Her big brown eyes open impossibly wide as you hear, ‘Oh Mommy can we please, please keep him?’ The object of your daughter’s desire is an eight week old Welsh Pembroke Corgi which your next door neighbor has so generously offered to your daughter. You relent. But with your approval comes a serious request: ‘Potty training for puppies is very important and you will have to agree to help.’ Your daughter is thrilled and you now have a dog that needs to be housebroken.
There are a few approaches to housebreaking your new puppy. One way is to use newspapers or pretreated pads. The advantage of pads is that they are infused with a chemical whose scent draws your puppy to use them. As soon as you see your dog either continuously sniffing the floor or walking around in circles, pick him up without saying anything and bring them over to the pad or newspaper. Lavish him with praise if he goes to the bathroom. If your dog is consistently successful using the papers, start moving them closer to the door and then ultimately to out of doors.
Another approach is crate training. The idea is that the crate will become the puppy’s bed. He will not want to pee or poop where he sleeps. Before you put the puppy in the crate, take him outside to potty. Take him outside again as soon as he leaves his crate. Crate training will teach dogs not to go inside. It will also teach them that they can hold their urges to go. Most dogs can hold in their potty for up to 7 hours.
Another good method is simple supervision. This is time consuming but is fine for people who are at home most of the time anyhow. With this technique, the owner keeps a watchful eye on the puppy, always looking for any signs that the dog is ready to go out. As soon as you see such signs, take him outside right away. After he is finished going, give him praise and come back in. Do not play with him on potty visits, as the dog needs to know that the only reason he went out was to go to the bathroom.
Always keep in mind that these are puppies and they will occasionally have accidents. Though you may be frustrated, it does no good to reprimand pups for accidents if you do not witness them. Dogs will not be able to equate the scolding with the accidents and they will only get confused. If you do see the inappropriate potty taking place, sternly say ‘No’ and pick the dog up and carry her outside or to her pads. If she completes her business in the right spot, praise her.
Getting the whole family on board with whatever housebreaking technique will make the process less stressful for any one individual and provide the dog a consistent potty training message. Involving your children teaches them responsibility and advances the bonding process with the dog.
Family vacations can pose a problem to training by interrupting, and perhaps undoing, what your dog has learned. One of the best ways to eliminate this possibility is to engage the services of a pet sitter. They can continue uninterrupted the housebreaking program you’ve begun.
Bringing a new puppy into your home will provide both of you with a lifetime of love and camaraderie. By ensuring proper bathroom habits early, you will suffer less stress and be able to fully enjoy your new friend.
You understand that potty training for puppies is important to take control of early and inform your children that they must agree to assist. Make things a lot easier by checking out our potty training info on http://www.patientdog.com/puppy-potty-training
