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5 Steps To Successfully Potty Train Your Puppy
Getting a new puppy is kind of like having a newborn baby at home! You might be saying “There’s no way! Puppies are not that much work.” Let me tell you a secret… they are.
But don’t worry! You got this! With that responsibility comes loads of cuteness and the reward of seeing your puppy blossom into a beautiful young pup!
One of the most difficult hurdles to overcome is the dreaded potty training! Your puppy will have mistakes and that is totally normal!
The #1 most important thing is that you don’t get upset at your puppy when they do! This can slow down the potty training process and also scare your dog causing other negative effects down the line.
Below are the most essential steps to potty training. When you implement these steps your puppy will show potty training results within the day!
1. Pay Attention
Just like we spoke about before, having a puppy is similar to a newborn… except you can’t put a diaper on a puppy.
Keep in mind: If your puppy is less than 12 weeks old it may take them longer to understand the potty training process.
Because your puppy is so small you can expect them to need to use the bathroom about every hour.
A good rule of thumb to follow is for every month old your puppy is equal to about 1 hour of holding their potty. For example, if your puppy is 4 months old they can likely hold their bladder for 4 hours. That being said you never want to make your puppy hold in their potty!
You also want to pay attention to their eating and drinking schedule. If you notice your puppy has just played and is now drinking loads of water, you want to make sure you take them out to go potty in the next 10-20 minutes!
Since puppies have to go potty so often it is your responsibility to pay attention. A simple way to do this is to set a timer! When they are really young (2-4 months) you can set a timer for 30-40 minutes and take them out when it goes off. As your pup gets older you can increase this time to 1-1 1/2 hours and so on.
Extra Tip!
Make sure you take your puppy to the same spot every time they go outside to potty.
Also, keep in mind that you may want to take them to the far edges of your yard. This ensures that there won't be any surprises waiting for you smack dab in the middle of your lawn!
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2. Praise
#2 is probably the most crucial step! When your puppy goes potty outside make sure you praise them!
Throw them a miniature puppy party! Give your pup a treat and tell them they are the best puppy in the whole wide world.
This will let your puppy know that they did a good job and they will want to do it again!
3. Clean up
If and when your puppy has an accident inside make sure to clean it up thoroughly! Also, remember… DO NOT get upset! Your puppy is just a baby and making mistakes is very common! Instead of getting upset, take a deep breath and take your puppy outside. Tell them “Let’s go potty outside next time.”
When you clean up the accident make sure you leave no trace. It is best to use an enzymatic cleaner like this one → "Stain and Odor Eliminator" Dogs have an incredible sense of smell and if they can sniff where they had their accident before they will likely go potty there again. The enzyme cleaner will fight the odor and neutralize it so your puppy won't be able to detect the smell.
4. Save a Piece
If the accident happens to be a #2, then you are actually in luck!
How you might ask? Well, remember how we said that puppies have an incredible sense of smell?
As yucky as it might sound, it is a great idea to take a little piece of that #2 and place it in your yard.
This way your puppy will be able to smell it and will want to go potty in that spot!
5. Crate Size
A great way to start potty training is to use a crate!
This is especially useful at night. When inside the crate, your puppy will likely let out a little yelp or cry when they have to go potty.
If you are using this method it is important to get the correct size crate for your dog. Dogs don't like to go to the bathroom in their ‘home’ or sleeping den, but… if the crate is too big they might just go to a corner and do their business there.
If you want to crate train and continue to use the crate as your puppy grows into an adult dog, you may want to consider buying a crate that has a divider, like this one →"MidWest Homes for Pets Dog Crate".
That way when your puppy is young you can use the divider to make sure they don't go potty in the open space. As your dog grows you can just remove the divider!
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