to go potty after eating. By having a set schedule, you can control when your dog eats and know when he will need to go potty. You’ll have fewer accidents if you follow this important tip.
Tip #2: Follow A Consistent Potty Schedule
Even though your puppy will be going potty after his meals, you will also need to take him outside as often as you can throughout the day. Create a potty schedule above and beyond meal time, and follow it – taking your puppy out at the same time each day.
By following a potty break schedule, you’ll remember to get your new puppy outside during the day. Puppies thrive on schedules because they give them a real sense of security. When they don’t know what to expect from day to day, puppies become anxious. This anxiety can easily lead to digestive problems – and that makes the whole house training process much harder.
Tip #3: Choose A “Potty” Command And Use It Consistently
Pick a command word that you are comfortable using — no matter where you are or who you’re with. Here are a few common commands: “potty” “go potty” “go peepee” and “tinkle.”
Once you decide on a command to use, you should say it every time you want your puppy to go potty. At first, don’t ever say it until you are in the exact spot you want him to go. As he gets older, you’ll be able to open the door and say “go potty” – or whatever command you are using- and he’ll run over to the right place and go potty all by himself.
Tip #4: When Your Dog Has An Accident, Don’t Scold Or Yell At Him
Every puppy is going to make a few mistakes during dog potty training. When your puppy has an accident, just stay calm. Don’t get excited and start yelling. Don’t scold your puppy and, for goodness sake, never rub your puppy’s nose in it. That’s not just old-fashioned, it’s ineffective and downright confusing for your little puppy.
As with all dog training, positive reinforcement is much more effective than negative. Making your puppy feel bad when he makes a mistake doesn’t work. You want to teach him that good things happen when he goes potty in the right place. Which brings us to the next potty training tip
Tip #5: Always Reward Your Puppy When He Gets It Right
You probably haven’t started obedience training, but this is a good time to learn about positive reinforcement. Every time your puppy does what you’ve asked him to do, you should praise and reward him. This includes potty training.
It’s a good habit to combine sincere praise with some kind of reward. Rewards can be showing him love and affection, giving him a tasty treat, or spending a few minutes playing with him. Whatever you choose, it’s vital that your puppy is rewarded immediately so he remembers that going potty means getting a reward.
To start, be sure to praise him verbally while he’s actually going potty. Use a friendly, happy voice and say “Good boy! Good potty!” As soon as he’s finished, immediately give him the reward. You can toss his favorite ball for a game of fetch, or if you’re on a walk, bounce it and let him catch it. You could also give him a treat or belly rub.
Again, be sure to reward him immediately. Praise combined with affection, treats or play will make your puppy happy – and he’ll soon associate going potty at the right time and place with happiness and joy.
Tip #6: Reduce Accidents With Crate Training Your Puppy
It’s beyond the scope of this article to explain crate training in detail, but there are some great reasons to consider it – especially when potty training your new puppy
Crate training lets you put your puppy in his crate when you aren’t able to watch him. Since dogs don’t like to soil their “dens” your puppy will naturally wait until you let him out to go potty.
The key is to never leave your puppy in his crate for long periods of time – and to take him out to go potty immediately when you let him out. What’s great is he will usually have to go potty when you let him out – and by taking him outside, he’ll be doing it when and where you want him to!
Your new puppy will love you as much as you love him – maybe even more. These six potty training tips will help you quickly housebreak your new puppy. By giving him the proper training, he’ll become a dog everyone will love being around.
Method for Housetraining Your Dog
December 2, 2008 by Paul Bennet · Comments Off
Housetraining your dog can be a simple and rewarding experience for both you and your canine friend! All you need is a lot of patience, understanding and a simple training structure. Whether you have a new puppy or an older dog, you have no reason not to appropriately housetrain your pet. Sadly, every year, a lot of dogs are forced to look for new homes every time their current owners does not do well in their housetraining duty and become weary of the dog having accidents in their home. So before you start this exciting endeavor, remember that it will take some time and tons of dedication from both you and your pet, so you should promise to give your dog proper attention during this process.
*Time your training: Like people, a dog’s bladder must fully develop before it can fully function. With this, puppies may be quick to have accidents at home for the reason that they cannot control it. On this instance, refrain from threatening, verbally abusing, or physically harming your dog. Normally, a puppy can control his bladder when he reach the age or four or five months, even though this age has been known to vary in smaller breeds of dogs.
*Skip Indoor Training: Decades ago, dog owner first trains their dogs to do their business indoors at a particular spot in the house, and then eventually moves outside later. However, this practice is no longer effective and we can now skip indoor training and go straight to begin with outdoor training instead. It can sometimes be bewildering for a dog to be permitted to relieve himself indoors one instance, then scolded for not going outside the next time.
*Practice Confinement: Rather than letting your dog to have free rein at your home, confine him to a spacious part of your home when left alone. This will give cleaning accidents easier and guarantees you effortlessly discover the accidents fast. Nobody would want to come across an “accident” days or even weeks after it has been done. And when you are at home and can always check on your dog, always make it a habit to do so. If he begins to demonstrate typical bathroom behavior (such as frantic walking, whining, squatting, or sniffing), directly make an effort to bring him outside.
*Develop a Command: Think of a command that your dog can correlate with going outside to do his business. This technique can make your life easier without compromising any scheduled task.
*Separate Tasks: Normally, going outside usually involves playing, so dogs then are more focused on playing than doing the business at hand. Rather than letting your dog play during their bathroom trips, think of changing his outside surroundings. Let your dog roam in the entire yard particularly for the reason of relieving himself, then go back home and lavish him with praise and treats. Next, make another trip to allow your dog to play. This separation of tasks will ensure your dog does not become preoccupied and hinders him from doing his business outdoors. Sooner or later, once your dog is fully attuned with the setup, you can then change these double trips into a single one.



