Potty Training a Puppy: How to Get Started
Are you potty training a puppy? The method is not hard to understand, but your patience will be needed! There are just four steps. The puppy needs to be with you. You need to take him to his pottying location at certain times. You need to clean up any accidents in a matter-of-fact way. Repeat these steps a lot and pretty soon, you’ll be living with a potty trained puppy!
Here is more information on each of these four points:
1. Keeping your puppy with you as much of the time as possible gives you the best chance of catching him just before he starts to pee or poop. Even if you catch him in the act, it helps the potty training — just say NO and take him to where you want him to do his stuff.
One method for keeping your puppy close is to put on a belt and then attach one end of his leash to it. If you do this, wherever you go, your little guy will go right along. The two of you will be bonding too!
However you do it, stay close to your puppy. Crate training is also very useful for the times you can’t be together. That is beyond the scope of this article but I discuss it at length on my website.
2. As you potty train a puppy, he will gradually come to understand what it is you want. You want him to go to his pottying spot and do his business there. He will learn this faster if you take him to his place whenever he may need to use it. This includes:
*** Every time he wakes up.
*** Every time he eats or takes a big drink.
You may be surprised to notice how many times a day he does these things! He probably won’t pee or poop every single time you take him to his place, but the habit is being created. Taking him out right before your bedtime is a good plan too.
A word about his pottying spot: If you have a fenced yard, that is great and you can even take him to a particular part of it if you wish. If you will be walking him on leash in your neighborhood, take a plastic bag or two for cleanup. You can also train him to use papers or even a litter box indoors, and this can be the best choice if you live in a high-rise apartment, for example.
3. Cleaning up his messes is a big part of caring for your puppy before he is fully potty trained. Don’t yell at him or express your displeasure in any way. He really won’t understand. Even if you think he looks guilty, he is just upset because you are. Would you expect a human infant not to need diapers for a long time? Well, potty training a puppy takes way less time than potty training a human, but still be patient!
4. Repetition is a very important part of the potty training process, as dogs learn that way. So keep on doing each step, as often as you can.
So these are the essential points in potty training a puppy. Best wishes to you and your puppy!