We all know that, just like babies, puppies need to go potty. Puppy house training can help you avoid accidents (if you’re careful) and reinforce your puppy’s behavior through a regular schedule of potty breaks.
To help make your potty training process easier, you will need to keep in mind the following pointers when you start the training.
1. Selecting a location for your puppy’s potty spot. Once you’ve decided on a location, like a spot in the backyard, grass, or tree, be sure to always take your puppy to the same spot for his potty.
2. Keep your puppy on a regular feeding schedule. If your puppy eats two or more meals each day, your puppy will need to go potty twice per day. If you feed your puppy once per day, your puppy will just need to go potty once per day. Follow the recommended feeding amount for your puppy. Giving him too much food is just as bad as not giving enough.
3. If your puppy is eating and drinking normally, there’s probably no need for you to take him outside right after eating or drinking. But if you see him sniffing or acting like he’s going to go potty soon, take him outside right away.
4. While your puppy is growing up, be sure he’s getting enough exercise. Play with your puppy every day. He’ll get used to the increased attention and will soon realize that he will get more treats if he obeys and follow your instructions.
5. Always keep food and water out of reach for your dog. You can also use a crate to house train your puppy. Make sure your puppy has enough space in the crate to stand and move around. If your puppy starts to whine, that’s an indication that he needs to go potty. Get him outdoors then reward him for going in the right location.
6. If your puppy is about one year of age, he should be able to control his bowels for about 4 hours. This means that he can be left in the house unattended for a maximum of 4 hours. If your puppy is younger than one year old, you will need to take him outside frequently. This will help to develop good potty behavior and will reinforce your puppy’s need to go potty outside.
7. You should also expect accidents to happen. If you catch your puppy in the act, tell him “bad” and place him to the right spot (outside) for his potty. Once he finishes going potty, praise him. If you don’t catch him in the act, don’t discipline him for it as he wouldn’t know why he is being scolded for.
8. Don’t ever punish your puppy physically for accidents as he may associate going potty with punishment and may never go again. A quick, stern “NO” should be good enough. Find a good, non-threatening method to interrupt his behavior and bring him out for his potty. Remember to praise him and give him a treat once he had done the potty correctly. This will help to positively reinforce his action.
9. Most puppies will need to go potty when they wake up from a nap. Setting up a regular schedule with your puppy would be helpful. The best way to get your dog to go potty in the right place is to let him run around a little bit, and then reward him for going potty in the right place.
10. Always use positive reinforcement for your potty training. Reward your puppy for good behavior. Re-assure your puppy that you are always happy with him around!
11. It’s also very important to maintain a positive attitude during this training. Any negative attitude you display while training will be viewed by your dog as negative. He won’t learn well if he sees you as stressful or mean leader.
Whatever approach you take, make sure to repeat the house training again and again. Your dog will catch on. It’s not uncommon for a dog to take a little while to catch up with the training. Just remember that when it comes to using treats to teach your dog, you get what you pay for.
If your dog still relieves himself in the house despite your best efforts, you need to understand why this is happening. Some common reasons could be:
1. Your dog might not have been fully potty trained and is not aware that it’s not okay to eliminate in the house.
2. Your dog might have been gluten-sensitive during the process of potting training. A change in diet might be causing your dog to have accidents. Gluten sensitivity sometimes results in diarrhea and vomiting. The most common diet for gluten sensitive issues are wheat and soy foods.
3. Your dog might have internal parasites present. These parasites can often be seen by your naked eye in your dog’s stool or vomit. They appear as tiny, white specks in the stool. If you suspect your dog might have internal parasites, consult your vet.
House training a puppy can take a lot of work, but it’s worth the effort. You need to make some tough choices, though. For instance, if you’re allowing your dog to freely roam in the house, and you aren’t able to keep an eye on him 24 hours a day, you might want to consider using a crate to prevent him from getting into any accidents.
Remember that crate should never be used as a punishment for your dog. It should be a relaxed space — a place of safety and comfort for your pet, not a place of confinement or punishment.