Potty training a puppy can be a very long and frustrating experience, depending on the puppy.
Some dogs learn quickly and almost naturally, while others seem to struggle with it for months before they "get it".
In this article, I'll be sharing some tips to help those dog owners who have a challenging puppy when it comes to potty training.
By using these simple, yet effective tricks, your puppy will be toilet trained in no time.
When it comes to potty training a puppy or breaking your dog of any bad habits, keep in mind there is no magic wand that will instantly and easily solve your problems.
Teaching and training a puppy requires patience, common sense, and consistency.
Below are a few tricks that will help you successfully potty train your puppy: 1.
Stay Calm: The first thing you need to do is to be calm and control your emotions.
You are the only person responsible for your reactions.
Remember that, like training a young child to use the toilet, your puppy doesn't fully understand the concept of going potty outside.
It's not their fault for not being potty trained, so don't blame them and be frustrated and angry at them.
The truth is, being angry and shouting at your puppy will actually set you back in the process.
Your puppy will sense your anger and frustration which will do nothing to encourage him to relax and obey your command to go potty outside.
Being in a fearful and unsettled state will actually block your puppy's ability to pee or poo when and where you want him to.
And forget all that garbage about rubbing his nose in it when he goes in the wrong place.
That's an "old school" technique that's cruel and doesn't work.
Why did your puppy pee in the house, anyway? Because he needed to go, right? His little bladder was probably bursting at the seams, and he finally came to the place where he thought, "I need to go and I need to go, NOW! And with the door shut, what else was he to do? He can't open the door, or tell you he had to go potty.
Your puppy isn't vindictive or trying to make your life miserable.
He just had to go potty.
So when you rub your puppy's nose in his pee or poo, he's still confused about where you want him to go.
You aren't teaching him anything.
Sure, he understands that you're not happy about him peeing in front of the sofa, but you're still not communicating to him where you DO want him to go potty.
You need to SHOW him where they can poo and pee.
Outside.
Got it? 2.
Stay Focused on the Goal: It's ironic that the most common mistake dog owners make when potty training is also the most important one.
Most people focus on chastising their dog for doing it wrong, and spend less effort rewarding their pooch when he does it right.
In other words, we jump all over our pup when we poops in the living room corner.
We're mad as heck and our dog knows it.
But when he finally does poop outside, we hardly take notice.
Here's a secret...
Reward your puppy with an amazing treat every time he goes toilet in the right place! Give your puppy a really tasty treat immediately after he goes outside.
I'm not saying 30 seconds after...
I'm saying 2-3 seconds after.
Your puppy needs to associate the reward with the act of going potty outside.
Here's a great little trick.
Keep a jar of tasty treats outside close to where your dogs goes.
That way you'll have a treat ready immediately.
Don't forget to give him a treat every time he goes potty in the right place; not once in a while, but every time.
Consistency is the key here.
You could also say, "Good boy (or girl)" and give him a good rubbing to reinforce the praise.
Puppies love to be rubbed and touched.
3.
It's Going to Take Time: Most dog experts say a puppy has no control whatsoever over their bladder for the first eight weeks of their life.
You can try to house train a puppy during this stage, but don't be too frustrated if you don't see much progress.
Potty training a puppy could take weeks or even months, so prepare yourself mentally for that before you start, and you'll be much better off.
Another tip is to not dwell on failures too long.
Learn from your mistake (if you even made one) and move on.
Don't beat yourself up.
Stay relaxed and keep going.
Even if you haven't seen any progress for weeks, rest assured that one day (probably sooner than you think) your puppy will have his "aha" moment and be potty trained forever.
4.
Save the Rug: Sometimes in the process of learning where it's okay to potty, a puppy will pee or poop on your favorite area rug.
Even after you clean it up, your puppy (with his amazingly sensitive nose) will still smell the pee or poop odors on the rug and assume if he went there before, he can do it again.
Do yourself a huge favor and put the rug up for 6 months.
After your puppy's trained, you can safely get it back out and resume using it.
Don't increase your stress level by trying to keep your puppy off it while in the training process.
5.
Knowledge is Everything: When it comes to potty training a puppy, there are so many things you need to know, you could never think of them yourself.
You're not a professional dog trainer and you probably don't have a clue how to teach your puppy anything.
There are many resources available like websites, books, DVD's, and online dog-training courses.
I recommend getting as much help as you can.
Things will go much smoother and you'll be a lot less stressed.
Your puppy will be happier, too.