One of the very first things you will want to accomplish with your new puppy is potty training. Although house training your dog may seem like a big task in the beginning, it can be done in a short period of time and lead to much less frustration for you and your puppy.
The goal for most owners is to get their puppies doing their business outside in their spot as quickly as possible. Here are some steps for you to take to get your puppy trained.
The Newspaper Method Potty Training
The newspaper method is one of the most common potty training techniques as it positively enforces good behavior for your puppy, instead of other training techniques which use disciplinary methods for bad behavior.
In this method, we’re going to assume your puppy is going to need to go to the bathroom at some point. Now you could try to force them to sit outdoors for hours waiting for them to go, but oftentimes if they have only ever gone to the bathroom in the house, they will not be comfortable going outside.
Teach Your Puppy To Go On Command
If you can teach your puppy to go to the bathroom on command, you can teach them to go anywhere you tell them to.
Here’s how you start…
Step 1: Begin by setting up either some newspaper or a puppy piddle pad in one spot in your house.
Preferably, you will want to set this up somewhere that is easy to clean such as a bathroom or laundry room as you will need to have this space available for your puppy until they are fully trained to go outside.
Step 2: About every hour, take your puppy to the piddle spot and tell them the command to use the bathroom.
This command you use is completely up to you, some people say ‘go pee’ others ‘time to go outside’ whatever you choose, make sure you say it every time you take your puppy to their bathroom spot. They will learn to associate the tone of your voice with that location.
Step 3: Eventually, your puppy will use the bathroom, pick them up and place them in the bathroom location and repeat the bathroom command while they are going.
You must speak positively to your puppy as they use the bathroom in the location you set up for them. They will start to associate the bathroom command and that location.
Step 4: Praise your puppy when they use the bathroom in the right place.
Praise goes a long way with your puppy. Make sure to pet them and tell them how good they are for using the bathroom in the place you set up for them. They will like the positive affirmation from you and try to get more of it by using the bathroom in that location.
Step 5: Take your puppy outside.
Now that your puppy associates the command ‘go pee’ (or whatever else you choose) to doing their business, you will have a much easier time taking them outside and asking them to go to the bathroom.
Just like the initial training, if they start to go to the bathroom in the house, pick them up, and bring them to the place you want them to go outside. Tell them the command and praise them for going to the bathroom outside.
Your puppy will love being praised with loving strokes (or treats) for doing good work. Praise goes a long way with your little puppy.
Just remember this process does take time, some puppies will learn quickly and others will take longer, but eventually, they will all learn to go to the bathroom outside.
The biggest challenge you will face with potty training your puppy is needing to watch them all the time. You need to keep a close eye on them to make sure you can spot when they are about to go (or going) to the bathroom so you can quickly transition them to the place you’d like them to go and tell them the bathroom command.
How To Avoid ‘Excited Peeing’
By potty training your dog this way you can also help to prevent ‘excited peeing’ that many puppies struggle to contain. This usually happens when a puppy gets too excited when they meet a new friend or when they get scared.
Oftentimes they will urinate without control and leave you with a mess to clean up.
By using a command to go to the bathroom, your puppy will be less likely to pee unless they are told to go. If you know that something exciting might happen soon, you can take your puppy to their bathroom spot and ask them to go before you have company over or meet other dogs. This can help your puppy not have a full bladder when they are about to do something that might be exciting to them.
Now you know puppy potty training does not need to be complicated or take a long time.
You will need to clean up a few messes while your puppy is being trained, but if you follow the steps and keep praising them for their good work, your puppy will learn soon enough!
Just keep working with them.
Click here for more puppy training techniques by one of our favorite trainers: Adrienne Farricelli.