How Easy Is Puppy Potty Training?
Even the most confident, “got it together” person can be reduced to tears when trying to learn puppy potty training. Just when you think you are going well, it all goes wrong. There is a puppy who thinks you are it’s parent and is eager to learn from you. The problem is that you are not (but you have to behave as one).
One popular approach will be to have a specified peeing / pooping area. Normally this could often be a fenced off area in your back yard. Quite a few apartment owners make use of an area within the bathroom that is well protected with paper. It depends on your own situation. When you have this set up you can begin to introduce some sort of schedule.
A lot of people are in apartments but still need a place for their pups to relieve themselves. If you think about it, virtually every cat owner possesses a cat litter tray in their home. Now I’m sure that having a doggy potty area indoors isn’t ideal but many individuals situations mean that this is the only method available. It’s pretty obvious that this spot should be well ventilated.
Your bathroom is probably the best choice here as it’ll probably have a hard washable floor as well. You can get dog litter (similar to the cat stuff but you need more of it!). A few people make use of regular newspaper but there could be an embarrassing unwanted effect here. The most suitable paper is unprinted newsprint paper which has the same absorbent qualities without the side effects. Why should you not use normal newspaper? Well, the puppy tends to connect potty time with newspaper (any newspaper) and unfortunately can see every paper as a potential toilet (even if it has just come through the letterbox). {This can be very embarrassing in someone else’s house.As soon as you get the area sorted out it is easy to move onto teaching your puppy the significance of it}.
This may be looked upon as one of the most useful puppy potty training tips you’ll hear.
The most effective way is always to encourage them to link visiting that area with going to the toilet. You can do this by taking them to it whenever they show warning signs of needing to go. Be on the lookout for circling or sniffing the floor, suddenly stopping playing and then walking away, rotating around in circle with their backs arched and clear indicator) sniffing the scene of a past accident. Perhaps you may think you have cleaned it away however the pup will still be able to smell it and will try to use precisely the same place.
You then carry them over to the doggie loo and let them do what they do. After this you praise them. Do this every time and they will soon learn that this is what you want. They’ll not query why, they will simply relate going in the right place with praise. This must be carried out a calm fashion as you don’t want to have them too excited. Whenever they get too excited, they will become tense and cannot go. This obviously, defeats the point of the exercise. You should therefore, retain a calm appearance to help the dog relax enough to relieve itself.
Time intervals will vary tremendously depending on the puppy’s age. For example, if they are aged around say fourteen weeks, you could be looking at possibly eight to ten breaks every day. This will drop down to about half of that when the pup is aged about thirty weeks.When they’re young, they are not physically developed enough to hold themselves in for very long. For this reason they should be taken outside perhaps every two hours or so. You need to closely observe the period after eating or drinking as these are usually common “toilet times”. Really though, they can only hold themselves for an hour or so for every month of age. Quite simply they will not really last through the night.
It sounds strange but many owners keep a written record of when the puppy “goes”. This gives them a much better idea of the puppy’s natural bodily rhythms. The main items to note are eating, sleeping and going to the toilet. The owners find it easier to work out the relationship between the events, which certainly makes sense. It may well also identify a few health problems when the puppy starts to break with these standard times.
Your next stage is when your puppy senses the urge to go and understands that if they come to tell you (or go straight to the potty area) they get praise. Usually, this involves scratching the door, barking or whining. In time they’ll probably head straight for their potty. You are suddenly making big progress. Keep the praise going, even if there are some accidents.
There are some things that you must be careful of when learning how to potty train a puppy. Should you shout at or scold the pup they will think you’re cross about them going to the toilet, instead of going in the wrong place. A simple detail but a world of difference. In conclusion, find an area, take the pup to it when they feel the need and then encourage them to tell you when they want to go.
All About Your Dog Questionnaire – Indi (fill out for your dog)