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.
Contents
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.
Supervising
Whenever your pet is inside your house, keep a check over its whereabouts and don’t let it soil indoors. If you are busy, you can keep it tethered with a leash. Whenever it feels the urge, it will give you signs like restlessness, squatting, circling, sniffing, etc. Watch for these signs, take them out as soon as you see and reward them later.
Confining, If Not Supervising
If you are usually busy and you can’t keep an eye on your pet 24/7, the only option you have is to confine them in a small place. This is nothing but crate training. After they are in the crate for an extended period, you need to immediately get them out and take them to their eliminating spot as soon as you return. These days you will find crates whose size you can adjust according to the age and size of your pet.
Accidents Occur
Mistakes are a normal part of potty training your dog. What you can do is when you catch them eliminating inside, interrupt them saying ‘OUTSIDE’ or immediately take them outside and reward them if they complete their business there—no need to punish your pet if you come across a soiled area. Just clean the place up. If you resort to harsh punishments, your pet will be afraid of soiling when you are around. Also, make sure that you clean that spot nicely. Dogs have this tendency of soiling at any place which smells like feces or urine.
What To Do When You Are Not There?
If you have a job that demands more than four to five hours of work, then it is not advisable to get a pup for yourself. Instead, go for a grown-up dog as it can wait until you return.
Here are a few things you need to plan if you already have a puppy and remain out of the house for an extended period.
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- You can either hire a professional dog sitter or even ask a responsible neighbor to take your puppy out for bathroom breaks.
- Train your puppy in such a way that it soils only at a particular place, even when inside. This also has serious repercussions. If they make it a habit of soiling on newspapers, the process of house training will not end anytime soon. They will always do their business wherever they find newspapers lying on the ground.
- Whatever place you designate them for elimination, you can put a sod box over there, which can be made by placing sod in any container. Also, you will find many such products at a pet shop.
For How Long Will Potty Training Go On?
This training period varies considerably, depending upon several factors like your pet’s learning history, age, consistency, and the methods employed. Just be patient, and your dog will have perfect manners in a few months.
Conclusion
If you wish to be successful in house- training your pet, you need to be a storehouse of patience, consistency, and commitment. Don’t think that once you start with the training, your pet will stop pooping inside. Accidents in a house are pretty standard. But, within a few weeks, the new member of your family will learn the code of conduct. Just be calm and follow the guidelines.
