Once the initial excitement of getting a new puppy has lessened, many pet owners feel frustrated by the lack of training that their puppies possess. This is particularly hard when it comes to potty accidents on carpets and furniture. With patience, consistency and commitment, you can train even the most stubborn of puppies to be house trained. Read the tips listed below and learn about how you can potty train your puppy to go outside.
- Create a routine Dogs respond well to routines. By feeding them and taking them outside to go potty everyday at approximately the same time, you will be able to control their routine and prevent accidents in the home. As a rule of thumb, puppies can control their bladders for one hour for every month of age. A three month old puppy can control its bladder for three hours. So after every big event of the day --meals, playtime, naps or baths -- take your puppy outside. Schedule the events to correspond to their age. As they grow, the outside visits can become less frequent. This routine will enable them to learn which activities to do at what time [source: Humane Society].
- Create a bathroom spot If you take your puppy outside in your yard, continually have your puppy go in the same spot. This will train it to know what to do when it gets to the spot. Be sure to pick up your dog's stool. Dogs don't like to go in dirty areas and keeping their spot dirty will disrupt their house training [source: DeGruy].
- Reward good behavior Dogs learn by praise and condemnation. While you're in the house-training process, it's very important to reward your puppy with treats, rubs and kind words after it's gone outside. This will teach your puppy what's expected of it and what it can do to receive approval [source: Humane Society].
Advertisement