What You Should Know About Puppy Potty Training

 Puppy Training

If you have just added a puppy to your family, you will want to make puppy potty training a priority. Your home can quickly become quite a mess if you do not train your dog effectively. When you decide to go forward with puppy potty training, you may want to take a week or two off in order to have uninterrupted time with your new pet. Otherwise, it could take you much longer to train your dog.

Much like people, dogs learn new skills at different rates. It may take awhile for your puppy to gain a firm understanding of where to go potty and where to avoid it. It will take your dog some time to get the picture that it is unacceptable to use any area of the house as a bathroom.

When puppies are young, they will need to go to the bathroom often, maybe even every hour. You should expect many accidents when you first bring your pet home. Do not lose your temper because your new dog does not know what he is doing wrong. Be consistent and use one or two word commands every time. This will help your puppy potty training go faster and more efficiently.

If you want to train your dog quickly, you will need to pay close attention to him. There will be clues that arise when your pet needs to go to the bathroom. He may get restless, sniff the floor, and nose around a spot where he went to the bathroom before. If your puppy has recently eaten, or taken a nap, chances are he will need to relieve himself shortly. When you take your dog outside to go to the bathroom, take him to the same place every time. Do not initiate any play. This may confuse him as to what the intent of the outdoors visit might actually be. When your dog does potty outside, praise him with plenty of enthusiasm. You might want to keep small treats on hand to reinforce the positive behavior as well.

When you are inside, you will want to keep a close eye on your new pet while he is potty training. Do not let him have opportunities to fail by using some area of the house as the bathroom. You may have to keep him in a small area for the time being and follow him around when you let him roam further.

If you do need to leave your dog, you will want to put him in a kennel. Another good idea is a fenced yard outside when the weather is nice. Make sure the young puppy is not in a kennel any longer than 2 hours at a time while they are being trained.