Best Way To Potty Train A Dog-7 Simple Tips

Last updated on October 22nd, 2016 at 06:27 pm

Dogs are often very sensitive. This trait of dogs can allow them to fit in with humans easily. Potty training a puppy requires you to be committed, consistent, patient, and above all vigilant. If you patiently follow the right techniques for training your puppy, then everything will start falling in place. Here, it is essential to understand that your approach in the entire process can impact the amount of time required for potty training your puppy. Toilet training a puppy is also commonly referred as housebreaking a puppy.

Ideally, a dog should be potty trained when it is a puppy. Puppies are more receptive to toilet training when compared to a grown up dog.

Tip 1: Establish a Routine

Like humans, puppies also perform their best on a strict routine. The schedule/routine will teach your

puppy potty training

Best way to potty train a dog

puppy that there’s particular time for various activities such as eating, playing and excreting. During initial months, the age of a puppy determines his bladder controlling capacity. Till the time a puppy reaches the age of 3 months, it will not be able to control its bladder or bowels. So, you would need to take it out for every half hour for defecation whenever you are at home.

Once your puppy learns some control of his bowels,  you should take your puppy for bathroom breaks after regular intervals. As a general rule, smaller breeds of dogs often need to eliminate more often.

Tip 2: Take him outside frequently & choose a spot

You should take your puppy bathroom/outside for defecating frequently. Choose a particular spot where you want the puppy to poop and take him every day at that spot. After reaching the pre-determined spot, you can use a catch-phrase like ‘Potty here’ or ‘Potty now’ to remind him of the activity. Regular usage of the phrase will have an  deep impact on puppy, as he would soon be able to defecate without any order.

Tip 3: Reward your puppy

Praise him or give him a treat every time he abides by your orders. This step is extremely important to inculcate a habit pattern. As mentioned earlier, dogs can be dealt like humans, so a reward system will work exceptionally well in getting things done according to your expectations. Rewards can be in any form. You can either cuddle and shower love upon him or even offer him a delicious meal. Doing so teaches your dog that they can trust you, but also that doing good deeds results in treats.

Tip 4: Ensure a regular feeding schedule for your puppy

You have to always remember that the diet and feeding schedule of your puppy will largely determine his poop timing. Depending upon the age of  your puppy, you should feed it no more  than 3-4 times a day.  Fix times for feeding your puppy and maintain the schedule  throughout the week to acquaint him with the feeding pattern.

Tip 5: Be Strict

You can be an animal lover or a compassionate individual, but if you want to potty train your puppy in a short span of time, then you have to be both.  Puppies often become sloppy and poop around in the house if they are nurtured with absolute love and no discipline. To instill a good habit into your canine, you will need to be stern and consistent.. For instance, you’ve been potty training your puppy for sometime now, but he isn’t taking you seriously, then raise your voice and scold him.

You need to let him know who the boss of the house is. This reprimanding will help him avoid committing the same mistake again. Also, after you’re done scolding and he starts following your orders, then you shouldn’t forget to show your happiness by cuddling him. These basic steps can go a long way in developing a strong between both of you.

Tip 6: Avoid Punishments 

You should avoid punishments as much as possible.

If you’ve had a bad day and your dog is in a playful mood, then you should avoid bursting out on the canine. Avoid punishing the puppy for excreting in the house as much as possible. Scolding them on rare occasions is absolutely fine, but physically hitting will leave them scarred forever. You have to decide whether you want them to love you or fear you. If you come across a soiled area, then it’s too late for administering a correction. All you can do is, clean up the area and move on with your daily chores. Rubbing your puppy’s nose on it or taking him on the spot to shout at him isn’t an effective technique for meeting your goal of potty training. It is now universally proved that punishment does more harm than good to meet a goal, so use other methods for training your puppy.

Tip 7: Notice the signs

During the initial days of training, you should start noticing for signs that indicate your puppy’s

potty training dog

How to potty train a puppy

need to poop. If you’re not aware of these signs, then you can consult a canine expert to understand the sign language used by puppies for indicating various things. Some obvious signs such as barking, scratching the mattress or door, restlessness, sniffing, squatting, and circling shouldn’t be ignored. The moment you see these signs, you should immediately grab his leash and take him to the bathroom. If he excretes in the bathroom, then you should either appreciate or reward him with a treat for not excreting in open.

The above mentioned methods or techniques can go a long way in helping you with the potty training of your puppy. One thing to consider is some dogs find it difficult to control their bowel when they have an upset stomach. The best thing to do in such a scenario is to feed them dog foods for sensitive stomach. You can read our guide on sensitive stomach dog food. The best aspect of these methods is that they have been tried and tested by a plethora of canine experts and dog lovers across the world. Training a puppy requires immense patience because they can be playful and naughty, so you have to understand their mood patterns and adapt your behavior accordingly. It’s easier to teach/train a happy puppy over a sad one. Use force only in rarest of rare case. In fact, this should be only a last resort. Just remain patient and playful to see positive results.

 

Elyce Nicholls
Elyce Nicholls

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