You need a lot of patience, commitment and consistency when house training your new puppy.  It is important to have a trusting and consistent relationship with your puppy.  These two things are fundamental to successful house training.  The more consistent you are, the faster your puppy will learn.  It can take several weeks or more to house train a puppy.

The first step to house training your puppy is to establish a routine.  Puppies do best when they are on a regular schedule.  Having them on a regular schedule teaches them that there are times to eat, times to play, and times to potty.  As a general rule, puppies can control their bladders one hour for every month of their age.  If your puppy is about three months old, he can probably hold it for about three hours–maybe less.  You should take your puppy out right after he wakes up and during playtime, after playtime and after eating or drinking.  These are the times your puppy will most likely have to potty.  You might consider hiring a dog walker if you work and aren’t able to take your puppy out as often as you should.

You should pick a bathroom spot outside and always take your puppy there first when he is on a leash.  While your puppy is pottying, use a phrase like “go potty” so he will eventually associate that phrase with that activity. You can use that phrase to remind him what to do when you take him out to potty.

Reward your puppy with praise or with a treat every time he potties outside.  Reward him immediately after he potties and before he goes back into the house.  Rewarding correct behavior is the best way to teach your puppy.  Make sure you don’t reward your puppy until he is completely finished or he may forget to finish outside and have an accident inside.

You should always take your puppy out after feeding him.  It is also helpful to put your puppy’s water dish up 2 1/2 hours before his bedtime.  This will decrease the amount of water he will have to try to hold overnight.

It is important to supervise your puppy when you first start to potty train him.  If you keep your puppy in a small space within eyesight,  it will be easier for you to watch for signs that he needs to eliminate.  Those signs could be barking, scratching at the door, squatting, sniffing or circling.  If you can’t monitor your puppy, you can put him in a small area that is small enough that he won’t want to eliminate there.  A space just large enough for him to lay down with a couple of extra inches will work adequately for him.  Many people choose to confine their puppy in a crate.  Crates can be very useful when you are trying to potty train your puppy.

Many factors can slow down the training period for your dog.  Some of these factors can include breed of the dog, consistency and temperament.  Don’t get discouraged if your puppy takes a little longer to train or has an occasional accident.

Filed under: Puppies

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