Bringing your puppy home is exciting…
When you bring home a new puppy it is exciting and brings new challenges and responsibilities for the whole family.
Puppies are adorable pets, but that wears off quickly when you have a puppy who is not potty trained and poops all over your home.
Potty training your puppy is important and the earlier you start the better for you and your puppy.
The last thing you would want with your puppy is that it takes a dump inside your house whenever your puppy feels like it.
Missing the start of an early to potty train your puppy will cause frustration and anger for you.
Potty training for puppies should be done from an early age on so that your puppy knows when, how and where to defecate.
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Potty training your puppy can be great fun and a great experience.
Please note different puppies have a different level of learning abilities sometimes it takes longer and sometimes the puppy learns fast. It depends on you and how consistent you are with your potty training.
One thing you have to keep in mind is that potty training for a puppy needs a lot of patients, you have to be consistent, and the most critical thing is to stay calm.
The best thing you can do for the puppy and yourself is staying positive and follow the process to the end only then can potty training be a simple process.
More so, puppies are best trained when they are still young. ( 17 Tips for first-time dog owners)
Potty training your puppy should be approached with an open mind and it can be a challenge but it can also be easy. One thing you have to have is time in performing the daily routine it requires.
Getting to know your puppy, and your puppy gets to know you.
Introduce your new pup to its new home, family and their role. Just like when you are new to a place or group, your new pet may be bursting with curiosity, excitement, fear or joy. Now is the best time to lay out the foundation for a good and pleasant relationship with your pet.
For a puppy to settle in and learn to trust and respect you and everyone at home, is essential to establish the expectations of your puppy and be consistent with them.
Only show your pet the areas where they are allowed to be. Initially do not let your new pet roam and explore on their own, especially, if you don’t want them to do their business there. ( Crate training for dogs)
For example, if the upstairs area or bedrooms are off-limits, close them off and do not allow your puppy to explore there.
Behaviour Patterns in Different Dog Breeds
Not every breed of dog is the same. To understand your puppy ‘s breed behaviour and needs is essential as to recognise the do’s and do not’s of your puppy. Do research on your dogs breed on the particular needs and traits or any other behaviour you want to know of or should be aware. Click here for what dog breed is right for me.
A classic example is, the bigger the breed, the bigger the bladder. So if your puppy is a Yorkshire Terrier than his bladder is small, and he will need to urinate more often.
On the other hand, if your puppy is a San Bernand than his bladder will be bigger, but also when he pees, he will leave a much more prominent paddle than a small dog.
Accidents happen a pee puddle and a poo… Don’t get mad…
Consider one thing accidents will happen it doesn’t matter how well you trained your puppy. Don’t get upset and it is not a failure on your part it is just in real plain words standard.
You will find that a lot of dogs are highly intelligent, and no they do not think like humans.
Do not expect them to understand simple words of command. They will not tell you when they need to pee or pooh.
It is essential for any dog owner to understand their dog and get to know and study the clues they give you. Especially during potty training.
Keep an eye on your puppy all the time.
It is crucial that you keep an eye on your puppy. During potty training keep your puppy in eyesight where you can watch him all the time.
It will be not easy, but this will pass. It is essential so that you can see and recognise early signs if your puppy needs to pee or pooh. Typical signs are when they start scratching, sniffling, whining, winching, barking, circling or any other sudden behaviour change. Any of those signals are signs for you to lead your puppy outside.
Brain training for dogs a guide on how to train a dog. Click here
Learning the Basics of the Dogs metabolism and digestive system
Firstly you have to understand your dog’s metabolism and digestive system; this will help you to predict accurately when your puppy might want to defecate or urinate.
A week or two before the toilet training, keep a record of when your puppy defecates, urinates, eats or sleeps.
Eating stimulates puppies’ digestive system, puppies usually defecate in less than thirty minutes after eating and urinate in fifteen minutes or less. Take out your dog some minutes after feeding to the backyard or wherever the dog toilet is.
It is time to choose a Potty Zone.
Pick a particular area outside and take your dog there every time it needs to go.
It is essential at the beginning to use the same area. Please pick a spot that is easy to clean up ( yes you have to clean up after your dog) and not visited by other dogs.
After a specific time, your puppy will associate the smell of urine and start to associate this area with its bathroom.
The Area you pick should be easy to access, and if you have to go there with your puppy fast, it should be accessible easily and quickly. During the training, you will visit this area frequently.
Keep your puppy on a leash when you go outside so you can keep an eye on him and you can see when your puppy is done. Please choose a proper leash and for puppies, the best one is a harness.
Brain training for dogs a guide on how to train a dog. Click here
Get started with the Training.
Use different command words or sounds to encourage each action of defecating or urinating. You can use “were were” when the puppy is urinating or “pooh-pooh” when the puppy is defecating, these cue words helps the puppy to realise you are referring to the action it’s currently performing and will help to instruct it during the toilet training.
You should not scream, and use a calm and tender voice, otherwise you might scare or startle your puppy. The intention is to get their undivided immediate attention this way your dog will understand that marking the territory or poo inside is disapproved.
Be consistent with the commands and use the same word/noise/command each time. If you change too many times or you do not remember writing it down, otherwise your puppy will be confused, and the training for you and your puppy will not be fun. ( please note the whole family should use the same commands do not use different ones as it will confuse your puppy totally)
What to do when your puppy is peeing or poo in the house
In case you catch your puppy peeing or pooping in the house/apartment or a place where your puppy should not do his business, use some different words to discourage the puppy.
For example “no… go outside “, or if you are fast enough, you can bring or lead him outside to the appropriate right place.
Once you have the record mentioned in the above paragraph, you can now proceed to the actual training.
Start the Potty Training for your Puppy with the following Techniques.
Use a different Sound / Word / Command to trigger his memory
Whenever you take your Puppy outside to their area use a word like go, hop, poo, or any other word command. It teaches your puppy that it will go to this particular location.
Your Puppy will recognise the command and understands what you want it to do. It is an excellent way for your puppy to learn when and where it should be urinating or defecating.
Do not use this command any other time, only when you want him to go to his potty area. Otherwise, you just confuse your puppy.
How long does it take to Potty Train a puppy?
It all depends on your puppy, but you should keep it up for a couple of weeks. It is a routine and you have to keep it up.
You can use the command/ word or sound as mentioned earlier. With the command word or sound, you can even stimulate the puppy to act once it understands what it means. After the first 7 to 8 days your puppy will understand that he has to go poo or pee outside. Do not stop continue the training until you are sure your puppy gets it. Make it a routine as a habit will be formed after 21 days.
What are the things you should know about your puppy?
- Puppies like to urinate immediately after waking up; you must be there to take them out to their potty spot.
- Puppies have poor bladder control, especially when they are active, frequently take them out to their potty spot once you notice that they are excited.
- Give your puppy compliments and petting after every appropriate potty activity, this will encourage it to keep up the good habit, and it would always want that compliments.
- Puppies cannot go through the night without taking a piss, once or two visits in the night is okay for an average puppy.
- Accidents happen and your puppy could not hold it anymore then it is crucial that you clean up the accidents right away.
- Remember dogs have a sensitive nose, and the smell might trick him into believing to relieve itself in the same spot is ok.
- Clean the area thoroughly. Use an enzymatic cleaner that does not contain ammonia. It will help to get rid of the odour and avoids that your puppy will go again to relieve itself in the same spot.
Costway 30”x20” Puppy Pet Potty Training Pee Indoor Toilet Dog Grass Pad Mat Turf Patch. Click here to purchase.
Believe me; urine has a strong smell of ammonia that attracts dogs to smell and mark there own territory.
You can buy toilet training pads that are sprayed with ammonia to encourage a puppy to go to a particular area. ( if you need too) Click here for the link
To counteract the smell of ammonia, you can use white vinegar. ( check with your carpet before using vinegar)
Things you should NOT do when you potty train your puppy
- Not feeding at regular times or underfeeding: not feeding your dog regularly to avoid defecation will not make it obedient to you and underfeeding may result in severe health condition for your puppy. Irregular feeding will also make it almost impossible to predict when the puppy needs to visit the potty spot. ( Best dog foods for dogs) Please do not make the mistake only to feed dry food /Peebles to your puppy.
- Ending the training too early: proper training should take at least four weeks, do not assume it already knows what it is doing until you are very sure of it.
- Do not leave the puppy at the potty spot by itself, encourage it always to leave the place when done.
- Do not punish your puppy for accidentally defecating in the wrong place; it may get scared of you, instead of correct it and show it the right place to do it.
- Do not interrupt your Puppy when he is doing his business, give him time let it relax and loosen up, so he has time to relieve themselves.
Conclusion
How to potty train your puppy will not be easy, but it can be rewarding for both of you, and it belongs to a process to get to know each other. ( Brain training for dogs. The best training program you can use at home)
With Potty training your puppy you are starting to look for signs and getting to understand your puppy’s language. The potty training for your puppy will need some time so don’t expect it overnight.
Calculating around four weeks will make the potty training successful. Do not shout or scare your puppy during the training; it will make things worse.
In the end, a good toilet habit of your puppy is beneficial to both your puppy and you, start potty training your puppy today.
Download our free ebook everything you should know about dogs.
Have a look at our other blogs for homemade dog food recipes. To feed your puppy the right food is important for his health and well being. You do want your puppy to grow up healthy and happy.
Read also Tips for first-time dog owners
What is the best dog food to feed my dog
Please share with us your Tips and Tricks on how did you potty train your puppy.
We love to hear what experience you have.
All Yours
Melanie
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