Most dogs usually end up in shelters, losing their homes, the prime reason being house soiling. Only a few pet owners are willing to bear up with the mess dogs create and are okay if they destroy all the rugs and flooring.
Therefore, before you start potty training your puppy, you must do some advanced research. With this, you will come to know what works, and you can accordingly make a strategy.
Items To Keep In Mind
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- Keep a close check on your dog’s diet.
- Follow a schedule. Fix times for outdoor trips, exercising, and feeding.
- Make sure that your pet gets regular exercise as this will be helpful with motility.
- You will have to keep on reinforcing your pet to go outside every time.
Crate Training
Crates are one of the best tools for potty training your pet. Initially, when people get a puppy, they hesitate at the idea of confining the little pup in a crate, but this hesitation goes away with time. It is good to make your pet accustomed to one place. And, as dogs are den animals, they will love their crate, which makes training easier.
Dogs do not like messy places at all. They would cringe upon the idea of spending time in a urine-soaked rug of their crate. So, whenever your pet feels an urge, it will start scratching and whining to let you know. If you delay taking your pet out, it will get an idea that it is okay to mess up the living space and not spare your living room and bedroom too.
Another thing that needs attention is the size of the crate. The grade size should not be big enough that your pet can use a little space for elimination and happily live in the rest of this space. Nor it should be small enough that your pet can’t even stand or sit or turn around comfortably.
Paper Training
Paper training and puppy pads are two very different and opposite things. After training, pups usually learn to hold it indoors and eliminate it only at some fixed places outside. But, it would not be possible for you to come home and take your dog out frequently if you are working. This is when puppy pads come into the picture. Designate a particular spot for your pet inside the house. And as your pet matures, you can teach him to do his business only when outdoors.
Make A Schedule
Just like human babies have a fixed time for meals, playing, pooping, sleeping, etc. Dogs also work best on a set routine. A dog has control over its bladder for the same number of hours as its age. A one-month-old pup can control its bladder for an hour. If you make them wait beyond that, be sure of facing an accident.
Take your puppy out after every two hours so that it can do all its business at that time. Also, go out immediately after it wakes up, eats, or plays. You also need to fix a spot outside for your pet. Play with them only when they eliminate as per your instructions. Praise them as soon as they finish, or you can also give it a treat, but at that very time. This way, your pet will know what you want. Keep the feeding schedule fixed. If you set times for each meal, accordingly, they will eliminate at consistent times.
Do not let your puppy drink water for at least two to three hours before going to bed. Most puppies sleep uninterrupted for about six to seven hours without a bathroom break. Even if it does wake up in between, just ignore it. They will know that it is not the time to play and will again go to sleep.
