More Tips on House Training a New Puppy
A Schedule and Rewards Speeds up the Potty Training Process
Once a pet owner reads up on the dog obedience training tips for supervising a puppy during house training, he’s ready to map out a schedule and start potty training his dog by rewarding good behavior.
How to Potty Train Dogs With a House Training Schedule
The second aspect of house training a dog involves laying out a schedule and sticking to it. Puppies will need to eat three times a day until they are six months old. A pet owner can keep things simple by feeding the dog while he eats his own breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
A puppy will need access to water all day. To help him make it through the night though, a pet owner should take up any food and water bowls two to three hours before bedtime.
Though adult dogs can get by with only two to three potty breaks a day, puppies will need frequent trips to the yard. Knowing when a puppy is likely to need to relieve himself will help owners map out a workable schedule.
Puppies generally need to potty:
- When they’re let out of their crate in the morning
- Just before bed
- Soon after eating
- Very soon after drinking
- After exercise or play
- After a nap
- After a stay in their crate or play pen
- Rewarding Good Behavior
The most important key to house training a dog is showing him through consistent rewards where he is expected to relieve himself. A pet owner needs to supervise his puppy’s outdoor time just as carefully as he watches his dog indoors. A verbal cue such as, “Go potty,” will quickly have meaning to a new puppy. As soon as a puppy relieves himself in the right place, owners need to make ample use of the phrase with praise such as, “Good dog, you went potty outside!”
Owners will also want to keep a bag of chewy treats handy by the door. Consistent rewards will quickly build good associations with using the bathroom outside.
A pet owner won’t teach his puppy to potty in the yard by simply turning him out to do his business every two hours. It’s important to actually watch a puppy relieve himself. This will prevent the dog from coming right back inside only to make a mess on the floor.
How to Potty Train Dogs and Deal With House Training Accidents
No matter how vigilantly owners supervise during dog obedience training, how strictly they stick to the schedule, and how consistently they reward good behavior, there are bound to be mistakes. It’s important that owners keep their cool at times like these to prevent house training set backs.
A dog who is harshly scolded for relieving himself indoors may not understand it’s the place that frustrated his owner, not the act of relieving himself. In the future, such a dog may sneak behind the couch rather than letting his owner know he needs to go outside. Furthermore, the dog may also be reluctant to potty outdoors under supervision. Clearly, harsh punishments like hitting, shouting, or pushing a dog’s nose into the mess is only going to slow down the process.
When accidents happen due to a lack of close supervision, owners should tell their dog no, then calmly clean up the mess. Using an enzymatic spray will prevent puppies from returning to the same spot. Regular deodorizers may cover the smell for human noses, but a dog’s sense of smell is far keener.
How Long Does House Training Take?
There’s no exact time frame when it comes to training a dog to potty outside, though smaller dogs generally take a little longer. Much of the time frame depends on how vigilantly owners supervise their pets to prevent accidents, how closely they follow their schedule, and how consistently they offer rewards. Most dogs won’t be completely potty trained until they’ve reached six months to a year of age.
Now that readers have a good start on training dogs to potty outdoors, they may also want to check out tips for crate training, and training dogs not to bite.
House Training Tips on How to Potty Train Dogs
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