Your puppy’s formative years are the perfect time to begin training. What you teach him during this time will most likely stick with him the rest of his life. One of the most important things to get started is to train dogs to potty outside.
Probably the most helpful tip to ease both your pup’s stress and your own is to develop a routine as soon as your puppy begins living with you. You can begin by accustoming your puppy to sleep/eat/potty routine. Try feeding your puppy around the same time every day, making for frequent trips outside afterward. He will soon adjust his body to the routine.
A good way to save your sanity is to admit right off the bat that your puppy will have accidents, and the sooner you understand this, the easier your dog potty training will be. You can help ease accidents by storing some newspaper in a constant spot so that your pup can at least familiarize himself with going in one area if he can’t make it outside. This works particularly well if you don’t have a "doggy door" and your puppy relies on you to let him out.
The earlier you get to know your puppy’s "eat/potty" schedule, the easier potty-training will become. A good rule to go by is to estimate that your pup will be ready for a trip outside around 15 – 20 minutes after he has been fed/watered. If you can, try to have your puppy outside at this time so he will familiarize himself with the proper "potty surroundings".
It is important that you are careful to separate "potty time" from "play time." Puppies love to explore–it’s natural and should be encouraged, but only when it’s the appropriate time. It can be extremely stressful to wait outside while your puppy plays, only to have an accident as soon as you bring him inside.
This period in your puppy’s life is a great one to start administering praise and discipline techniques. Many people prefer the terms "good boy/girl" and "no," both of which can be still be said when your dog is older. Although puppies need a lot of repetition, routine, and firmness, remember that your puppy will soon grow up, so enjoy his young, eager activity while you can!
Learn more tips like this at HelpYourPets.com – Puppy Steps and while you are training your puppy learn how to protect him from injury also.
Posted under House Training Puppies
This post was written by Noel DCosta on July 26, 2009
