The sooner you potty train your puppy, the better. You want to establish good habits early on. And, a dog that has never been potty in the house will never consider the house a place *to* go potty. I have always found that the puppies we bought from real working farms (NOT puppy farms) were the easiest to house train. They only wanted to go potty on grass or hay since they had only gone to the barn or outdoors. Often they wouldn’t even go to the bathroom in a parking lot; we would have to find green areas on the way home so they could go to the bathroom.
Here are some home training tips that will help you, as long as you follow them consistently:
1. Closely supervise your puppy while potty training. Keep an eye on your pup while he’s on the loose in your house! Look at it like you are babysitting a very young child who could get into trouble if you don’t watch him. A puppy is the same as a toddler in this regard. Keep your puppy in a crate to keep him out of trouble when you can’t keep a close eye on him.
If you see your pup start to sniff, take him outside (or to the potty area selected) immediately. If you want the bathroom area to be outside, try to have the area outside from the start; and if for some reason you can’t do the outside area from the start, at least do the area near the door. This way, when you’re ready to move into the house, you can take your pup outside whenever you see him start snooping around the door. *When you cannot supervise your untrained dog, keep him in a crate*. Make sure you have the right size box as well. Your pup should be able to stand up and turn around, but no bigger. If you are bringing your pup to crate purchase, the personal shop should be able to help you select the correct size. Some people have tied their dog’s leash around their waist while potty training, but you still have to *pay attention*. (I once told my daughter that the problem with potty training her puppy was that she wasn’t paying enough attention. She called me one day to say I must be right: her puppy had two accidents that day, both! on your foot!)
2. If you find your puppy going to the bathroom in the wrong place, interrupt him by saying “NO!” in a high-pitched tone of voice- then immediately take it to the appropriate place to finish. (If you don’t catch it, you’re not watching it closely enough.) It might help to put the paper towel you clean up the mess with where you want it to go in the bathroom, so it has the smell there. Be sure to *thoroughly* clean and deodorize the area where he did his business in the house. Use special products made for this purpose, or you will go there again. In fact, keep an eye on him *very closely* and/or take him to your bathroom when he starts sniffing those areas.
3. Choose a place to go to the bathroom that is free of distractions. No playing of any kind is allowed until the pup has gone potty. DO NOT turn potty time into playtime until after he goes to the bathroom. When he goes to the bathroom, give him a treat and then PLAY with him. Reward him abundantly and immediately!
4. Establish a schedule. Maintaining a routine will help establish good habits. Control when your puppy eats and drinks. Feed your puppy 3 times a day when you first bring him home (or as recommended by your breeder). You can decrease this to once or twice a day as he gets older. Make sure they always have fresh water to drink. Take your pup to his potty area about once an hour, and always take him to his potty area within 10 minutes after he eats or drinks, wakes up, and after exercising or playing. Allow absolutely no play or distraction until you have ‘done your job’. Once he’s potty-trained, you can start taking him outside about once an hour for a very young pup, and extend the time between “potty breaks” as your pup gets older and develops good potty-training habits. House. But be sure to *watch your pup carefully* as long as he’s not confined or in an ‘OK to go potty’ area.
5. Reward your pup as soon as he goes potty in the appropriate place. Give him some very tasty special treat. Tell him: “Yes! Good boy!” And play with him! Make potty time the time the good, fun things start. Dogs love good things, and they’ll usually do whatever it takes to get it So all you really need to do is make sure your dog knows what you expect of him, what it takes to get the ‘good stuff’.
This is a lot of work at first until the clothes are formed. But in reality, it is the most effective way and sometimes the only one that can be done. Be sure to get your pup outside as much as possible to increase his opportunity to eliminate outside. If he doesn’t come out, DO NOT take your eyes off him when you bring him in. Most importantly, praise him generously, reward him, and play with him when he goes outside. With the use of patience, persistence, consistency, and generous reward, both of you will succeed! For more information, free tips and advice on dog training, as well as free information on dog grooming, puppy grooming, canine health and nutrition, and free canine cooking recipes, visit: [http://www.e-dog-training.com].