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Puppy house training is important to begin the first day that you bring your new puppy home.
Remember this is a baby and it is your responsibility to teach your puppy the rules of your house. One of the first rules to show your puppy is where they need to go to the bathroom. This sounds simple and we think they should understand this but puppies don't come hardwired to know that we want them to potty outside.
So how do we do this. First use the same door every time you take your puppy out and use the same word as your going out like "LETS GO OUTSIDE". Then
pick a spot in your yard, take the puppy to this same spot every time, and use a word like "GO POTTY". When they successfully go to the bathroom praise them, give a treat every time the first week or two, and let your puppy know it has done the most wonderful thing in the world!! Do this every time your puppy goes to the bathroom.
Let's say your puppy does not go this time what do you do. Take the puppy back in the house put them in their crate wait about a 30 minutes and take them out again and repeat all of the steps above. Yes, use a crate this is the fastest, easiest way for puppy house training.
The crate should not be to large for the puppy or they will find a spot in the back of the crate to potty in. If you have a large breed dog and purchase a crate that will fit your dog when they are an adult put a divider in it. Dogs and puppies will naturally not go to the bathroom where they sleep. Use this to work to your advantage when house training your puppy.
A couple of important facts about puppies is that they have very small bladders and can only hold it one hour per month of age plus one. An example is a 8 week old puppy is 2 months old this equals two hours than add one and your 8 week old puppy can only hold their bladder for maximum of 3 hours. So this will give you a guide as to when you will need to take your puppy out to potty.
Yes, this means you will be making many trips outside the first few months of having your puppy. If you follow these first couple of steps you will be on your way to house training your puppy. This time now will pay off long term with a reliable house trained dog. Also you will need to take your puppy out after eating, sleeping, playing, and exiting the crate.
Since you are aware of how often your puppy should potty and to take her out after eating, sleeping, playing,and exiting the crate you can easily come up with a schedule. Your puppy should only have supervised freedom out of the crate when she can be watched at all times. This means puppy comes out of crate goes out to potty then puppy can play under supervision for a while. After play take the puppy out again and if you can not keep an eye on the puppy she needs to go back in the crate. Then repeat whole process again.
It is so important during the first month or so home that you set your puppy up for success when house training. If you mess up and the puppy goes to the bathroom in the house NEVER, NEVER, punish your dog. This will only teach your puppy that going to the bathroom in front of you is a bad thing. So, now you will have a puppy that is afraid to potty outside when you are around. Your puppy will sneak off in the house (out of your site) to potty and you will have a very difficult time house training your dog.
As your dog gets older and the bladder matures she will naturally be able to hold it longer and it will get a little easier. But until your dog is at least nine months to a year old I would not leave them unsupervised alone in the house. Many people like to continue to use a crate when the dog is alone for years. |
