Potty Training Tips

potty training advice

One of the first and most important training sessions an indoor pet will go through has to do with dog potty training.  While many dogs will grasp the lesson being taught quickly, unfortunately, some breeds are notorious for being difficult to housebreak.  However, by understanding the most effective methods of training, you can teach any dog to go outside when it comes time to take care of business.

For obvious reasons, getting your dog potty trained as quickly as possible is essential.  The thing to remember is that puppies are just like smallPotty training tips children – they need time, positive reinforcement, and good guidance to get through the process.  The good news is that with persistency and taking the right course of action, you could potty train your puppy in a very, short amount of time.  The two keys to success involve using positive reinforcement rather than negative discipline and investing in the right size crate.

Crate or kennel training is by far the most effective way to housebreak your dog.  With this, he will learn not to go in the kennel, since dogs do not like messy homes, meaning he understands that he has to hold it until time to go outside.  However, with any puppy, you will need to get him on a schedule where he gets outside often enough. Otherwise, the entire process would be wasted time and effort.

Typically, small puppies will need to go outside every few hours, even during the night.  As you can imagine, after first brining your new puppy home, you can expect to get up several times during the night to take him outside.  Although this is tiring and a bit frustrating, the more you stick with the schedule, the faster the dog potty training will work.  Then, once your dog is out, he needs adequate time to sniff around and do his duty.

Additionally, with potty training a dog, he needs to learn from the beginning that when he is outside, it is not time to play.  Too often, puppies will get outdoors and start chasing leaves, playing with sticks, or nosing around instead of going to the bathroom.  With a few correction techniques, you can redirect his attention so he understands that at certain times outside, he is to potty and nothing more.

For dogs that grasp the concept of potty training quickly, you could expect to have him completely trained within two to four weeks.  On the other hand, for stubborn dogs or breeds that do not potty train well, you could easily spend months, if not up to one year to help him catch on.  As the owner, you will need to show a tremendous amount of patience, again using only positive reinforcement for training.  With this, you will see the results you want and in the shortest amount of time.