House training a new puppy as soon as possible after he comes home is a must. Puppy is going to go, no matter what. They don’t have very big bladders and are not going to hold on forever. He will have toilet accidents. He needs to be trained to go potty.
Think of the puppy as a new born baby in the house which - in a way - he is. At night time, he needs to be close enough that you can hear when he wakes up.
He's going to need regular feeding and cleaning just like a baby. Even house training an older puppy will make those first few nights a little sleepless until he is potty trained. He's going to have accidents so you need to teach him the correct behavior.
At the tender age of 2 months the puppy really should not be left alone for long periods. This should have been considered when you were going through the decision stage of whether to have a puppy dog or not.
One of the best house training dog tips I can give you is to keep the puppy with you all the time and you will be able to keep a closer eye on him. It will make for easy puppy house training and will work a lot faster.
You will see when he wants to go potty and you use that to train him where to go.
Recognizing the signs is the secret!
Puppies always want to go as soon as they wake up and immediately after eating or drinking. Get to them before they have an accident.
Identifiable signs are if he stops playing and starts smelling around or walking in circles looking for a good spot to go. This is normal behavior. As soon as you see this, entice him outside quickly. You'll get to know the signs easily enough.
Be aware of them all the time and you will soon be house training dogs successfully.
A 2 month old puppy can hold out for about 2 hours if he has to. From then on, he can usually hold for an extra hour per extra month of age.
Knowing this can help us in our potty training endeavors.
Remember, it's your responsibility to teach the puppy not his responsibility to learn.
Control their eating habits:
We can control the eating pattern by when and how often we put food down. When you first bring the puppy home let him have continual access to food. This will stop him gorging his food or overeating.
By the second or third week, you will be able to begin regulating when and how often you put the food down. Pick the food up after about 30 minutes. This will greatly improve on his potty training.
Controlling when your puppy eats and drinks will do two things. It reduces the "window of opportunity" for going to the bathroom and it also trains him to the fact that you are the leader of the pack.
How to create a confined area:
Your puppy should be confined to a certain part of the house until he has learned the house rules and is house trained. That area would be the living room, den or kitchen areas. It should be somewhere where he is going to maintain contact with you. If he has the run of the house potty training will be so much more difficult.
Within that area there needs to be a fenced off, confinement area where puppy will stay when you are not playing with him. This area will include his bed and food - at feeding time.
The reason for the confinement is to make less work for you if he has an accident and also begin to teach the puppy where to go. The same applies whether you are small or large breed puppy potty training.
The whole area should be covered with newspapers or puppy potty training pads. Newspaper is less expensive. Newspaper also contains ammonia which entices puppies to go on it. Animals instinctively prefer to be clean and will try to go somewhere away from their bed and food area.
Make sure that you clean up and remove the soiled newspaper as soon as possible. Puppy needs to remain clean and you don’t want to teach him that it's ok to live in a soiled environment. That's what house training is all about.
Some people may prefer to use dog crates for house training instead of a confined area. That's a personal choice. The confinement area should be somewhere that is close to people so that he does not feel alone and so that you can keep an eye on him.
Making a comfortable sleeping area:
Ideally, the bed should be in a kennel or carrying crate. It should be large enough for the puppy to be able to turn around comfortably but not too large. If it is, he may use the bathroom in one corner and sleep in another.
It should be somewhere that has ventilation but does not have a draft. Watch for the air conditioner vent blowing straight down on him. If you buy a larger crate with the intention that he will grow into it, section off part of it until he gets big enough to use it all.
A puppy should never be forced to stay in confinement longer than his holding time. If he does, you are defeating the whole potty training exercise. If you keep him clean as a puppy, he will always want to be clean.
House training a puppy to go outside:
When your puppy wants to go, after waking or after a meal, take him outside to the spot you have designated for him. At first, carry him out - to save accidents - and put him down in the area.
As the days go by, you will be able to put him down outside the door. Run to the area using baby steps so that he can keep up. He is going to run after you. When he gets to the area, stop and let him smell around.
As soon as he has done his business, give him lots of praise and a small piece of kibble. You always need to keep some kibble in your pocket. You may even want to try clicker training and house training at the same time. Clicker training marks positive behavior immediately.
Race him back to the door. Open the door and let him go in on his own but make sure he follows you in and doesn’t go in front. You’re the leader of the pack so you go first.
The next step is to carry him to the door and put him down. Go out and let him follow. Go to the designated spot. Later you can get him to follow you to the door and follow you out. Each step should be given lots of encouragement and followed with lots of praise. Going potty should be fun.
I always use two phrases to associate their bathroom actions, Poopy for defecating and PeePee for urinating. "Do Poopy" is a command and "good boy do PeePee" is praise. I also use the word "out" when I take them out. I will ask "Do you want to go out"? When they are circling or standing at the door or "let's go out" if I am trying to schedule a time.
Our parrot has full visual command of the back door and will say "wanna go out?" when he sees a dog at the door and that's my cue to let them out.
Useful house training advice for your puppy :
Always use the same door to go outside.
Always go to the designated spot.
Always praise and reward his potty training.
Always go out with them to check that they evacuated.
Always check the stools for worms etc.
Always clean the area of feces as soon as you can. Stools attract flies.
Always be consistent in your actions, commands, rewards and reprimands.
House Training Dos And Don’ts:
Don’t ever scold puppy for going where he shouldn’t go especially if you saw him. If you scold him when you see him, he will go where you can’t see him. Accidents are no big deal, they happen, but they can be stopped if done correctly and they can be cleaned up.
Do clean up immediately after an accident. It really aids dog house training immensely. Use enzyme-based cleaner designed for pet stains. It will remove the odor. If you don't, he will go back to the same place time after time.
If you live in an apartment, you may want to designate and area such as a spare bathroom or laundry room as the "yard". Some people even consider getting a house training dog litter box but you should house train him to go outside before he gets too old.
Remember to get a puppy that is suitable to have in an apartment.
