Potty Training A Puppy

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This Lesson's Topic: Potty Training A Puppy

Puppy Training Tips:

Most puppies can be housebroken in just a few days. The trick is to understand how a canine digestive system works - and in being able to communicate your wishes to your pup without confusing him or frightening him by shouting or hitting. Always go for positive reinforcement using praise, love, food, toys, and treats.

Dogs have a short, straight digestive system. They do not have the long bowel loops of the human intestinal tract. What goes in your dog's mouth comes out the other end rather quickly. Knowing this fact simplifies your housetraining task.

Animals also will not soil their immediate area unless they simply cannot avoid it.

That's why crate training can work well. Let your puppy out just before bedtime to pee and poop.
Then,crate him near you while you are sleeping so that you hear if he needs to go again in the middle of the night. He'll try not to make a mess right where he is sleeping in his crate..

Just like a child, a small pup doesn't have a lot of control so some accidents in the early weeks are to be expected. This lack of control works to the benefit of you, the puppy owner, in teaching the basics of "go outdoors". The method you use will depend on your schedule. If you are able to be with your pet through the day, housebreaking is relatively simple.

Do not put food and water out where your pooch can eat/drink constantly. Every 2 hrs or so, give your pet water to drink (but, if you can't be home to do this, make sure you leave out a bowl of fresh clean water for him to drink whenever he needs to). As soon as he stops drinking physically take him outside.

Setting up a routine every few hours and after every meal will really speed up the process of successfully potty training your puppy. You can get this done in a 7 days or less.

Carry him to the door and make the same statement each time, such as "let's go out" or "want to go out?". It won't take long for your pet to identify the phrase to meant "go to the door". Your puppy will begin to recognize sounds of simple words and your tone of voice.

If you prefer him to use a certain area of your securely fenced-in yard for his "business", take him to that area and put him down. Talk to him, play with him and stay with him until he urinates (or poops). You can even try a puppy training pad with a scent that triggers the urge for a dog to do his business.

The moment he does it, tell him how good he is using your best "good dog" voice (warm, happy, upbeat) and immediately take him back indoors.

Twice a day, put food out for him...Again as soon as he finishes eating, taking him out and staying with him. Dogs often require some exercise before defecating so this is a good time for play. The moment he starts to do what he's there for, praise him as a great dog and let him know how happy you are with him in a happy tone of voice. When he is done, take him inside immediately - again with expressions of your approval

In the evening, make it a routine to take him out into the yard to his "spot" to pee and poop before you all go to bed. Consider crate training by confining your puppy to his kennel/crate (he will not want to make a mess right where he sleeps) after he has had a chance to go just before bedtime.

Put the crate near your bed during the crate training so that you can hear him rustling around if he needs to go during the night. Let him out to do his business and then put him right back into the crate until morning. Make sure to take him out right away again in the morning when you first let him out of his crate.

If you are an apartment dweller with a smaller dog who only has a tiny patio or no outdoor area to use for housebreaking, check out this great recent invention, the Potty Patch from the American Kennel Club.

If you are a parent, you will understand the praise aspect of housetraining. This is no different than telling your child how great he was to poop in the potty.

It also is a good idea to put newspaper or a puppy training pad (these have special scents that attract and stimulate dogs to pee on them) at the door you use to take the pup out in case he has to go but you are not around. Or put in a doggy door and use food and praise to train him to go in and out of the house when he needs to go out to the yard.

When he has accidents (and he will) clean the area immediately and use a natural enzyme odor neutralizer to remove all traces as animals will return to spots they "marked" previously. You may also need to get a urine scent deterrent spray for indoor items if he keeps peeing on certain forbidden places. As the pup grows, so does his ability to control his bodily functions but smaller breeds may never develop the ability to remain indoors all day without accidents. Trained to go to the door, such breeds will successfully use doggie pads in the absence of their owner.

To train a full grown animal, you might need to place him on a leash and then take him to the designated area. That insures that you will be able to return him to the house immediately and help him understand what he is supposed to do. An adult dog will quickly understand the "out" phrase. Another useful sound to use is a sharp "uh uh" when you see him making a mistake in the house. Your tone of voice and use of simple easy to recognize words when he does good or bad things will speed up the puppy training a lot.

At night, you will want to confine the new family member - either in a kennel/crate or by enclosing him in a smaller area of your home. First task each morning is to take the animal out. Housebreaking your puppy is more a challenge of learning to understand each other than a training exercise.

You can buy the size kennel he will need when full grown - just plan to block off part of the kennel inside as he grows, to give him just enough room to stand up and turn around but not to make a mess inside.

Once he understands how happy you are when he does his business outside, the only accidents will be because he was left indoors too long. Your challenge as the owner is to know how to communicate, so that your puppy understands what is expected of him.

Resources:

Puppy crates, puppy training pads, puppy Potty Patch, and more helpful potty training aids
Want more puppy potty training tips? Check out "The Complete Dog Potty Training in 7 Day Guide"

Disclaimer: To the best of our knowledge, the information contained in this book and related documents is true and accurate. This information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. The reader is advised to consult his or her own professional dog trainers, veterinarians, and other relevant expert advisors to assist in their puppy's individual care. We cannot guarantee that you will achieve the results that others have reported using the suggestions in this book. We are not responsible for how you utilize the information provided here. We also cannot guarantee that the products mentioned in this book will still be available at the time you read this material. Some of the items recommended in this program are affiliate offers and we may be making commissions for referring you. Canine Characters only recommends the items that we have used ourselves or researched carefully and believe could be helpful to you for certain puppy care questions, concerns, and/or problems.