PLEASE! DO NOT buy a puppy if you work a long day at the office. Puppies need to eliminate every couple of hours, and not allowing them the opportunity to go outside and potty is unfair to them and does not set your dog up to win. If you do work long hours and insist upon purchasing a puppy, take a week or two of your vacation and stay home to train your dog. This will be an awesome bonding experience for you and your new puppy. DO NOT throw your dog outside in the backyard all day and think this is a potty training or obedience training method…because it is not! Your puppy will no doubt get into trouble unsupervised in the backyard. He may dig, bark and howl all day long out of boredom or fear. He may be scared in this new environment with no dogs or humans around for company.
I do not advise that you use the pee pads that are now sold in pet stores. Stop being lazy and irresponsible and train your dog properly.You are literally teaching your dog to go to the bathroom inside your house by using pee pads. Do you really want your house to stink of urine and feces?? There is nothing worse that someone walking into your house and smelling your dog or cat. Dogs that are trained on pads only will eventually start missing the pad and pee or poop on the floor. Some dogs view the pee pad as a play toy and tear them into shreds or worse yet eat and swallow them. Other dogs think they are bedding and will lay on them like a blanket.
The only instance that I would suggest a pee pad would be for a toy breed of dog who is owned by an elderly individual or a handicapped person who has difficulty taking the dog outside on a regular basis. Please, do not teach your 50+ pound dog to potty on a pad inside your home.
Also, do not attempt to teach your dog to potty both outside and inside on a pad. Dogs learn by consistency, so trying to teach both methods will only confuse your dog and make potty training more difficult and time consuming.
Potty training is one of the easiest things to teach a dog as long as you are patient and consistent. The best method to use is a dog crate. The crate needs to be large enough for the dog to stand up, turn around and lay down. If the crate is too large, the dog may eliminate in one area and lay down in another. Most dogs will not lay where they have gone to the bathroom, unless they are what is called a “dirty dog”. Dirty dogs are usually purchased thru pet shops or back yard breeders. These are dogs that were always kept in a crate on a consistent basis and were not let outside to eliminate. These poor creatures had no other alternative than to lay where they eliminate.
I recommend that you do not place any bedding or newspaper in the crate. The dog may potty on the bedding because it is absorbent and may rip apart the newspaper out of frustration or boredom. You do not want to constantly be cleaning up ripped newspapers or washing bedding on a daily basis. They now have crates with grates in them. These crates can be great for potty training because the urine will fall into the pan underneath so the dog is not sitting or laying in it. Sometimes however if they poop, the poop can get stuck in the grates. This makes for a real pain to clean up. However, this may cause some dogs to go potty in the crate because it does fall thru. Learn how to READ YOUR DOG, all dogs are different!
They also make dividers that you may purchase to make the crate smaller for potty training purposes. These dividers work exceptionally well for large breed puppies who will be growing into big dogs. You can purchase a large crate that they will grow into and use the divider to make it a suitable size for potty training. This way you only need to purchase one crate for the life of your dog.
Most dogs have two criteria for where they eliminate
- It is separate from where they eat and sleep
- It’s absorbant
Step 1 Take your dog outside on leash to a chosen area to eliminate. Take him out to the same area every time. Do not just open the door and allow your dog to run out to do his business. You need to be there with him so once he eliminates you are there to praise him. This shows him that he is doing something correctly.
Give a verbal cue such as “Go potty” or “Do your business” Whatever term you are comfortable with saying in public. Use the same term every time and each time you take him to the bathroom. Stand in one spot, do not allow your dog to pull and sniff all over the yard. You want to teach him that he is outside to potty, not play.
Praise your dog when he begins to sniff, circle or posture themselves for elimination.
Praise more as he eliminates by saying good boy or girl, good dog, ect. Have a party! You may offer a small treat in the beginning to reinforce and acknowledge his behavior.
I have taught all my dogs to potty on command. This is great if it is raining, storming, lightening or snowing outside and you want your dog to hurry up! It is also a nicety if you compete in dog sports or conformation. You want your dog to eliminate when you tell him to before going into the show ring. If your dog eliminates in the ring, he is disqualified.
Do not immediately require your dog to come in after eliminating. Allow a couple of minutes for sniff or play time.
Step 2-Catching Mistakes
Ignore mistakes you don’t see happen. They are ancient history to your dog. Your dog cannot associate the crime with the punishment, you need to catch him in the act. Many owners claim their dog knows when they have done something wrong when they walk into the house from being away. Dogs communicate thru the body language of both other dogs and humans and he is reading yours. Your dog knows you are upset but does not know why.
Do not whack your dog with a newspaper or fly swatter. All this does is make your dog afraid of you.
Do not rub your dogs nose in it. This may make you feel better but does nothing for the training of your dog, not to mention being unsanitary.
Never clean up mistakes with an ammonia based cleaner. Nature’s Miracle works best. It can be purchased at most pet stores. I throw all paper towels with urine and feces on it outside of my house so it does not stink up my garbage can or the room.
Interrupt mistakes you do see. Firmly tell your dog “No” then take your dog outside and finish step 1. Praise when they do potty outside in their designated area.
Never scold, hit or yell at your dog.This could make him shy about eliminating in front of you and may slow the process.
Step 3-Knowing when to go
Immediately after waking up, playing or eating. Don’t leave food and drink down all day during the training process. If you free feed you never know when your dog has eaten or drank, so therefore you will not know when he needs to go outside. Pick food and drink up after 15 minutes. Only leave water down if the temperatures are extremely hot.
Step 4-Management
When in training your dog should either be safely confined in a crate or supervised! I never allow a dog under 6 months of age to have free reign of the house.
Learn your dog’s bathroom habits. Most dogs when they are on a regular schedule, will go to the restroom at the same time everyday. Dogs are creatures of habit and thrive on routine.
Do not leave your dog locked up in a bathroom all day while you are away at work! Placing him in a crate in a highly traveled area will make him more comfortable and give him a feeling of security. You can turn on the TV or play some classical music to relieve his anxiety or boredom from being left alone. You can also place a kong toy in his crate to keep him busy. Just make certain whatever toy you allow him to have while you are gone that he cannot chew and swallow it.
If you are having difficulty training your dog to go into and stay in the crate calmly, read the category on crate training, which is different than potty training.
If you are gone for a longer period of time, ask a family member or friend to walk your dog. Make sure they understand the potty regimen.
Good luck and remember…patience and consistency are the best teacher!!
Elle
