The Best Way to Potty Train a Puppy
You may feel like you’ve done nothing but clean up after your puppy’s accidents since the minute you brought him home. Or maybe your puppy seems to have the general idea about housebreaking, but continues to have the occasional accident in the house. Housebreaking is something that frustrates many people, but it is fairly easy to accomplish with a little persistence and patience.
With that in mind, I’ll tell you the best way to potty train a puppy, which works for virtually every client I’ve had.
A good rule of thumb is that your pup can hold it for his age in months plus one. In other words, a three month old pup can hold it for up to four hours. If you leave him for longer than this, chances are he’ll have an accident no matter how well he’s trained.
If you haven’t brought your new puppy home yet, plan on stopping in his potty area (e.g., your backyard) before he goes anywhere else in your home. Give him lots of praise and some treats if he eliminates. This is a great way to start things off on the right foot (or paw, as the case may be!).
Your puppy should never be allowed to roam your house without supervision. If you can’t keep an eye on your pup or it’s been awhile since he last eliminated, he should be confined to an area such as the kitchen or a crate.
Your puppy should be brought to his potty area immediately upon waking in the morning.
Plan on walking your puppy about fifteen to twenty minutes after he eats or drinks.
Puppies sometimes have accidents because they are playing too hard to think about their potty training. Bring your puppy to his bathroom area several times during playtime.
Routine is an important part of housetraining your puppy. Ensuring that his meals and potty breaks come at regular times each day can make a big difference in how quickly your puppy becomes housetrained.
Use lots of praise and treats to reward him for doing the right thing. If he’s getting cookies and lots of attention for doing the right thing, and nothing for eliminating inside, he’s more likely to try to hold it until he gets outside.
Once your puppy has eliminated in the designated potty area, don’t immediately bring him indoors. Allow him some playtime or take him for a fun walk. If you bring him inside as soon as he eliminates, he will begin to associate eliminating with the end of his outdoor playtime causing him to hold it in. You don’t want him holding it in only to have an accident indoors or taking forever to eliminate when you are standing in torrential rains.
Finally, be patient. Every dog comes with his own personality and some dogs breeds are notoriously tougher to housetrain than others. Your dog is capable of learning to go outside. If you’re patient and follow the tips above, you’ll get there sooner than you realize.