Puppy Potty Training Tips
The following are a few tips I have put together to help in the wonderful process of potty training!
Your puppy will need to go potty when he/she wakes up, after playing, when excited and after eating or drinking. If you catch your puppy in “the act” in an inappropriate area, clap your hands or pick them up to distract them. Then get your puppy outside or pee pad FAST (preferably in leash and harness if outside). This will get them into the habit of feeling relieved while being outside or on their pee pad. After finishing going potty in the appropriate area, make sure to reward your puppy for going. After consistent training, this will eventually get your puppy to stop going potty in the inappropriate areas.
Many puppies may want to go outside just to play if you let them off the leash and harness before going potty. When you are out for potty time, you should stand very still. If your puppy would rather play, don’t let them! As hard as it is you must ignore your sweet little puppy for you want them to know that it’s time to go potty and fun will come after. If you play before your puppy goes potty, they may just hold it to extend playtime. But once they have gone potty, however, you can play all you want. Stay outside with your puppy for about ten minutes to wait for them to go potty. If they don’t go in that time frame, simply pick up your puppy and carry them back inside. Make sure not to give praise, treats or any playtime on the way in.
When you get back into the house, your puppy will either need to be crated or watched like a hawk. Try the whole process over again in ten minutes. Keep repeating this process as many times as necessary until they go potty in the appropriate area. Also, if caught in “the act” in an inappropriate area, do NOT rub your puppy’s nose in it, swat them or isolate them as it will only teach them to not go in front of you and to do it in hiding. If your puppy is going frequently in the house, you are probably not keeping a close enough eye on them. Watch and learn their cues such as circling, squatting, whimpering, sniffing the floor, sneaking off and heading for the door.
One of the easiest methods of potty training is to “crate train” your puppy. This is a means to confine your puppy when you are not able to watch them closely so you can enjoy peace of mind when leaving your puppy alone. It also helps knowing that nothing can be soiled or destroyed now that they are comfortable and safe. A lot of people make the mistake of giving their puppy attention for making noise (crying) in the crate. The worst thing you could do is to go to your puppy after it has been crying. By going to your puppy, you will actually teach them to make persistent noise in their crate to get you to let them out. What you want your puppy to discover is that nothing bad happens from being alone in a crate. Check on your puppy after they have become quiet and give them lots of praise. When purchasing a crate, you must make sure there is enough room for the puppy to stretch out and stand erect. Also make sure the crate is not too big or all your potty training efforts will be in vain. Your puppy will be able to do their business in one end of the crate and sleep in the other.
Puppies cannot be expected to "hold it" for an entire workday. A good rule of thumb is to remember your puppy’s age (in months) and associate that with the number of hours your puppy can "hold it" (example: 2 months of age = 2 hours). If it is longer than this time frame, you may want to consider placing newspaper or potty pads in their crate. Also, if needed, obedience
classes or even your veterinarian can give even more helpful hints and ways to help potty train your puppy.
Successful puppy crate training has two simple requirements: patience and a regular schedule.
Your puppy will need to go potty when he/she wakes up, after playing, when excited and after eating or drinking. If you catch your puppy in “the act” in an inappropriate area, clap your hands or pick them up to distract them. Then get your puppy outside or pee pad FAST (preferably in leash and harness if outside). This will get them into the habit of feeling relieved while being outside or on their pee pad. After finishing going potty in the appropriate area, make sure to reward your puppy for going. After consistent training, this will eventually get your puppy to stop going potty in the inappropriate areas.
Many puppies may want to go outside just to play if you let them off the leash and harness before going potty. When you are out for potty time, you should stand very still. If your puppy would rather play, don’t let them! As hard as it is you must ignore your sweet little puppy for you want them to know that it’s time to go potty and fun will come after. If you play before your puppy goes potty, they may just hold it to extend playtime. But once they have gone potty, however, you can play all you want. Stay outside with your puppy for about ten minutes to wait for them to go potty. If they don’t go in that time frame, simply pick up your puppy and carry them back inside. Make sure not to give praise, treats or any playtime on the way in.
When you get back into the house, your puppy will either need to be crated or watched like a hawk. Try the whole process over again in ten minutes. Keep repeating this process as many times as necessary until they go potty in the appropriate area. Also, if caught in “the act” in an inappropriate area, do NOT rub your puppy’s nose in it, swat them or isolate them as it will only teach them to not go in front of you and to do it in hiding. If your puppy is going frequently in the house, you are probably not keeping a close enough eye on them. Watch and learn their cues such as circling, squatting, whimpering, sniffing the floor, sneaking off and heading for the door.
One of the easiest methods of potty training is to “crate train” your puppy. This is a means to confine your puppy when you are not able to watch them closely so you can enjoy peace of mind when leaving your puppy alone. It also helps knowing that nothing can be soiled or destroyed now that they are comfortable and safe. A lot of people make the mistake of giving their puppy attention for making noise (crying) in the crate. The worst thing you could do is to go to your puppy after it has been crying. By going to your puppy, you will actually teach them to make persistent noise in their crate to get you to let them out. What you want your puppy to discover is that nothing bad happens from being alone in a crate. Check on your puppy after they have become quiet and give them lots of praise. When purchasing a crate, you must make sure there is enough room for the puppy to stretch out and stand erect. Also make sure the crate is not too big or all your potty training efforts will be in vain. Your puppy will be able to do their business in one end of the crate and sleep in the other.
Puppies cannot be expected to "hold it" for an entire workday. A good rule of thumb is to remember your puppy’s age (in months) and associate that with the number of hours your puppy can "hold it" (example: 2 months of age = 2 hours). If it is longer than this time frame, you may want to consider placing newspaper or potty pads in their crate. Also, if needed, obedience
classes or even your veterinarian can give even more helpful hints and ways to help potty train your puppy.
Successful puppy crate training has two simple requirements: patience and a regular schedule.
