When you bring a young new dog into your home there will be some great moments to cherish, but if you want everything to be really perfect you very quickly need to learn a few things about potty training.
The quicker you get started on this, the less mess and tidying up you will have to do.
Your young dog is not able to control his bladder or bowel movements; he is just a baby dog after all.
Your dog will be eating, drinking water and sleeping throughout the day so expect them to be ready to potty almost every hour and you need to take them to the potty area every hour to get them used to this routine. If you do this you will drastically reduce the risk of your dog having little accidents on the floor.
So where are you going to have this designated potty area. You need to decide, is it going to be inside, outside or both. Your dog needs to know where his potty area is and get used to the fact that this is where he does his potty and nowhere else.
Give the potty area a name like “potty time” or whatever you want so that your dog in time will know that he is expected to do his toilet here and now. He won’t know at first what you are talking about of course but he will understand through time and repetition.
Here are some potty training tips you need to put in place now.
? Take your dog to its potty area after every meal.
? Make it a part of your routine to take your dog out to potty first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
? Young dogs drink lots of water so make sure it has a bowl of clean water through out the day but take the bowl away about two hours before bed time. This will save you the risk of any nasty little accidents over night.
? Dogs are very clean animals so make sure the area you have designated for his potty area is clean at all times.
? Remember to give your dog a treat and some praise after he potties, he will soon pick up on the fact that when he potties in his designated area, he gets a treat and some praise or playtime.
? Be patient with your dog because potty training can be quite challenging and how quick they pick this up can vary from one dog breed to another.
Now always remember that training creates a good habit that requires constant reinforcement. So you need to keep doing the same routine when you are potty training. Your dog will eventually get the idea and if you make sure there is always access to his potty area and give him a treat and some praise after his potties he will want to please you and he will start to potty in his potty area all by himself.
So to summarise;
• You must have a designated potty area.
• Create a routine and have set feeding and potty times.
• Have patients and give lots of praise to your dog when he gets it right.
• Do not smack your dog remember he is a baby dog and still learning.
• Keep the potty area clean at all times.
Routine and repetition are the keys to successful dog potty training so get started now and enjoy your new four legged friend.
