Having a new puppy in the house can be such an exciting and fun experience. It is like introducing a new member of the family to their home. While a puppy is cute and just absolutely adorable in every respect, if you don't get your puppy house trained then all that cuteness will soon wear of quickly when you house takes the brunt of your puppies indiscretions. Instead of getting mad or frustrated take solace that it's not all that difficult to get your puppy potty trained and you'll be enjoying their company again in no time at all.
Considering that many puppies can relieve themselves up to 6 times a day, you would want to begin your puppy training as soon as possible. In the early days while you are still beginning your potty training you will want to take your puppy outside after every meal. Puppies like human babies tend to relieve themselves soon after a meal as they just haven't developed the necessary muscles to hold it in.
Set aside a designated area outside at the beginning for your puppy to go to relieve itself. If you are around your puppy when it is showing signs of needing to go, you should immediately pick up your puppy and take it directly to the designated area you have created outside. It needn't be extravagant, it could be a crate or just a tray that you have placed on the ground. You want to condition your puppy to connect going to the potty with the designated area.
By all means you want to avoid your puppy from going to the toilet all over your house. Not only is this detrimental to the your house and your belongings like carpet, but it also creates a negative habit with your puppy that you will have to recondition out of later.
If you enable your puppy to relieve itself indoors then set aside an area that is well ventilated and place a tray there. By constantly catching your puppy when he is ready to go to the toilet and taking it straight to your area you puppy will begin to start going there voluntarily.
At the end of the day your puppy wants to do the right thing by you and please it's owner. If you teach your puppy what it is you want they are in a better position to understand and do it for you.
You will want to commit to this for at least the first several weeks of getting your puppy. Understand that a few weeks is really not long in the scheme of things considering how many years you are going to have the dog for.
Step 1 ? for the first two or three days, take your puppy outside to the same spot every hour and wait for him to relieve himself. Don't move from that spot and don't walk him. Let him have the length of his four-to-six foot leash. Praise him profusely as soon as he goes, and give him a few pieces of his puppy food. Make sure to pet, kiss, and hug him too, and reward him with a walk around the block. After his walk, allow him a supervised free run of the house for 20 minutes. Then put him into his housetraining crate for 35 minutes. (You should discard the crate once your puppy is housetrained.)
If you've waited outside for more than 20 minutes, and your puppy hasn't relieved himself, bring him home and put him into his crate for 20 minutes (just to assure that he doesn't relieve himself in your house), then take him outside again. Repeat this process until he relieves himself outside.
Make sure to take him out just before you go to bed. You'll also want to take him out once or twice during the night without taking him for a walk or letting him run around the house. You may lose some sleep now, but it will save you many sleepless nights in the future.
Step 2 ? during the next week, take your puppy out once every 90 minutes during the day and as needed in the middle of the night. He'll let you know when he needs to go. During the day, if he relieves himself outside, give him 30 minutes of supervised free run and play time. If he doesn't relieve himself, again put him back into his crate for 35 minutes. Always supervise his indoor activities, and don't give him an opportunity to fail.
Gradually add time to his supervised free run and crate time until he's successfully holding it for three hours during free run time, and four daytime hours in the crate. Don't forget to take your puppy outside immediately after he leaves his crate to avoid accidents inside your house.
Step 3 ? within about 10 days, your puppy should have a good understanding of what's expected of him. But you shouldn't stop your training efforts. If you catch your puppy sniffing around the house and squatting, shout "outside!" and take him outside immediately. Praise him outside as he finishes up. It is vital that you continue to watch him closely during his indoor free run time, so that you can catch him in the act if he has a bit more to eliminate.
It will take a little bit of work at the beginning to housebreak your puppy, but you'll find it's worth it in the long run.
Both Terence Young & Joan Yankowitz are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.