Potty training is one of the most important things you do with your new puppy. As you work on potty training, remember it’s natural for a puppy to view the whole world as one giant potty area. It is a process that takes both time and patience, but you and your puppy can master this important task with these quick tips to fast potty training.
Have a Pre-Dog Plan
Have a pre-game plan in place prior to your dog coming home. Make sure everyone who will care for this puppy is on the same page. This will help reduce confusion and delays in training.
Things to consider when pre-dog planning:
Feeding Schedule
Daily Activity Schedule
Morning & Nighttime Routine
Training Plan
Establish a Firm Routine from Day One
Set up their crate prior to bringing them home. Make sure you stick to your feeding and water schedule. Allow 10-15 minutes then take them outside on a leash to the designated potty area. Plan to give them alone time in their crate for 5-10 minutes to start. We want to teach our puppies that being alone is ok.
Freedom is Earned
If your puppy goes potty outside when they need to, they may have supervised freedom in the house. If they do not go potty outside, they go back in the crate for 5-10 minutes and try again. Repeat as needed until they go potty outside. The worse thing you can do is let them have freedom after not going outside in the house, this is when accidents happen most often.
When Accidents occur
Do not punish them, try to figure out the signs you missed. Did they just eat treats or a meal? How long ago was it? Did you get distracted by something and forget to take them out? If they potty in front of you try to interrupt it with an “eh-eh” or “oops” and take them outside to finish. If you find it, later on, do not yell at them, they do not know what happened. Clean it up, learn from your mistake of leaving them unsupervised and missing a potty cue.
Use a Leash Outside
Even if you have a fenced-in yard taking them out on a leash establishes it is Potty time, not playtime. Once they are consistent on going potty on a leash you can try to use a long line or without a leash in the fenced-in yard. When they are off the leash for the first few times make sure to ignore play and make sure they potty.
Crate Training
The Crate is your friend. Use it as a tool, not as a punishment. That is where it gets its bad reputation. The crate should be a place your dog enjoys spending time in. It is a place of safety and comfort. They should never go potty in there unless it is an absolute emergency and you left them in there too long without a potty break. Typically you can leave your puppy in the crate alone without going potty is the number of months they are plus one in hours. For example, a 4-month-old can be left alone for 5 hours although not recommended.
Remember these Quick Tips to Fast Potty training to ensure your dog is set up for a lifetime of success.
If you need more help with Potty Training your dog, please contact me today!