Potty training a puppy can be both challenging and rewarding. It is not a task for the weak, you must have determination and consistency. A dog in nature learns to not use their den as a bathroom, they learn this from their mothers that you leave the den to relieve themselves. So as hard as it may seem at first you can rest assured you are working with Mother Nature while you are potty training your puppy.
Some puppies will just pick up the whole potty training thing quicker than others, but unless your puppy has a urinary tract infection or some other health issue she will learn to use the outdoors on a regular basis rather quickly. Don’t expect overnight results, they will come in time as long as you give your puppy a consistent schedule.
You will really do yourself a favor if you can find a way to keep them in a room without carpeting when the puppy is playing and hanging out. They will pee and poop in the house, without warning, before they are potty trained and during the time it takes to train them. You don’t want to be dealing with trying to clean puppy pee out of the carpet. Just a note from experience, never leave a puppy unattended, even if they are potty trained, in a carpeted room, they will find a seam in the carpet or a spot that for some reason attracts them and they will chew a hole in the carpet. That is a costly mistake we’ve learned, sadly several times!
You must create a routine for your puppy. First thing in the morning let him outside, at first you may need to carry him outside to prevent any “accidents” on the way to the door. Once they get the concept down as long as you can keep them moving towards the door without any pauses or puppy idle time, you will be able to just let them out of their crate and swiftly lead them towards the door. When you first start the training you will need to let your puppy out every one to two hours during the day. A good rule of thumb is that for every month a puppy is in age that is the number of hours they can go without being let out to relieve themselves. Of course they first must be potty trained before you can use that rule of thumb!
Create a regular consistent schedule.
- Take her out first thing in the morning
- Take her out soon after every meal
- Take him out after he drinks water
- Take him out after he is done playing
- Take her out right after naps
- If he goes over by the door take him out
- Pick up the water dish a couple hours before bedtime
When your puppy relieve herself outside praise her and give her some affection or a treat telling her what a good dog she was. This positive reinforcement should help your puppy understand that the place to relieve herself is outside, not inside. Do not start rewarding your puppy until he is completely done relieving himself or he may get distracted and finish relieving himself in the house!
If you catch your puppy relieving herself inside you should try to break their train of thought, interrupt them with a confident “Stop” or “Outside” and immediately take your puppy outside. Depending on where you are in the training processes you may have to either carry them out or lead them out on a leash. Don’t ever be mean to your puppy, they really want nothing more than to please you!! If you find that they have relieved themselves inside and you didn’t catch them in the act, just clean it up don’t bother showing or discussing it with your puppy because they will have no idea what you’re talking about anyway!