Frequently I receive calls from clients, totally frustrated with potty training their new puppies. Here are a few pro tips for successful potty training.
Manage Your Pup’s Access
Puppies don’t start off knowing where you want them to go to the bathroom and where you don’t. By managing where your pup has access to, you will be helping them to make the right choices. If you can’t supervise your puppy, utilize a crate or an exercise pen to keep both them and your floors safe! Another popular option is to tether your puppy to your belt loop as you are going about your day in the house. This way you’ll (hopefully) always catch those signs that puppy has to go.
Reward What You Like
When your puppy does do their business outside, throw a treat party and offer plenty of praise. Dogs will repeat what is reinforced so make sure to reinforce the good behavior of going potty outside.
Stick to a Schedule
Dogs like schedules and routine. Get your puppy on a good schedule for going potty during the day by feeding and going out at set times. Puppies need to potty after doing virtually anything(especially when they are young). If your puppy has just ate or drank, they will probably have to go potty soon. Puppies also usually need a potty break after play sessions as well. The rule of thumb for how long a puppy can hold it is their age+1. If your puppy is two months old, that means they can hold it for roughly 3 hours. This isn’t an exact science though so pay attention to your individual puppy. It’s better to be safe then sorry.
Troubleshooting Tips
If your puppy does have an accident in the house, don’t make a big deal about it. If you tell your puppy no or yell at them, chances are they won’t learn that pottying in the house is wrong, they’ll learn that pottying in front of YOU is a bad idea. Therefore they will just find a more secret place to have an accident. Simply pick the puppy up and rush them outside. If you can get to them before their done, even better. Be sure to clean up the accident with an enzymatic cleaner like Nature’s Miracle so the puppy won’t be able to detect the smell and potentially mark that area again.
If you find your puppy frequently gets distracted outside instead of going to the bathroom, try taking them out on a six foot leash and going to the same area every time. Wait there until they do their business.
Last but not Least
We really hope these tips help, but if you still need help we are available for virtual consultations to walk you through your pup’s troubles. Just shoot us an email at thescholarlyk9@gmail.com or text at (518)921-8243 to set something up.
