Dying To Know

Do you have a new puppy in your home that needs to be house trained? House training may be a daunting task, and like potty training 2-year-olds, it does take time and effort to be successful. However, the more dedicated you are to effectively house training your puppy, the sooner you will get positive working results. Here are a few tips to successfully and thoroughly house train your new puppy.

First, there are a few things to be mindful of before you embark on this training traverse. First, if you don’t see your dog doing the deed on your floor, don’t punish them for it. If you tell them “no” and show them their mess, they most likely won’t understand why you’re displeased with them. Second, be sure to praise them profusely (and maybe even give them a treat) when they do things right. This encourages your puppy to do things for incentives, and not out of confused fear.

Many people prefer to begin their puppy “potty” training inside the home. A good way to start is by laying down old newspaper on the floor, and placing a disposable puppy pad on top. These pads are filled with chemicals that encourage your puppy to relieve himself on the pad. To start, once you spot your puppy doing their pre-piddling routine (i.e. sniffing the ground and walking around like they are searching for something), simply pick them up and place them on the pad, remembering to praise them when they are done.

Once your puppy has consistently begun to use the puppy pads, you will want to place a puppy pad outdoors as well as indoors. This way, the puppy will recognize the pad outside and use it as a bathroom as well as the pads indoors. Once your puppy becomes familiar with relieving himself or herself indoors and outdoors, begin moving your indoor puppy pad closer and closer to the front or back door of your home. Once you get to the door, go ahead and do away with the indoor puppy pad. This way, your puppy will have gotten used to going to the door when he or she needs to relieve themselves. Be sure to notice when your puppy goes to the door, otherwise this could make your puppy confused. Once your dog starts heading in the proper direction, open the door and usher them to the outdoor puppy pad.

Finally, once your dog has become accustomed to going to the door when he or she needs relief and wants to go outside, take the final outdoor puppy pad away. Now your dog has been successfully trained to head toward the door and outside when they need to do their business.

One final thing to remember, however, is that your puppy will have accidents every once in a while. Be sure to not punish them unless you catch them in the act, because they will not understand your frustration because they simply don’t remember doing it. Also, praise when your puppy initiates going outside is always helpful. Dogs understand when they do something right. Good luck puppy house training!