Fast Potty Training 102

This is part of an article that has been broken into 2 sections for ease of reading. If you have not read Fast Potty Training 101, please do so now as it is important you read this article in order for clarity.

In continuation with putting puppies on a feeding schedule, it is important to take them out on a schedule of sorts as well. Puppies are great since they are so predictable in potty needs. They usually have to go outside right after eating, first thing immediately after they wake up from a napm and first thing in the morning. The morning is especially important, with younger puppies before you take care of yourself first thing when you get up take your puppy outside. Take your puppy outside after a play session or play time, take the puppy outside after a really big and long drink, etc. The more chances the puppy has to go outside the better chance you have at avoiding accidents and reinforcing good and consistent reliable behavior.

A good rule of thumb is at the very least taking them out once or twice an hour and always right after the things listed above. Young puppies physically just cannot hold it long periods of time, but that gets better as they grow up. Also pay attention to their subtle and not so subtle hints and cues that they need to go outside. Every puppy does something different so be on the lookout for your particular puppy and their signature cues. Some dogs start to get really into sniffing, some dogs make circles, some lift their leg, others squat, there are all different ways to tell. If you see the signs happening be proactive and take them outside immediately.

While some dogs do alert you in various ways, do not always make it up to the puppy to tell you when they have to go outside. Don’t let them decide when to go outside all the time and rely on them. They are relying on you to train them. When housetraining a puppy you the owner must be proactive and set them up to succeed by taking them out often as discussed above. Some puppy owners have had success with bell training. They place some bells on the door for the puppy to jingle to alert the owners they need to go outside. But remember, in the learning phase even if your puppy will alert you when they need to go outside always give your puppy the benefit of the doubt and take them out as often as you can. Take the chance to know the signs, even if they are subtle, and know their patterns of when they typically need to eliminate and take them outside based on this pattern and schedule.

For most apartment dwellers this next part will not be a problem but for those with a fenced in yard it is important to note go outside with them, do not just throw them in the backyard while you do something else and hope they go to the bathroom. The key to fast potty training is constant supervision, consistency, and setting them up to succeed. You have to train them what you want and make sure they do what they need to do while outside. When you are there with them they will make a quicker connection to what you want from them, it becomes clearer to the puppy. You won’t always have to do this but in the training phase it helps immensely.

When you are outside with them encourage them to use the bathroom by saying a key word of your choice, such as “hurry up” or “go potty”, until they go to the bathroom. Say this very matter of fact. No excited voice or baby voice. Don’t distract them from the task at hand anymore than you have to as puppies are easily distracted as it is by nature of being a puppy.

Once they do eliminate outside be sure and praise this behavior verbally. Let them know what a very good puppy they are and give them your attention. Pretty soon they will connect your key word “go potty” or “hurry up” with using the bathroom. You can even give them a special treat right after they use the bathroom if you want to really speed along the process in the learning phase. Treats can be effective as the puppy will connect going to the bathroom outside with a very strong positive and this makes a quick impression in food-motivated puppies. With some puppies they like playtime more than food so get a favorite toy and play with them as a reward. The goal is to teach them first do your business, then it is fun time, play time. Be sure to be very consistent with this lesson. Your puppy is watching you all the time and is learning lessons from you, regardless of if you are actively teaching or not. They are always learning. So be sure you are teaching the right messages.

Along the same lines that they are always learning, make sure you also supervise your puppy when they are in your house roaming around. This means you will need to keep the puppy in your line of sight at all times. Close all bedroom doors and put up baby gates to make this easier if you have a lot of area your puppy can wander off to alone. And if you go to another home, keep your puppy on a light leash if you cannot control where your puppy has access to in their home and of course bring along some good toys to keep your puppy busy. Some people may say this seems like a lot of work. It may seem like a lot of work, but remember to put this short time in perspective. You work will pay off soon for years to come. When training a puppy that is your job as a puppy owner and your job if you intend to housetrain your puppy reliably. It is just part of it, and a very important part at that.

If you catch your puppy in the physical act of peeing in the house, simply say a firm no, and take your puppy outside to finish up. Once your puppy has finished using the bathroom outside reward your puppy verbally for using the bathroom in the right place. Remember, mistakes can happen. They are puppies and not robots. In the event you find accidents in the house after the fact DO NOT punish the puppy in any way, shape, or form. Those potty training accidents are your fault. I consider puppy accidents my fault for not paying close enough attention, and I know better than that with training puppies. Simply clean up the accident with a really good enzyme cleaner for dog urine and move on with your day making a mental note to yourself to watch them more closely and not give your puppy so much unsupervised freedom. Remember to clean the spot really well as not to encourage the puppy to be attracted to that area again.

Never rub their nose in their own urine. Not only is this inhumane and abusive, it is ineffective and with some dogs and dogs breeds can backfire on you, causing them to have strange bathroom habits and be afraid of you. Positive reinforcement works much better and much faster than negative with puppies. Dogs are wired not to want to soil in their den area and to soil on grass. They want to succeed and can succeed by following the guidelines outlined in Fast Potty Training 101 and Fast Potty Training 102 by Wise Dog Blog.

To expand further on preventing accidents and setting puppies up to succeed remember that puppies should not be presented with the opportunity to wander off at unattended in the home during the housetraining phase. The potty training time is the time to set them up to succeed with good habits. This is where many dog owners go wrong and then they can’t understand why their otherwise healthy dogs pee and poop in the house. A big reason dogs pee and poop in the house is because they were not reliably trained and given too much freedom too soon. Good and consistent potty training habits must be set firmly in the puppy’s mind before letting them have freedom in the house. Yes, it is more work, but it is worth the relative short amount of time spent training and the effort.

You might wonder what to do with your puppy in the event you can’t watch the puppy 100% or when you have to leave your home without the puppy. To protect your home, keep you puppy safe, and to keep on track with housebreaking you would be wise to invest in a dog crate or a secure exercise pen until you dog is properly trained. If you are unsure about exactly how this works in both you and your puppy’s favor Wise Dog Blog has a post called Crate Training 101 that was written just for you. Basically, crates are a safe place for your puppy to stay out of trouble when you can’t watch them.

If you do all of the things listed above and your puppy seems to pee all the time and have very little bladder control, your puppy might have a common infection and need some medical assistance. Take your puppy to your veterinarian for a check-up to see if your puppy has a urinary track infection, which is called a UTI. If your puppy as a UTI, don’t worry, the condition is easily treatable and your veterinarian can give your puppy some medication and fix the problem fairly quickly and easily so you can continue on with housetraining. If your puppy is having loose stools or cannot seem to hold it for very long on the right amounts of food, please take your puppy to your veterinarian. Your puppy could have worms or some other problem beyond their control that needs prompt veterinary attention.

Hopefully these tips will help you on your quest for successful potty training. In closing, the big things to remember are set them up to succeed, don’t expect perfection too soon, praise and reward for the right behaviors, clean up any accidents with a special cleaner, use a crate or exercise pen when you leave the house, and supervise them all the time to help them learn right from wrong as young puppies. It may sound like a lot of work at first, but these methods have been proven effective and will become routine and get easier with time. Don’t give up and don’t get frustrated with potty training. It isn’t forever and is something everyone house training a puppy goes through. The good news is that most puppies learn fast and you will have a reliable house trained dog for many years to come. Your efforts and persistence will be rewarded. Good luck and best wishes.

–©Wisedogblog.com

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