Here is a complete guide to puppy potty training within a period of 7 days.
Potty training can be a nightmare if not done properly. In this complete guide to puppy potty training, I will discuss steps which would make this task a breeze for you as the guardian as well as for your little pup.
A dog is a wonderful addition to any household. However, this new member may need a little bit of training during the initial days like simple commands training, house training, introduction with other dogs etc. The sooner you get the potty training done, the better. In this guide to puppy potty training, I will discuss tips, tricks and strategies would make potty training very easy. So do not skip any paragraph and read all the way to the end.
The first thing I would like to clear up in this guide to puppy potty training is that it may take a period of 4 to 6 months to get your pup completely trained and not committing any mistakes in the house. But within a 7 day period you may lay down the basic ground rules and start to get your puppy into the frame of mind that they must conduct their business outside and not in the house.
Topics covered in this blog post
Let’s begin the guide to puppy potty training
When should you start?
The best time to start training your pup is when he or she is between 12 to 16 weeks old. The reason why it is ill advised to start before this period is because before this age puppies do not have control on their bladder or bowel movements. After 12 weeks of age, puppies can control their bowel movements and bladder if needed.
However, if you are bringing home an older dog or if your dog has developed unfavorable habits, retraining is the best option. The retraining may take a few weeks or months depending on the dog. However, if you follow all the steps mentioned in this guide to puppy potty training, the training would go much faster.
Related post: Training modifies the brain of your dog.
Guide to puppy potty training: day 1
First things first. To be able to regulate your dogs bowel movements, a strict diet schedule is mandatory. Establish a realistic feeding schedule which will be possible for you to follow and stick to. Do not set the time to feed your pup when you have to perform other chores.
The schedule must be consistent with the meal times to help you establish a potty routine which would work.
The primary thing to remember here is that puppies need to be fed three to four times a day. The meal must be a snack to help with the digestion process and allow their energy levels to be consistent. The water quantity must not be regulated for puppies. Allow them to drink as much water as they want.
Guide to puppy potty training: day 2
Start establishing a consistent routine when you take your pup outside to conduct their business. The two times of the day when it is absolutely compulsory for your pup to go outside is the morning time, right after your pup wakes up and right before sleep time at night.
If your pup is only a few months old, he or she must be taken out every hour or every two hours during the day time as well.
Post meals and right after your pup wakes up from his or her nap are the other crucial times when they must be allowed to go out to do their business. In case your pup is chewing on a bone or a toy, it would be a good idea to take him or her out right after he or she finishes chewing on the bone.
Since puppies tend to poop much more than adult dogs, talking them outside multiple times is necessary. Defeating four to five times in one day is normal for puppies.
To get your puppy acclimated to going out for doing his or her business, the out time should be profitable for the pup. Always reward your dog whenever he or she conducts his or her business outside. This would help establish a positive reinforcement with regards to going out.
There might be accidents in the house during the training period. Never scold or punish your pup. The best course of action is to not acknowledge your pup’s mistake . Just clean up the mess as quickly as possible. If you scold, scream or punish your pup for such behavior, he or she might start indulging in drinking the urine or eating the poop to hide the evidence you in future. Hence, never scold your puppy for a mistake. Just clean it up as soon as possible and behave like nothing wrong ever happened.
Related post: How can you stop your dog from eating poop?
Guide to puppy potty training: day 3
In the 7 day guide to puppy potty training, the third day is the day then your imprint it in the head of your puppy ‘where’ is it okay to relieve himself or herself. Understanding the right spot is very important. Once your dog starts to associate a specific place with pooping, whenever you take your dog to that place, he or she will want to poop and pee there.
Fix a spot where your dog prefers to pee and poop and take him or her their every time so that the instruction gets settled in his or her brain that this is the spot to pee and poo.
Guide to puppy potty training: day 4
Now that you are on the day 4 of the guide to puppy potty training, it is time that you learn the signs that your pup needs to go outside. Give extra attention to your dog right after he or she finished eating, waking up from naps, or chewing on their toys.
Every dog’s behavior which alerts the guardians to pee and poo time is different. So do not expect your puppy to behave the same way as your other dog. The most common signs that a puppy needs to go out is pacing back and forth, getting up and going to a different area of the house, sniffing, circling, barking, scratching at the door or whining.
By understanding your dogs pee and poo signals, you will be able to prevent accidents in the house. You will learn to take your pup outside whenever he or she starts to display those signs. This will also help you avoid unnecessary blank trips outside when your dog does not engage in urination or defecation.
Guide to puppy potty training: day 5
Now that you are on day 5 of the complete guide to puppy potty training, you should start to observe less accidents in the house. By now, you should be aware of the signs which means that your your puppy must go out.
There may be occasional accidents here or there, but as I mentioned before, quickly clean it up and do not punish your dog at all.
If you notice that your dog is starting to pee or poo, clap loudly. This will distract your dog from what he or she was doing. Now, take your dog outside by calling his or her name and gently guiding him or her by the collar. Allow your dog to finish gets or her business outside. When your dog follows your commands and defecates outside, the behavior must be rewarded with a treat. This will reinforce the good behavior in your dog.
Guide to puppy potty training day 6
If you have made it successfully to day 6 of the guide to puppy potty training, by now your pup is becoming well aware of where to pee or poop. Keep maintaining the strict feeding schedule and take your pup out many times during the day.
If you notice that by now your puppy is still having accidents around the house and does not seem to understand the training, maybe you should consult with your veterinarian. It is best to rule out any underlying medical conditions behind such behavior. Your pup may be suffering from a medical issue which might be making it difficult for him or her to control the bladder or bowl movements.
In case your puppy is diagnosed with a medical problem, get the treatment done first before you start to retrain your pup.
Guide to puppy potty training day 7
This is essentially the last day in your guide to puppy potty training. By now, your pup should understand where her or she is supposed to relieve himself or herself. He or she should start to give you signals to go out when the need arises. Keep maintaining the feeding schedule and the outside trips to the exact same location to keep the training in place. Do not confuse your pup by taking him or her to different places every time.
Pin it!
 |
| A complete guide to puppy potty training |
Guide to puppy potty training: Bonus tips:
Once your puppy has learned the correct approach to pooping and peeing, it is time that you start to increase the duration between the outdoor visits. Before you start to increase the duration between bathroom breaks, it is best that you determine how many times and at what times your dog most often need up go out for bathroom breaks. However, you must still contribute with the potty breaks in the morning and before bed time.
Additional tips for puppy potty training
Now that you have read through the complete guide to puppy potty training and feel like you are ready to start, here are a few additional tips which will help ensure your success on this mission of puppy potty training.
Keep the pup on a leash
This is possibly the most important amongst the tips to puppy potty training. Make sure your pup is on a leash before you allow him or her to step out of the house. Leash will also help you tether your pup to one place where you want your pup to go.
If your puppy is off leash, chances are that her or she will be very distracted by the sights and sounds outside and it may take double time to get the job done.
Give your pup five minutes
You are potty training your dog. However, you do have other chores to attend to, right? You cannot possible spend half hour outside every time your dog goes to pee or potty. Therefore follow the following steps of the guide to puppy potty training to ensure a successful potty training experience.
Go to the spot where you want your pup to do his or her business. Stand there and watch your puppy. By standing at one place, your puppy has very less area to explore. He or she will quickly get bored and start to focus on pooping and peeing. Do not talk to your dog during this duration.
Treats are the secret weapon to ensure success
When your puppy finishes doing his or her business at the spot of your choosing, praise your pup and offer a treat. Forming a positive association with pooping outside will ensure success over the long term. This is possibly the best tip for puppy potty training.
Give your pup an off leash time
Another tip for puppy potty training is to give him or her some time off leash once he or she has successfully finished his or her business outside. This will be a super fun time for your pup if he or she prefers outside. This will also teach your pup that engaging in peeing or pooping outside leads to fun time.
Off leash training: tips and tricks
Conclusion
Now that you are aware of all the steps of the guide to puppy potty training as well as some additional tips for puppy potty training, it is time that you get to work. Remember to form a schedule and stick it where your eyes would go frequently like on the fridge, so you can memorise the schedule as soon as possible.
Always stick to the schedule and don’t change it all off a sudden. Sudden changes in schedule may cause confusion to your pup and increase the chances of accidents happening in the house.
A positive reinforcement works best when teaching your puppy something new like offering treats, giving your pup some off leash time, toys to play with etc.
Never scold your pup for having accidents in the house. Remember to be patient and clean up the mess as soon as possible.
Do not use shock collar for training your puppy. These collars work on the basis of negative reinforcement which is not advised for training. These will not only cause physical harm to your dog, it may scar your dog emotionally causing him or her to become more fearful, aggressive or scared.
Related posts:
Different types of no shock training collars for dogs
5 easy homemade dog toys for aggressive chewers
It may take longer than 7 days for your dog to get the hang of this training. However the most important part of any dog training process is to be patient. Follow the steps of this guide to puppy potty training and be patient and understanding with puppy dog. No dogs of any age are untrainable. All dogs can be trained with positive reinforcement.
See you in my next blog post
Shruti
Frequently asked questions
If your dog is having frequent accidents despite of being trained to conduct their business outside, your dog might be suffering from a medical condition which is causing him or her to lose control of the bowel movements and bladder. It is best if you consult your vet and find out what your dog might be suffering from.
Yes! Puppy potty training sprays have been observed to help the pup associate a specific place with pooping out peeing. They small like poop and pee which is like a neon sign for a dog to indulge in defecation or urination.
The correct age to start potty training your puppy is 12 to 16 weeks. Before this period puppies don’t have control on their bladder and bowel movements.
Follow all the steps I have mentioned in the guide to puppy potty training and you would have a potty trained puppy by the end of 7 days.