House Training Your Puppy  

When you bring your new puppy home, the first thing you’ll want to do is house training. Your puppy will need to go about six times a day, and the sooner you begin the house training process, the less damage your carpets and floor will suffer!

Don’t worry, though. Puppies are easier to train than adult dogs. So prepare to invest some time and effort into housetraining your puppy. If you can’t spare time for house training, you should seriously reconsider getting a dog because dogs require a lot of time and commitment.

If your puppy grows up without being house trained, you’re neglecting them, and they will be faced with a life in your backyard. Think of your puppy as a toddler; would you fail to properly potty train your child? It will require more newspaper, and they will inevitably have several accidents in the house- that comes with having a brand new puppy.

It will take several weeks to housetrain your puppy, possibly even a month or two. With that said, here are some ways to housetrain your puppy.

1. Take your puppy outside frequently

Not only will this get them used to the outside world, but it will also get them used to a set schedule. Take them outside after eating/drinking, playing, sleeping/taking a nap. Puppies have smaller bladders than adult dogs, so you must take them outside six or more times per day and night.

2. Praise your puppy

When they go outside, praise them with affection and a treat. Be sure to give them the treat outside, as this is the only way they will know that going outside is the place to go. Please don’t wait until you are back inside to give them the treat. Instead, please give it to them outside; this is vital in housetraining your puppy.

3. Be consistent

Pick a bathroom spot outside near the entrance of your house or a tree and use that as your “go-to” spot. You don’t want dog feces all over your lawn, so keep it in one spot and clean it up after they are done. When going to the bathroom, use a phrase like “go potty” This will help them remember what to do when they are outside at their bathroom spot.

When you need to leave the house for an extended period, you’ll want to use a confined space of our house for them to stand up, lie down and walk around. Block off a bathroom or laundry room area with a baby gate and leave the newspaper on the floor so you’ll have easy cleanup when you return. Your puppy will have accidents in the house several times, which should be expected. Don’t punish them when these accidents happen. That will condition your puppy to be afraid of you.

When you are home, keep a close eye on them and look for signs they need to go, just as sniffing around while waking in a circle. Then, immediately grab your puppy and take them outside to its bathroom spot. Praise your puppy when they go outside to reinforce that behavior. After several weeks or months, they will let you know when they need to go outside to the bathroom.