Puppy potty training tricks
Potty training or housebreaking a new small puppy is no small task. I’ve learned a few tricks over the years that have worked well with the various puppies I’ve owned.
Dogs have a natural instinct to keep their living space clean and will not go potty when confined to a small space, especially near their sleeping area. To keep your puppy from waking up and going potty in the house in the middle of the night, attach a leash to the puppy’s collar and tie off the loose end to a stationary object next to the puppy’s bed. Your puppy will not go potty next to its own bedding – expect to be woken up if he really does need to go. No matter what hour it is, this is an important learning moment for your puppy. Take your puppy outdoors and be patient until he has finished going potty.
If you have to leave your new puppy home alone during the day, a modified approach to this method can be employed to keep your puppy in an enclosed area where it will not want to go potty. The trick is to be able to break away from work throughout the day to give your puppy a chance to go potty. This can be a challenge to your schedule, so you may want to plan on taking some time off of work to be available to train your puppy in its first few days in the home.
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December 6th, 2006 at 1:39 pm
Being a person who is actively interested in dog training, I like to see this kind of quality information available on the web.
Thanks again, and keep up the good work!
Jon
May 21st, 2007 at 11:55 am
Excellent information. Housetraining a puppy is the all important job as one does get a bit tired of cleaning up their little “parcels” I never have problems in housetraining my puppies. From the first night after brining puppy to his new home, I sleep on the couch for the first week or so with the puppy in his basket on the floor beside me. This means that if the puppy stirs and needs to “spend a penny” I am on hand to take him outside. A quick toilet and puppy is put back in his bed. Not only does this make housetraining so much easier it also helps to secure a tight bond between us. Once that bond has been established form day one it is surprising just how easy training becomes. The puppy has switched from his canine mother to his human one and becomes secure in his new environment. I find this is especially suited to the more shy or nervous puppy. Hope this helps anyone having problems. Great site will call again.
Puppy Paws
August 28th, 2007 at 10:29 am
That is very interesting post! Thank you for the great information about potty training!
May 31st, 2008 at 7:06 pm
There is a new innovative pet potty called The Pet Loo. It has perforated synthetic grass to create a urine drainage system. The urine then flows through a tray that is slightly slanted. The tray is slightly slanted to create a gravity force that pushes the urine through a small hole and into a small catchbucket. The catchbucket is then emptied by using the handle to remove it.
For more information, please visit – http://www.dogservicenetwork.com/thepetloo/general_info.html
June 2nd, 2008 at 5:07 pm
I got a puppy two days ago,could anybody give me tips on how to teach my 8-week old puppy how to do basic tricks like come,sit,lie down,and stay.Email me at p.squitieri@cox.net,plz and thx.
July 29th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Housebreaking your dog is seemingly the first test of your patience as a dog owner.
Perhaps you’re experiencing the following scenario:
You take him outside multiple times a day and every time, he refuses to make. You assume he just doesn’t have to go, so you bring him back inside and moments later he soils the rug.
Or…
You take him outside and he goes, you praise him with “Good boy” and after bringing him back in, moments later he goes again.
It’s a frustrating cycle not only for you, but for your dog as well. You just can’t seem to make him understand what he’s supposed to do.
Your dog simply doesn’t understand the rules yet. That’s why it’s important to take your dog outside to make at scheduled times of the day.
It will take approximately 14 consecutive days of going outside, watching your dog make and praising him for it before he starts to get it.
During that period, every accident that happens in the house is counted as negative two days. Remember, you’ll want 14 consecutive days of proper housebroken behavior before you can relax a bit.
After he goes outside, you’ll want to supervise him closely for the next ten minutes he is inside the house. At the first sign of going the the bathroom, take him outside.
If he does have an accident, only use the “No” command if you catch him in the act. Otherwise, it’s useless and will only confuse your dog.
The amount of time that you should take your dog outside to make will vary depending on the breed, size and type of puppy.
It’s generally recommended that you take your dog out every 2-3 hours during the day for the first three weeks. Obviously you won’t be taking your puppy out every 2-3 hours at night before bed. So use the following strategy.
Take away your dog’s water bowl two hours before bed. During that window of time, walk your dog at least twice. If accidents occur in the middle of the night, you may need to get up once in the night to walk your puppy.
As your dog gets older, his bladder size will increase and the nightly accidents will disappear.
After the first month, begin to space out the amount of time you take your dog outside to make. You’ll want to do this until your dog only needs to go out only 3-4 times a day.
In summary, the trick to all of this is using the follwing tactics.
Set a schedule to take your dog outside
Praise your dog with the “Good boy” command when he makes
In case of an accident, only use the “No” command if you catch your dog in the act
Take away your dog’s water two hours before bedtime
Walk your puppy twice before bed
Always supervise your dog when he is inside AFTER making outside
For the Step-by-Step method of housebreaking your dog within just a few weeks, you’ll want to check out:
http://www.Dog-Training-Works.com