Puppies usually eliminate when they awaken; after eating and drinking; after play or other activity; and before bedding down at night. Developing a schedule for taking your pooch to his toilet is essential to making the process of potty training simple. Adhering to this schedule is easier if you offer timed rather than unlimited access to food and water. Provide food for 15 minutes and then take away the feed bowl. You might also limit water during the initial few weeks of potty training (later you will make fresh water available at all times). Wait 5 minutes after feeding and offer all the water the dog will drink before taking away the water bowl. Click here for Sample Schedule for Working Owners.
Consider training your puppy or dog to go on or in a paper, sold, or litter box if you live in a high-rise apartment, house-boat, or even if you're unavailable during the day for the many trips outside needed for training small puppies. Puppies develop surface preferences for elimination early in life. If you're going to train your pup to go outside to eliminate on grass in the back yard at a later date, opt for a sod system such as the Pup-Head or Pet-A-Potty systems which use real or artificial sod.
These next steps hinge on having your pup or dog crate trained. Place the dog's crate within a confined area such as an enclosed room or exercise pen (use baby gates or put-together portable fencing panels). Place the Pup-Head or Pet-A-Potty within the enclosed area in a spot that is away from but eaily accessible to your dog's bed or crate and food and water bowls.
On the schedule mentioned earlier, take your pup to the Pup-Head or Pet-A-Potty. When he begins eliminating, establish a potty command such as "Rover, go potty" so that the dog begins to associate the act of eliminating with the command. This command should initially be given as he's in the process of eliminating. Later, he will hopefully eliminate when you give the command. Give immediate feedback for proper performance. Keep it simple ("Good" or "Good dog") and use the same word each time to give your approval. When the dog jumps out of the box without doing his business (and this will happen many times at the start of potty training), pick him up and return him to the Pup-Head or Pet-A-Potty. If the dog still doesn't comply within a few minutes, place him back in his crate or confined area and try again later.
Accidents will happen, of course, and you want to respond appropriately. Click here for options for Potty Accidents. |
