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Potty Training Your Puppy (housetraining)
By Mia Published: 04/16/2009
No matter what your pooches age, the best solution is ample amounts of supervision and positive reinforcement. The following puppy house training tips will help you get started on the road to proper puppy potty training.
1] Reward the desired behaviour
Designate a potty area and be consistent.
Guide your dog there to do his business every time.
Praise him enthusiastically when he goes in the appropriate location. Treats can also help if given immediately. Keep in mind that a puppy's ability to recognize the connect of action and reward is short in time when young, so reward immediately.
A little odor left from previous visits to that area will help mark it as the place your puppy should do his business.
2] Timing is key A six- to eight-week-old puppy needs to go potty every one to three hours. Older puppies can generally wait longer between outings. Most puppies should be taken out:
After waking in the morning
After naps
After meals
After playing or training
After being left alone
Immediately before being going to bed
3] Feeding schedules help – a lot! Most puppies will potty within an hour after eating. Once you set your puppy's feeding schedule, you will have some control over when he needs to go. So make sure to schedule your puppy's dinner for a time when you'll be available to let him out after eating.
4] Crate Training - one of the best puppy house training tips we have to offer. To help make his crate a fun place in his mind, it's a good to play with him there, or simply spend some time reading or watching television nearby as he relaxes with a favourite chew toy. If he is only in the area when you leave, it becomes a social isolation area that he eventually may dislike.
A good time to start crate training is at dinnertime. Feed your puppy his dinner, one piece at a time, by tossing pieces of kibble into the crate for him to chase and eat. This way, you can make a game out of training.
When you pick up his toys, store them in the crate so he will enter on his own to play. You may even want to occasionally hide a biscuit in the crate as a nice surprise.
Never crate for periods that exceed the length of time your puppy can actually control his blatter. If you are gone for long periods each day, you will need to provide a larger confinement area. You may want to consider using an exercise pen or small room.
Provide an area large enough so that if your puppy has to potty when you are gone, he can do it in a space that is separate from his sleeping area.
5] Expect mistakes - they WILL happen, especially if you're not watching them.
6] Pee from joy or fear - if your puppy squats and urinates when he greets you, he may have a problem called submissive urination. Dogs and puppies that urinate during greetings are very sensitive and should never be scolded when they do this, since punishment inevitably makes the problem worse.
Most young puppies will grow out of this behaviour if you are calm, quiet and avoid reaching toward the head during greetings. Another helpful approach is to calmly ask your dog to sit for a treat each time someone greets him.
7] Be kind - don't rely on harsh punishment to correct mistakes. This approach usually doesn't work, and may actually delay training. Never rub your dog's nose in a mess. This is counter productive and may actually make him afraid of you.
If you maintain control, take your dog outdoors frequently and consistently praise the desired behaviour, soon you should have a house-trained companion who will love you for being patient and loving.
