Potty Training Puppies & Dogs

Potty training puppies can be as challenging as you make it! I heard someone say once that the owner is the one who need the training - not the dog! In a sense, this is true. As a new puppy owner (or one who's retraining an adult dog) you're the one who needs to learn how your puppy or dog thinks. When you understand your dog's basic instincts, you can use them to get him or her to do what you want. The trick is getting outside of your head and doing what you think needs to be done. You need to think like you dog!

That being said, it will take some time and a lot of patience to potty training puppies. In the end you'll get what you put into it so learn as much as you can and get started!

When potty training puppies, the first thing you need to do is make sure your puppy isn't alone or unsupervised in the house. Your puppy needs to always be with you, in an isolated area or in a crate. (The crate is not a bad thing but that's an entirely different subject!) If your puppy is free to roam the house and you're not watching him, you're setting him or her up to fail in house breaking. You need to always keep an eye on your puppy so you can stop him or her if he starts to go in the house and immediately take your puppy outside. That way your puppy will start associating going outside with the place where he needs to do his or her business.

One way to keep your puppy with you at all times is to put him on a leash and tie the leash to your belt or belt loops. This will not only keep your puppy in your site, you'll be spending time together and developing a close bond. That's a win -win!

Your puppy is still a baby so you also need to keep that in mind when potty training puppies. Their bladders aren't very large so they need to go more often than adult dogs. As explained in the video below, puppies that are 10-12 weeks old need to go out every 30 minutes to an hour. You need to consistently check on your puppy to see if he's showing signs he needs to go out. He may whine, pace or start sniffing around. Be on the look out for these signs. Even if he's not ready, go ahead and take him outside every hour. Your puppy may realize he really does need to go once he's outside!

Puppies typically need to relieve themselves after 3 activities - eating, drinking and playing. Make sure you take your puppy outside immediately after each of these sessions. After eating or drinking, you'll probably notice that your puppy starts making signs he's ready to go out. Also keep an eye on him after he wakes up. Your puppy may need to go out after his naps as well.

Believe it or not, you can train your puppy to go on command. This will make your life and your dog's life much easier! When you take your puppy outside, you need to give him a command as soon as he starts to relieve himself. It can be anything - "potty," "go pee pee," "do your business,'....you get the idea. Just make sure you say the exact same thing every time. Eventually your puppy will start to associate your command with going to the bathroom. Soon he'll know exactly what you want when you take him outside and not confuse "potty time" with "play time."

Another important part of potty training puppies is making sure you reward your puppy as soon as he's done. A very small bit of a dog treat or piece of cheese is perfect. This just adds positive reinforcement for your puppy since he knows he'll get a treat as soon as he's done his business.

If you make sure you do this every time you take your puppy outside it will save your sanity in the long run! Your puppy will learn to go to the bathroom when you want him to. In turn you're won't be standing around waiting for him to finally get to it!

When potty training puppies, you need to take them to the same spot to relieve themselves every time they go out. Man's best friend still has some of the same instincts as his wolfs cousins. Dogs in the wild won't relieve themselves in the same area where they eat or sleep. By designating an area for your puppy to use, you'll build on his natural instinct to find a place away from his food and shelter. This will also save you time when you go out since your puppy will know exactly where to go instead of roaming around looking for a good spot.

A side note to those of you who live in urban areas or don't have your own yard. Please, please, please be a courteous dog owner and make sure you clean up after your dog. No one wants to live or walk in a doggie toilet.

No matter how diligent you are and how much your puppy wants to please you, there will be accidents. Your puppy may not be able to wait for you to go outside or may just forget. Remember, with your puppy it will be an honest mistake. Never ever rub his nose in it. This will confuse him and make him afraid of you.

One of the things you must do if there's an accident is clean it immediately with an enzymatic cleaner. As noted previously, you want your puppy to use the same place every time. If he finds a place where he went in the house, you may have another accident on your hands.

Your puppy's nose is a lot stronger than your's so he'll be able to smell things you won't. This is why it's important to use an enzymatic cleaner. This is going to be a key tool in your potty training puppies arsenal so make sure you have some around.