Potty Training Your Dog
Puppies are cute and cuddly, but when it comes to bathroom breaks they can be more than a small challenge at times.
*A few things to note about smaller dogs before we delve deeper into this topic - small dogs are almost always harder to train than a bigger dog due to their bladder and bowel sizes. As well, owners of smaller dogs tend to let them get away with behaviour they would never tolerate in a bigger dog. When training your small dog in the colder months of the year, it’s recommended to get them a coat to provide warmth. Owners have been known to have success with litter training or using pee pads during these times as well.*
Most puppies have to go out about every half hour to an hour. It is very important in the first week or two of bringing your puppy home that you have the time to do this.
Consistency is the most important part of potty training. You must take him or her out to the same spot every time and praise your dog when he/she does his business. A few good times to remember to take your dog out are:
- 15 to 45 minutes after your dog eats
- After a nap
- After play time
It is also not recommended to free feed your puppy. The best way to help your puppy train is to have a set feeding schedule, that way you can regulate their potty patterns.
Puppies should never have the run of the house unsupervised until they are well trained at going out. They should have a set area where they are allowed to be and if they have an accident it is easy to clean up the mess(carpeted flooring - not so good an idea). If you are there to monitor your puppy, it is fine to let them run around the house of course, just make sure to watch their actions for any signs that they may need to go to the bathroom.
If you’re going to work or going out for any set period of time, it is best to have a “den” for them to stay in till you arrive back home. This could be a sectioned off small part of the house, or a dog crate/pen made for this purpose. Dogs are actually den animals, and love to have their own place for sleeping, resting and eating.
Most dogs do not want to mess where they sleep or eat. Make the area only big enough for them to turn around and stand up comfortably. If you give them too much room they will just do their business in the room they don’t need for sleeping. Realize this is not cruel, and you will be letting them out when you get home. This will teach them to respect their den and your home. Perhaps give them a few of their toys to play with and keep themselves occupied.
Remember, it is very important to let your puppy out as much as possible. When an accident happens, only scold by saying no if you catch them in the act and take him/her directly outside. Make sure you always clean accidents up right away and not in front of the puppy. For cleaning, use an enzyme cleaner which can be found at any pet store(vinegar and water on the area works as well). You want to remove the scent completely from that area so your puppy will not re-visit it and smell the accident.
Puppy may not go every time you take him/her out. This is not a problem, just remember to try again in a short period of time(20-45mins).
Always make sure you praise your dog for good behaviour, they love to be praised and will be more inclined to want to go outside to do their business.
When returning home, make sure you remember to take your pup out as soon as you possibly can.
Things To Never Do When Potty Training Your Puppy
- Never hit your dog. The only thing this accomplishes is to make him/her afraid of you and in some cases create aggressive behaviour
- Never rub their nose in their own poo. It does not work, and in fact some dogs actually eat their own business. Doing this can cause mixed signals
- Don’t get discouraged. Remember your dog will learn how to do this right, it just takes time and patience.
In closing, remember to keep consistent and make sure you setup a den for your puppy. This will allow a lot higher success rate and shorten the time that it takes to teach your dog potty training.
Visit BullandHund for information, pictures, puppies and training regarding the bulldog and dachshund breeds, as well as more helpful tips for any dog.
Tags: bulldog, dachshund, dog, potty training, potty training your dog, puppy, puppy trainingDog Training - Start Training Your Puppy by Winning His Respect
The basis of training your puppy is winning his trust,respect,
and confidence. Real training can’t begin until
your puppy has accepted you as his leader, respects you,and has
confidence in you.
A mistake many puppy owners make is confusing love and
affection for respect and confidence. It is important to
love your puppy. It is equally important for your puppy to
respect you, have confidence in you, and see you as the
pack leader. Dogs are naturally pack animals and every pack
member looks to the pack leader for direction. Making
yourself the pack leader is vital to the success of training
any dog. If you don’t, your dog will assume the role. If that
happens, neither of you will be happy.
Failure to gain the confidence and respect of your puppy can
create a dog who is out of control, disobedient, and even
dangerous. It is important to train your puppy correctly from
the start since retraining a problem dog is possible but more
difficult than training a puppy correctly the first time.
It is critical for any new dog owner, whether working with a 12
week old puppy or a 12 year old dog, to get his respect. That
does not mean using rough or dangerous handling methods, but it
does mean letting him know that you are in control of the
situation. Dogs need structure in their lives and they will not
resent you for taking control. As a matter of fact, your dog
will appreciate your taking the role of trainer and coach as you
begin your training sessions.
When you start working with your dog it is important to keep
the training sessions short at first. This is particularly
important when working with a young puppy. Puppies tend to have
much shorter attention spans than older dogs so keeping the
sessions short is fun and essential for proper training.
Beginning training sessions should focus on the most basic
commands. The heel command is one of the most basic as well as
one of the easiest to teach. Start by putting the puppy in a
properly fitted training collar. Be sure to follow the
instructions for fitting and sizing the collar to insure that it
works as intended. There are other articles in this series
about proper training collars. You can also check with your
pet store or breeder.
Begin to walk and allow your dog to walk beside you. If he
begins to pull, gently pull on the leash. This, in turn, will
tighten the training collar and give your dog a gentle
correction. If the gentle pressure is ineffective, it may be
necessary to slowly increase the pressure. Always be careful not
to over-correct your dog. Using too much pressure could
frighten him and cause him to strain more. If the opposite
problem occurs and the dog lags behind, you should gently
encourage him until he is walking beside you.
Most dogs figure out the heeling concept fairly rapidly and
they soon realize that they should walk beside you, neither
lagging behind nor pulling ahead. You should also pick up the
pace and allow him to speed up as well. Finally, walking along,
changing pace, and changing direction often will reinforce the
lesson the he should always walk at your heel.
From heeling, the next step is for him to halt when you stop
walking. The halt works well as an adjunct to heel. As you are
walking, stop and watch your dog. Many dogs immediately
understand that they are expected to stop when their human does.
Others may need the reminder of the leash and the training collar.
After the halt has been mastered, encourage your dog to sit on
halt. Once your dog has stopped, gently push on his
hindquarters to encourage the sit. Usually after this walk,
halt and sit procedure has been done a few times, he will begin
to sit on his own each time he stops. Of course, it is
important to provide lots of praise and maybe even a treat every
time he does as he is expected.
These three commands should be taught without voice. Get your
dog used to your body language. We will cover halt and sit off
leash in later articles. For now, get your dog to walk beside
you, halt when you stop and sit immediately. You will be so
proud of him and he will be proud of himself.
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Cathy Perkins is a dog lover who is allowed to live with her two dogs, Tillie and Pierrot, in the beautiful foothills of North Carolina. Sign up for the Dogs Rule newsletter at:
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When Do I Start Puppy Training
So you finally got the puppy of your dreams only to find that it is chewing your best shoes, barking at everybody that walks past your mailbox,jumping all over your furniture, and peeing all over the house!
Training a puppy to behave appropriately has many benefits for both the puppy and you and the earlier you start the better. Puppy training is critical to managing anti-social behavior like aggression, excessive barking, nipping and biting, jumping on people and furniture. Research has shown that a puppy’s brain is mature and ready for learning at a very early stage. A puppy can learn basic commands like “sit”, “stay”, “come” and “heel” by the time it is 12-16 weeks old.
Dogs are not humans and therefore do not treat them as such. Dogs are instinctively pack creatures and in the wild, each pack member learns their rank in the pack. In each pack there is a leader, the alpha dog, and the other dogs do not challenge the pack leader. They look to the alpha dog for leadership, food and protection. In the domestic situation, you are the pack leader and therefore it is crucial that you earn the respect of your puppy for any training to be effective.
In the wild, dogs do not defecate where they sleep or eat so set the scene by creating a clean environment for your puppy, ie set up separate feeding, sleeping and toileting areas for your puppy.
Supervision of your puppy and establishing a routine are essential elements to puppy training. Your initial focus will be on house training your puppy so try to establish set feeding times and regular toileting. Puppies have poor bladder control and this can be frustrating as they literally do their business wherever they are. It is your job to show them where to go and to praise them when they have behaved correctly.
As tempting as it may be to scold your puppy, this will not bode well for your relationship in the long term. Never hit your puppy, or dog for that matter. Your hands and tone of your voice are your primary means of communicating with your puppy. Use them positively or you will create fear in your puppy that will carry through to its maturity.
Establishing a respectful relationship with your puppy begins with loads of attention and praise. I am not a big fan of food rewards but simple things like playing a game with a ball or stick, or tummy rubs have always been a winner with my dogs. Anyone who has done labrador puppy training will know what I am talking about!
Puppies also need to get used to a collar as early as possible. Choke collars or slip collars are great for dog behavior training but not as an alternative to a permanent collar. You can expect your puppy to put up a bit of a fight but if you purchase a properly fitted collar that is initially a light weight, they will soon forget about it. Once they are comfortable with their collar, they are ready for some more formal puppy training.
Deborah Taylor has advised on animal welfare matters for over five years. She has worked with a number of large animal welfare agencies and has owned labrador-retrievers for 15 years. For more information and advice, visit her sites on puppy training and dog behavior training.
Tags: dog behavior training, house training puppy, puppy training