House Training a Puppy Does Not Have to Be Stressful

Perhaps you have planned for months on getting a puppy that is just right for your family. You researched the breed and you are confident you made the right decision. You bring the new baby home and everyone oohs over him, he is happy to have so much attention but in the middle of all the fun, he walks across the living room and urinates on the floor. You realize you did not plan for the potty training portion of the puppy.

Puppies Do Not Come Potty Trained

Regardless of the breed, a puppy does not come to you potty trained. Remember, they are most likely traumatized if you took the puppy from its mother and it is suddenly thrust into a new environment. Puppies do not instinctively know where they should potty, when the urge strikes, they simply go.

Additionally, a puppy's bladder is very weak so they can only hold it 2 or 3 hours until they reach six or seven months old. Potty training does not come natural to a puppy, so if you do not begin training as soon as you bring your puppy home, he or she may grow up to be an adult who is not house trained.

What You Need to Know About House Training

The house training should begin before you bring the puppy home. In other words, you should know exactly where you want your dog to potty. If you have a yard that may be where you want them to go. On the other hand, if you live in a high-rise apartment, you might want them to use a doggie potty system on your patio. This should all be worked out before you bring the puppy home.

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Steps to Potty Training

Many people, maybe you, need a step-by-step guide to successful potty training because it makes it easier to begin the process and know what to expect.

Step 1 - Make sure you have your designated potty area planned out before you bring the puppy home.

Step 2 - Puppies can only hold their urine for 2 or 3 hours, which means you need to physically take the puppy to the designated area every 2 or 3 hours.

Step 3 - When your puppy does his "business" in the right place, praise the pup like he was the best dog you ever saw. However, as the dog is eliminating, don't raise your voice, "GOOD BOY!" or you might scare him into stopping mid-stream, as he or she is eliminating, softly say, "good boy" or "good girl" and then when they finish completely, then show more enthusiasm and you might even want to give the puppy a treat.

Step 4 - Be consistent, you must continually take your puppy to the designated areas after naps, playtime, eating, or drinking. The more you take the puppy to the potty area, the more used to it he or she becomes and because they are praised for eliminating in the potty area, they associate the area with good feelings.

Step 5 - Realize that accidents will happen. Expect them and do not scold the puppy or rub his nose in it, dogs do not understand this and what you will be teaching your puppy is to fear you and fear eliminating in front of you. This can lead to "hide-n-pee" because they are afraid to eliminate in front of you, they hide somewhere you cannot see them and go inside the home.

Step 6 - Be patient. Some puppies will learn the house training much quicker than others, the key is to remain consistent and patient. If you continually take your puppy to the area where you want him or to potty, and praise them when they do, he or she will eventually understand what you want them to do and where their "bathroom" is.

Step 7 - To avoid accidents in the night, when the puppy is less than six months old, remove all food and water after about seven or eight in the evenings. After the puppy has reached six months they have better bladder control.

Crate Training

Some people use crate training in order to train their puppy and it can be effective if done correctly. First off, you cannot just leave the puppy in the crate for hours on end, they will soil the crate if you do. Since most puppies will not go to the bathroom in the sleeping quarters, you want to make sure the crate is large enough for the puppy to stand up and lay down, but do not get one so large that the puppy can just go potty on the other end of the crate and then move away from it to sleep at the other end.

Most puppies like the crate when it is filled with their toys, a soft bedding and it is close to you. Dogs in the wild normally have "dens" and a crate represents a den to them, but again, you must make sure to take the puppy out every two or three hours. If you are going to be gone longer than this, you might want to invest in a baby gate and keep the puppy in an area of the house where if an accident happens, it is easier to clean up.

Final Thoughts

Lastly, when your puppy begins to make progress with the potty training, do not let your guard down, be consistent because it take some puppies longer to have the behavior engrained in their minds. When you continue to train, by the time the dog reaches adulthood, you will have a fully house trained dog.

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