How To Potty Train A Puppy

Potty training needs to begin as soon as you bring your new puppy home for the first time. Getting your puppy into good habits early on will make potty training much easier for both you and your puppy as it’s easier to form new habits rather than break old bad habits. However, if you did not set clear rules for your puppy when he first entered your home, don’t fret! If you follow these simple instructions your puppy will be potty trained in no time.

The first step in house training any puppy is to introduce them to the area you want them to use to go potty. You should always try and get your dog to eliminate in the same place so that they get into the habit of using the same area whenever they need to go. If it is not possible to always take your puppy outside, then you must choose an acceptable place in your home.

For the first two weeks you should take your puppy outside after meal times, first thing when they wake up in the morning, just before they go to sleep and once every hour. This is done so as to get your puppy used to the idea that outside is where he goes when he needs to relieve himself. It is best to bring your puppy outside at the same time every day so that he gets into a routine. A good trick is to hang bells on the door handle so that your puppy can learn to ring them when it wants to go outside. Every time you take your puppy outside you should ring the bells so that the puppy learns to ring them when he wants to go outside to relieve himself. If you have to have your dog on a leash, make sure that you never tug on the leash to try and get the dog to go outside. We want to ensure that going outside to relieve itself is a good experience for your puppy.

When you are outside with you puppy, allow him to sniff around but don’t distract him. Encourage your puppy to run around outside, as this will encourage him to eliminate faster. When your puppy relieves itself in the correct place you should praise him the same way each time by saying “good boy” or “good dog” etc. When your puppy is in the process of relieving itself you should say something like “go potty, good boy”. Your puppy will begin to associate the phrase “go potty, good boy” with relieving itself and in future you can simply say the phrase when you take the dog outside.

It is also a good idea to take note of signs that your puppy is about to relieve itself. These signs include:

• Walking around in circles
• Sniffing the floor
• Whimpering
• Running suddenly from one room to another

If you notice any of these signs, simply pick your puppy up and bring him outside or to the place where your dog is supposed to relieve itself and say, “go potty, good boy”. Don’t frighten your puppy as it may cause it to have an accident inside the house. If your dog relieves itself in an inappropriate place, don’t shout at it unless you catch it in the middle of relieving itself! Simply clean the mess up well and use an odor removing spray. If your puppy can smell a previous accident it may begin to associate that area with relieving itself. When you catch your puppy eliminating in an inappropriate place shout “NO NO NO” in a loud authoritative voice so that the puppy realizes that he has done something wrong. It is important that your tone of voice is different to when you praise the puppy.

Potty training can take as long as 3 weeks, but if you use the techniques explained above, then you should have no trouble learning how to potty train a puppy. For step-by-step video instructions about how to train your dog, check out the recommended product in the sidebar.