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Is Potty Training a Puppy on
the top of your list?
Potty Training a puppy is the first thing that needs to be done when you get your adorable 8 week old friend. Feeling a squishy stool on your foot as you get up is not the best start to your morning. Teaching your friend the right place to do it can be frustrating, but persistence will pay off. We’ve put together a list of useful tips aimed to help with potty training a puppy…
Firstly when your puppy is indoors, it’s preferable that you or someone else is there to supervise. This enables you to let the puppy know when it begins to go to the toilet inside, “it’s time to go outside!” Take your friend outside to let them finish and make sure you praise and reward your puppy. Bring them back inside straight after so they don’t feel as though they are being punished.
When using the outside command it is also helpful to use a cue word such as “potty” or “toilet” time. This helps to communicate to your pup exactly what you want. Once outside and using these terms over and over, your puppy will begin to understand.
There is no benefit to punishing your puppy if you walk in the room to find they’ve gone on your favourite slippers. This only confuses your friend and yelling at them will result in frightening them and you are likely to loose your puppy’s trust. Being expected to hold on in the middle of the night is a little unrealistic. Try to allow your friend outside time before going to bed so they can go to the toilet then. This will reduce the amount they need to go during the night. As your puppy get’s older, they will learn to go before getting into bed.
It is important to ensure that any accident is cleaned thoroughly. If not your puppy will often return to the scent and form a habit of using the same area.
Creating habits or a schedule for your puppy will really help when potty training a puppy. For instance your puppy’s day may always begin with going straight outside to relieve itself and may end the same way before bed, with obviously toilet trips throughout the day. Having a routine will help your new family member know what is expected and will form their future habits.
Remembering to let your dog out every hour and after any meal for instance when you are home is best. This again will create a routine and avoid any unwanted accidents.
If your friend is a small dog, they will generally be harder to toilet train. Mainly due to there size, they are able to sneak away to a small corner and relieve themselves without you realising. As they are so small they often see the home as being very large and they believe going in a small corner out of the way is the right thing.
It is often expected that dogs should be able to hold their bladders while you’re away at work. People tend to think this as the dog can often last the night without toileting so why should the daytime be any different. This is an unreasonable expectation. During the day the body will play catch up and your puppy is more likely to need to go more frequently.
Pay attention to your puppy’s body language. Often you will be able to notice when your puppy needs to go and will assist when potty training a puppy. Often a sign is that your friend will sniff around a bit more than usual, have a panicked look about them, or start scratching at the door. This is your hint to get them outside in time.
As your puppy is learning, you will want to direct your puppy to the one place to go when indoors. Placing newspaper down in a specific spot and praising your puppy when they use the paper works well. By doing this you will help your friend learn that there is boundaries and that going to the toilet wherever they like is unacceptable. You can start with many sheets of paper and reduce them in time eventually with the aim that your puppy will no longer go to the toilet inside.
Finally a good quality diet will ensure that your puppy’s stools will be firmer and general toilet habits will be easier to manage.
Potty training a puppy can be frustrating and time consuming but it obviously has it advantages. Always remember to never punish your puppy and to always give the pup praise when it does the right thing. By giving your puppy access outdoors frequently enough and through praise you will find that your puppy will be accident free in no time. Potty training a puppy is the owner’s responsibility.
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