Potty Training Tips
1. You can potty train any dog,puppy or adult! – remember this when you are getting frustrated … if it’s not working it’s either your training methods or you need to give the puppy more time.
2. Don’t leave food & water out for your puppy to access whenever they want. Feed and water your puppy on a strict schedule (don’t restrict food or water, just give it to them at scheduled times)…this will help him/her to be on an elimination schedule as well and will enable you to better predict when he/she will need to go potty.
3. Don’t let your puppy run around unsupervised!
4.Use an “umbilical cord”. Put a leash on your puppy and attach it to your belt loop or waist so that he/she has to accompany you where ever you go. This will make it easier for you to watch him/her for signs of needing to go potty.
5. Don’t let your puppy run around unsupervised!
6. Put your puppy in a crate at night or when you can’t directly supervise them. Many wire crates come with a divider that you can install which will restrict the space, which will make it more likely that the puppy will avoid soiling the crate. As the pup gets older the divider can be gradually moved back until he has the whole crate space.
7. Don’t punish your puppy unless you catch them doing something wrong – If you find the puppy has pottied on the floor and you did not catch them doing it, don’t shout at them. Simply clean it up and take them outside. Punishing the puppy after they have done the act will just confuse them, they have very poor memories at that age and will not know what you are punishing them for.
8.This is so important…Don’t let your puppy run around unsupervised! It won’t be forever, just until you can start trusting them, then you can gradually give them more & more freedom until they are trustworthy through the whole house.
9. Don’t carry your puppy to the potty area, no matter how small they are. Keep them on a leash and walk them there while giving the command you have chosen, so they know where they are going and why. A puppy who is carried to the door and then sent outside will not learn how to run to the door themselves to let you know they need to go out. It is especially helpful to even practice walking them from different rooms in the house to the potty area.
10. If your puppy has been doing well and suddenly starts having accidents again, immediately take them back to square one with the umbilical cord, crate, consistency & vigilance. Sometimes they just get lazy or they may be testing you, but if you take them back to the beginning it won’t take very long for them to figure out that appropriate potty behavior is serious business. If accidents are frequent after your puppy has done well for a long time you might want to get him to the vet to check for a bladder infection
11. Using CONSISTENT verbal commands really helps in potty training your dog. Choose a word to tell the puppy that you want her to go outside. It’s really important that the whole family sticks to the same language so make sure everyone is aware of the term you are using. Only use the “outside” command when it is time for the puppy to go to the toilet. If you are taking them for a walk or a play use another word. It’s important that the puppy knows that “outside” means toilet time. Having another word to encourage them to actually go can also be helpful. People use anything from “go potty” or “go toilet”…the actual phrase doesn’t matter as long as you are consistent with what you use. Remember, as soon as the puppy has done it praise them, this positive reinforcement really helps set their behavior pattern for life.
12. BE PATIENT! All new puppies will have accidents, like toddlers they will take time to understand what is the proper behavior.
13. BE VIGILANT! In my opinion this is the most vital step in potty training a puppy. If you can CONSISTENTLY catch your pup “in the act” of either appropriate or inappropriate potty behavior and can appropriately praise or scold, you will find that your little one will get the idea much more quickly than if you are catching him or her only one time out of three. This is the reason for using a crate and an umbilical cord.
13. BE CONSISTENT! Always use the same command, use a consistent schedule, have a specific spot designated as the potty area, etc. The more consistent and predictable you can be the more quickly your puppy will understand what is expected.
Remember that whatever tricks, tips or training methods you use, PATIENCE, VIGILANCE and CONSISTENCY are the key! Some puppies get it quicker than others and that is just an individual thing…I have had pups figure it out in only a day or so and I have had some take 6 months or more, and one who even took close to a year because she spent the first 10 weeks of her life in a filthy crate. But if you keep at it and follow these 3 main guidelines you will end up with a companion who is a joy to have around.
1. You can potty train any dog,puppy or adult! – remember this when you are getting frustrated … if it’s not working it’s either your training methods or you need to give the puppy more time.
2. Don’t leave food & water out for your puppy to access whenever they want. Feed and water your puppy on a strict schedule (don’t restrict food or water, just give it to them at scheduled times)…this will help him/her to be on an elimination schedule as well and will enable you to better predict when he/she will need to go potty.
3. Don’t let your puppy run around unsupervised!
4.Use an “umbilical cord”. Put a leash on your puppy and attach it to your belt loop or waist so that he/she has to accompany you where ever you go. This will make it easier for you to watch him/her for signs of needing to go potty.
5. Don’t let your puppy run around unsupervised!
6. Put your puppy in a crate at night or when you can’t directly supervise them. Many wire crates come with a divider that you can install which will restrict the space, which will make it more likely that the puppy will avoid soiling the crate. As the pup gets older the divider can be gradually moved back until he has the whole crate space.
7. Don’t punish your puppy unless you catch them doing something wrong – If you find the puppy has pottied on the floor and you did not catch them doing it, don’t shout at them. Simply clean it up and take them outside. Punishing the puppy after they have done the act will just confuse them, they have very poor memories at that age and will not know what you are punishing them for.
8.This is so important…Don’t let your puppy run around unsupervised! It won’t be forever, just until you can start trusting them, then you can gradually give them more & more freedom until they are trustworthy through the whole house.
9. Don’t carry your puppy to the potty area, no matter how small they are. Keep them on a leash and walk them there while giving the command you have chosen, so they know where they are going and why. A puppy who is carried to the door and then sent outside will not learn how to run to the door themselves to let you know they need to go out. It is especially helpful to even practice walking them from different rooms in the house to the potty area.
10. If your puppy has been doing well and suddenly starts having accidents again, immediately take them back to square one with the umbilical cord, crate, consistency & vigilance. Sometimes they just get lazy or they may be testing you, but if you take them back to the beginning it won’t take very long for them to figure out that appropriate potty behavior is serious business. If accidents are frequent after your puppy has done well for a long time you might want to get him to the vet to check for a bladder infection
11. Using CONSISTENT verbal commands really helps in potty training your dog. Choose a word to tell the puppy that you want her to go outside. It’s really important that the whole family sticks to the same language so make sure everyone is aware of the term you are using. Only use the “outside” command when it is time for the puppy to go to the toilet. If you are taking them for a walk or a play use another word. It’s important that the puppy knows that “outside” means toilet time. Having another word to encourage them to actually go can also be helpful. People use anything from “go potty” or “go toilet”…the actual phrase doesn’t matter as long as you are consistent with what you use. Remember, as soon as the puppy has done it praise them, this positive reinforcement really helps set their behavior pattern for life.
12. BE PATIENT! All new puppies will have accidents, like toddlers they will take time to understand what is the proper behavior.
13. BE VIGILANT! In my opinion this is the most vital step in potty training a puppy. If you can CONSISTENTLY catch your pup “in the act” of either appropriate or inappropriate potty behavior and can appropriately praise or scold, you will find that your little one will get the idea much more quickly than if you are catching him or her only one time out of three. This is the reason for using a crate and an umbilical cord.
13. BE CONSISTENT! Always use the same command, use a consistent schedule, have a specific spot designated as the potty area, etc. The more consistent and predictable you can be the more quickly your puppy will understand what is expected.
Remember that whatever tricks, tips or training methods you use, PATIENCE, VIGILANCE and CONSISTENCY are the key! Some puppies get it quicker than others and that is just an individual thing…I have had pups figure it out in only a day or so and I have had some take 6 months or more, and one who even took close to a year because she spent the first 10 weeks of her life in a filthy crate. But if you keep at it and follow these 3 main guidelines you will end up with a companion who is a joy to have around.
