Potty Training a Puppy: The Basics You Need to Know
Potty training a puppy is not difficult to understand, though it does require patience to do! There are just a few simple points that cover the basics, and I will describe them here. Keep your puppy right with you as much of the time as possible. Take him or her to his pottying spot at certain times. Clean up any messes calmly. Repeat this over and over. Sooner or later, you will have a potty-trained puppy.
Here is more information on each of these four points:
1. Have your puppy as near to you as you can, as much of the time as you can. That way, you will be more tuned in to when he needs to go out. Sometimes you will catch him just as he starts something and you can firmly say “No” and carry him or walk him to where you want him to be.
You can keep the puppy very close to you by connecting his leash to your belt. So then if you go somewhere, he does too! You may not get as much done on other projects as you are used to, but you and the puppy will be bonding.
Whatever ways you devise to make it work for you, do keep your puppy close at hand as much as possible. Consider crate training for when you need to be away. This article doesn’t get into crate training — it’s a big topic in itself — but there are some pages on it at my website on dog training.
2. As you potty train a puppy, he will gradually come to understand what it is you want. You want him to go to his pottying spot and do his business there. He will learn this faster if you take him to his place whenever he may need to use it. This includes:
*** Every time he wakes up.
*** A little while after every meal, or ideally even after a large drink of water.
You may be surprised to notice how many times a day he does these things! He probably won’t pee or poop every single time you take him to his place, but the habit is being created. Taking him out right before your bedtime is a good plan too.
A word about his pottying spot: If you have a fenced yard, that is great and you can even take him to a particular part of it if you wish. If you will be walking him on leash in your neighborhood, take a plastic bag or two for cleanup. You can also train him to use papers or even a litter box indoors, and this can be the best choice if you live in a high-rise apartment, for example.
3. Cleaning up his messes is a big part of caring for your puppy before he is fully potty trained. Don’t yell at him or express your displeasure in any way. He really won’t understand. Even if you think he looks guilty, he is just upset because you are. Would you expect a human infant not to need diapers for a long time? Well, potty training a puppy takes way less time than potty training a human, but still be patient!
4. As the saying goes, “Wash, rinse, and repeat.” That is, just keep going through these steps repeatedly. The more you keep up this process, the easier it will be for the puppy to understand what you are asking of him. We all learn by repetition, and this is very true of dogs.
So these are the essential points in potty training a puppy. Best wishes to you and your puppy!
