When it comes to potty training you have to decide if you are going to train the puppy to go to a designated area in the house and then move to outside or go directly outside. If you will be home most of the day with the puppy then I would recommend training to go outside from day one. However, if you will be gone from the house for more then 2 hours then I would recommend house breaking first. Which ever way you choose to potty train your puppy it's so important for you to be consistent with the times you take the puppy out.
If you are not with your dog, then he should be somewhere where he will not go potty or an area where it's OK to eliminate. A place he should not eliminate in is the right size kennel or crate. You may have a small room you have designated as the potty room and have puppy pads down on the floor.
Managing your dog as in the above step will NOT potty train the dog, but will prevent accidents from happening and therefore prevent a history of reinforcement for going in the wrong place. It's important to remember that practise makes a habit, so the goal is to prevent mistakes from happening.
Depending on the age of your dog will depend on how often you need to take the dog outside. If you have an 8-12 week old puppy, then you should be going out every hour on the hour and 20 mins after eating. For puppies older you can go every two hours and 20 minutes after eating. Take your dog to a small area to go potty, allow the dog to sniff around for a bit but NO playing. Wait for about 5 mins, if the dog goes potty give him lots of praise and a treat. If the dog does not go within the 5 mins, then take the dog inside and try again about 10 mins later, repeat the process until the dog eliminates.
Be sure to take you dog outside for play time too, if you only take the dog outside to go potty and then directly back in the house, the dog may delay going to the bathroom because he knows as soon as he goes it's back inside.
If your dog has an accident in the house when know one is looking, nothing should be done except clean up the mess with an enzymatic cleaner and make sure to supervise the dog more closely. If the dog is caught in the act, interrupt him without startling him and take him outside to finish. Scolding, yelling or punishing your dog for going inside usually causes the dog to hide when he eliminates. Besides being inconvenient inside, it also makes it harder to get him to potty in front of the person outside as well.
If your dog tends to have accidents in the same area all the time, it's possible to change his mind about the area. This can be done by putting his food in the area, or playing with him in the area, practice obedience with treats or put their bed there (use the "den" mentality).
Sometimes weather can be a factor for your dog wanting to go outside. Make the situation as pleasant as possible for your dog by keeping the grass mowed, using a dog sweater when necessary or use an umbrella if it's raining. Someone should always go outside with the dog to reward him right away when he goes in the right spot.
Stress(visitors, schedule changes, holidays or a busy household) may cause the dog to have accidents. Keeping your dog tied to you (leash around your waist) or putting the dog in it's crate and taking him out more regularly should fix the problem.
TO BE CONT....
If you are not with your dog, then he should be somewhere where he will not go potty or an area where it's OK to eliminate. A place he should not eliminate in is the right size kennel or crate. You may have a small room you have designated as the potty room and have puppy pads down on the floor.
Managing your dog as in the above step will NOT potty train the dog, but will prevent accidents from happening and therefore prevent a history of reinforcement for going in the wrong place. It's important to remember that practise makes a habit, so the goal is to prevent mistakes from happening.
Depending on the age of your dog will depend on how often you need to take the dog outside. If you have an 8-12 week old puppy, then you should be going out every hour on the hour and 20 mins after eating. For puppies older you can go every two hours and 20 minutes after eating. Take your dog to a small area to go potty, allow the dog to sniff around for a bit but NO playing. Wait for about 5 mins, if the dog goes potty give him lots of praise and a treat. If the dog does not go within the 5 mins, then take the dog inside and try again about 10 mins later, repeat the process until the dog eliminates.
Be sure to take you dog outside for play time too, if you only take the dog outside to go potty and then directly back in the house, the dog may delay going to the bathroom because he knows as soon as he goes it's back inside.
If your dog has an accident in the house when know one is looking, nothing should be done except clean up the mess with an enzymatic cleaner and make sure to supervise the dog more closely. If the dog is caught in the act, interrupt him without startling him and take him outside to finish. Scolding, yelling or punishing your dog for going inside usually causes the dog to hide when he eliminates. Besides being inconvenient inside, it also makes it harder to get him to potty in front of the person outside as well.
If your dog tends to have accidents in the same area all the time, it's possible to change his mind about the area. This can be done by putting his food in the area, or playing with him in the area, practice obedience with treats or put their bed there (use the "den" mentality).
Sometimes weather can be a factor for your dog wanting to go outside. Make the situation as pleasant as possible for your dog by keeping the grass mowed, using a dog sweater when necessary or use an umbrella if it's raining. Someone should always go outside with the dog to reward him right away when he goes in the right spot.
Stress(visitors, schedule changes, holidays or a busy household) may cause the dog to have accidents. Keeping your dog tied to you (leash around your waist) or putting the dog in it's crate and taking him out more regularly should fix the problem.
TO BE CONT....
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