Are you potty training a puppy? The method is not hard to understand, but your patience will be needed! There are just four steps. The puppy needs to be with you. You need to take him to his pottying location at certain times. You need to clean up any accidents in a matter-of-fact way. Repeat these steps a lot and pretty soon, you'll be living with a potty trained puppy! Here is more information on each of these four points:
1. Have your puppy as near to you as you can, as much of the time as you can. That way, you will be more tuned in to when he needs to go out. Sometimes you will catch him just as he starts something and you can firmly say "No" and carry him or walk him to where you want him to be.
You can keep the puppy very close to you by connecting his leash to your belt. So then if you go somewhere, he does too! You may not get as much done on other projects as you are used to, but you and the puppy will be bonding.
However you do it, stay close to your puppy. Crate training is also very useful for the times you can't be together. That is beyond the scope of this article but I discuss it at length on my website.
2. As you potty train a puppy, he will gradually come to understand what it is you want. You want him to go to his pottying spot and do his business there. He will learn this faster if you take him to his place whenever he may need to use it. This includes:
*** Every single time he wakes up, whether first thing in the morning or after a nap.
*** Every time he eats or takes a big drink.
You may be surprised to notice how many times a day he does these things! He probably won't pee or poop every single time you take him to his place, but the habit is being created. Taking him out right before your bedtime is a good plan too.
Where will his pottying place be? If you have a yard with a fenced part to it, you can actually teach him to use a part of the yard by taking him there. If you have no yard, or an unfenced one, walking him on leash is another good way to potty train him. A third option is to paper-train him inside... often good if you live in a very cold climate or many floors up in an apartment building.
3. When you wipe up any messes that he creates, don't grumble. The dog will not understand that he has done anything to displease you. People sometimes say that the puppy "looks guilty" but really his expression is more one of unhappiness because he can tell you are unhappy. Puppies take a lot less time to potty train than humans, so just be patient!
4. Repeat these steps over and over, even when you don't feel like it. The more consistent you are, the faster the puppy will get the idea.
So these are the essential points in potty training a puppy. Best wishes to you and your puppy!
