House Training
- Puppies naturally want to be clean and eat and sleep in an unsoiled area.
- Young puppies have limited control over their bladder and bowels. This control increases as they age.
- Pick one spot where your puppy will potty outside and take him to that spot after waking, eating, drinking, playing, stressful events and every 1-2 hours. Do not wait for him to signal that he needs to go outside.
- Stand with your puppy on leash in the potty area. Give him up to 5 minutes to potty. Do not play with your puppy at this time, allow him to potty first and play after he has gone.
- When she potties in the correct area allow her to finish, praise and reward with a treat. The treat must be given right after she has pottied and not after you go back into the house.
- After pottying she can have about 1 hour of supervised play or training time inside. Use gates or pens to keep her out of trouble (chewing, getting into things etc).
- If he does not potty after 5 minutes bring him inside and put him in his crate for 30 minutes. Repeat until he is successful. Do not allow him freedom in the house if he does not potty.
- If your puppy is pottying in the crate the crate is either too large (use dividers to make it smaller) or you are asking her to hold it for too long. A guideline is she can hold it for 1 hour for each month of age +/- 1 hour.
- If you must leave your puppy for extended periods of time leave him in a pen or small room with potty pads. Do not use potty pads at any other time. Training her to a potty pad now is adding an extra step you will need to remove later. The only exception is if you plan to use potty pads for the entire life of your dog.
- If at any time you catch your puppy having an accident interrupt her by clapping or making a loud noise, pick her up and carry outside to the potty area. Reward for finishing in the proper area.
- Do not rub your puppy's nose in it, hit, or reprimand your puppy. Once the accident has occurred it is too late to teach your puppy the correct behavior that time. This is a sign that your puppy needs more supervision.
- Create a feeding schedule for your puppy. Feed 3 times a day (until 6 months old) and remove any remaining food after 30 minutes. Feed meals at least 4 hours before bed and remove water two hours before bed.
- If your puppy becomes restless in the night he may have to potty. Carry him outside and allow 5 minutes to potty before putting him back to bed. Do not cuddle or play with him in the middle of the night or you will teach him to wake you up for attention.
- Use a potty log to help track and determine your puppy's natural potty schedule.