Potty Training Dogs: From Tips to Basics

potty training dogs tips

Potty training dogs tips

Yes, you find great joy in cuddling your ball of fur and letting him lick your face like you’re the most amazing person on earth. But, that’s the other side of the story – the good side, to be exact.  How about the other side – the darker, less popular side of having a puppy?  The development of the darker side starts when you start to realize that picking up after he poops starts to get in your nerves and suddenly, he is not the cutest thing in the world anymore.  But it’s not the end-all and be-all of your blooming relationship.  Potty training dogs can seem like a tedious task at first, but before you know it, you will see results in no time as long as you know exactly what to do.

So what do you do exactly?

How about I walk you first through some things you have to understand before even starting?

Older is Better

The saying, ‘start early’ does not quite apply to potty training of dogs.  The point here is that, it is easier to train an older dog than a puppy.  How so?  It’s because its response is better and processing of commands is faster compared to puppies.  In terms of peeing, the anatomy of dogs supports the training more than those of the puppies’ because the latter’s organs are not yet fully developed and cannot hold pee for a long period of time.  The rule of thumb in terms of pee is, the number of months of the puppy is the number of hours it can hold the pee.  Say, a two-month old puppy can only hold it for two (2) hours.

Know the History

This actually applies not only to the adoption of dogs, but of things in general.  You have to have a background of your dog’s behavior – if he can easily pick up instructions or not to be able to understand them better.  The ease or difficulty of potty training dogs sometimes relies on family history.  If your dog’s parents have a history of difficulty in understanding instructions, then this tells you that you should have a wee bit longer patience on your new best friend.

Now that you have a little background on potty training, proceed with the actual process of doing so:

If you have a puppy, take him outside every 2 to 3 hours everyday so he can potty.  The reason behind this frequency is because your puppy’s bladder is still small and cannot hold much pee yet.  Praise should be given the moment your puppy makes a feat in following your instructions.  This will make the experience enjoyable for your puppy (though I am not sure if you find it as enjoyable as him).

After repetitively taking him outside, you can now go a notch higher by using a potty pad.  A potty pad should be dabbed with his pee and place it in a corner or part of the house where you expect him to pee and poop.  Then, do not forget to disinfect and thoroughly clean the part where he previously did it.  Because of this, the next time he feels the need to potty, he will dwell on the new spot you have chosen for him and do it right there.

After sometime, you will see that there will be no need anymore to dab the potty pad.  Your puppy will go automatically to your designated place and comfortably pee and poop because he knows that he will be praised for it, and if he gets lucky, maybe he will get a treat or two from you. Your thought bubble would say potty training dogs isn’t that hard after all!