How to's for potty training your puppy.
House training your dog requires a lot of patience. Probably the #1 subject that I get calls about is help potty training a puppy. To help you through this puppy (and sometimes young dog challenge). Here are some helpful house training tips for your dog so you can keep your sanity.
Consistency. In addition to patience, any training, include house training, requires consistency. Dogs love routine, so having a consistent schedule for walks, eating and drinking will get your dog into the routine that works for your schedule.
Schedule. I can’t stress enough how much having a potty training schedule will make your life easier. I like to give my clients a chart with an example of times filled in that they can change or when to take out their dog. And if their dog has an accident inside they can look at the chart and see what time it happened. This will help to alter the times of taking your dog out.
Rule of thumb for puppies and going outside if you have to go out or to work is 1 hour for each month. So a 3 month old puppy should go out every 3 hours as this would be the longest that they could hold it without making a mess.
Puppies and potty. As you know puppies need to go potty more than other dogs. Think of them as babies, they potty before and after everything they do. Here are some examples of when:
- When they first wake up;
- After a play session;
- After a nap;
- Just after drinking;
- Before or after eating;
- After chewing on a bone or toy.
Where? Puppies love to explore, which they should. However, when taking them out for potty have a designated potty area with as little distractions as possible. I know that’s easier said then done but to expect them to become potty trained on a walk like an adult dog is asking a lot when there are so many distractions. Save yourself the frustration and find a spot with as little distraction as possible and just wait them out to do their business. Then they go about and explore.
Clean Up & Odor Removal. Messes will happen inside. Removing the odor from this is imperative to prevent the future messes. If the odor is not removed the dog will continue to go back and eliminate in the same exact area. An example of a product that is very good at removing all trace of these odor’s is Nature’s Miracle. Regular cleaners and Ammonia products won’t help with removing the odor as the residue will smell like urine to them and only encourage them to go to that same spot.
Don’t forget to reward and Praise your dog. Who doesn’t love praise. Just like humans, dogs love praise. This is teaching them what they are doing is correct. Motivation is key in any training. Check out my blog on Motivation Tips for Training to help you out.
You will probably discouraged at times but remember house training takes time. Dogs will go forward, backward and then forward again. It will require patience from you and to understand that if they are puppies, fully house trained puppies usually don’t happen until 6 months as they are still learning to control their bladders.
If you have more questions, please feel free to schedule a consultation or email me at allison@allisonsanimalacademy.com.
Wags,
Allison
