Potty-Train Your New Pup | Potty-training your dog at the right time and place is one of the most important steps when training your pup. After all, nobody wants to deal with a mess that stinks up your entire house. Hardly any dog-owner wants to clean up a dirty mess when they reach home after a long day at work. This is why it is extremely important to make sure you have done enough research beforehand on how to potty-train your dog. Here is a complete guide on the equipment you’ll need to potty-train as well as the dos and don’ts of this training process.
Across the board, new pet owners are reluctant to confine their puppies in a crate; however, this is a great tool to use when you’re potty training your dog. Getting your dog accustomed to a crate has other advantages too. It makes it easier when you’re taking your pet to visit the vet, for travel purposes, and most importantly, for their safety.
The purpose of using dog crates is that dogs are generally very clean animals and they don’t like to soil their living space. It makes sense to put them in a crate in their early months of potty training – they scratch the door and begin whining as soon as they feel the urge to go. When this happens, you must let them out straight away; otherwise, your dog will think it’s okay to mess up their living space.
Introducing pee-pad and crate training simultaneously is likely to confuse your dog as to where they’re allowed to relieve themselves. In an ideal situation, your house pet will only release themselves when they’re outdoors. However, in some cases, where you have a day job and can’t come back home several times a day, it’s advised to start incorporating a pee-pad for your pet. Pee-pads and paper training allows your pet to do their business in a designated area of the house. Once the dog matures, the owner can then start training their dog to pee and poop outdoors.
Here is a list of tips and tricks you can follow if you’re in the process of potty-training your dog. Taking your puppy out periodically, sticking to a feeding schedule, practicing positive reinforcements, and recognizing when your dog needs to go are all effective options when it comes to potty training.
Puppies that are under 12 weeks old are advised to be taken out every couple of hours as they are still developing muscles that let them hold their excretion. It’s important to monitor your puppy’s habits when you’re setting up a timed schedule. If you have a young puppy, you should try to let them out first thing in the morning, the last thing to do at night before your puppy goes to bed, after playtime, after spending a couple of hours in the crate, once they wake up from their nap, and every time they eat or drink. It takes a lot of effort and patience to potty train your dog – the sooner you convey the idea of where your pet is allowed to eliminate and which places are off-limits, the sooner you’ll be able to this training period behind you.
It’s recommended to set fixed timings when feeding your pet. Usually, you give your dog two meals a day so make sure you’re feeding them at the same time every day. Shortly after eating, dogs will need to relieve themselves. With consistent feeding patterns and schedules, you can avoid confusing your dog.
This is key to successfully training your dog to poop and pee outside. Positive reinforcement will train your dog to feel rewarded for pooping outside. The trick is to give your dog a treat, a nose rub, or verbal praise when they do their business outside. The reward is supposed to follow immediately after the event, allowing your puppy to make a positive association with going to the bathroom outside.
Just like you can implement important techniques that will help your dog learn how to do their business outside, there are also some things you should avoid doing during this training process.
Punishing your dog is never a successful and acceptable training methodology. There are plenty of outdated and ineffective training techniques that involve hitting your dog with a newspaper or rubbing their nose in their own excrement. Such practices convey the wrong message to your dog, and instead of thinking they have done something wrong, they end up becoming fearful of their owners. Remember, potty training is all about being patient and kind to your dog.
Failing to follow a fixed schedule for potty breaks and feeding time can confuse your dog and they’ll end up peeing or pooping in different areas of the house. Potty training your new puppy is just as difficult and time-consuming as potty training a child. Pet parents should take it upon themselves to make sure their dog is being fed and taken out at a fixed time. The more you take your dog outside, the better as they will gradually learn to relieve themselves outside.
Potty training is one of the most crucial first steps of house training your new dog. You can either use crates and pee-pads for training purposes, but it’s advised to not use them together to avoid confusion. Frequent visits outside and sticking to a feeding schedule will train your dog to only eliminate when they’re outside. Practicing positive reinforcements instead of punishments has proven to be another effective technique. Training your dog takes time, patience, and lots of kindness. The more observant you are regarding your dog’s behavior and schedule, the easier it’ll be to train your dog.
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