Top 15 Best Tips On Potty Training A Puppy

If you start potty training too early, your puppy will not be as receptive to it as you would like them to. Likewise, if you begin the potty training too late, they might take longer to get used to it since they will already be used to a different routine. It is always better and more comfortable to teach your puppy the right way from the beginning.

The best time to potty train your puppy in the house is from 12 weeks to 16 weeks. At this age, they are ready to learn new things and eager to do so. They can also control their bowel movements and bladder good enough to be potty trained.

If you start potty training past this age frame, you should expect it to take longer, and you will need to reward your puppy more. In general, your puppy will be potty trained in about four months of consistent training. So it is vital to stick to your routine as much as possible.

Timing is essential when it comes to potty training your puppy. So, try to respect the 12 weeks to 16 weeks time frame to go through this stage smoothly and with no hassle for either of you two.

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Potty training is a task that requires an investment as well. So, be prepared to spend some money to help your puppy get used to the new normal in this aspect.

You will need to buy everything from diapers to a crate, gates, wee-wee pads, treats, poop scoopers and bags, cleaners, and a good leash or harness for outdoors training time and walks.

Your potty training arsenal will depend according to the place you want to potty train them in. For instance, indoor potty training is different than outdoors potty training. But keep in mind that you will eventually need to go through both, so you will be better prepared if you consider both types of supplies.

For indoor potty training, you will need pee pads, a crate, and dog treats. You might also add a gate in case you want to avoid accidents in the entire house.

For outdoors potty training time, you will need a leash and treats as you don’t have to worry about pee pads or crates in this case.

Without the proper equipment, potty training will not only be more difficult, but it will also take longer. So, make sure to invest in the best supplies before you start to work with your puppy on this!

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The time it will take for your dog to be ultimately potty trained can go anywhere from four months to six months. Some puppies learn faster than others, so try to stick to your dog’s pace.

The age of your dog will also matter in this case. If you potty train them at the right time, you shouldn’t have many issues in the matter. However, if you wait for longer, you should expect them to get used to the new potty training routine harder.

Even if your dog might take longer to potty train, it is essential to remain patient and understanding. Consistency is the key to this process, and rushing it will not take you very far.

Your dog will get stressed, and they will not understand the entire potty training system unless you go on their own timing.

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The feeding schedule will be tightly connected to the potty training schedule. At first, you will find it hard to identify when your puppy needs to go potty. Still, over a few days, it will become apparent, according to when they eat.

You will usually notice that your puppy needs to go out between five minutes and 30 minutes after they have their meal.

Keep in mind that not all puppies are the same, so if your puppy needs to go out faster than this time frame, that doesn’t mean anything is wrong with them. In just a couple of days, you will learn when they need to go potty.

Once you understand how long it takes them to go potty after they have their meal, try to stick to that schedule. Doing so will train their metabolism and create a healthy habit that you want to keep over the years.

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The schedule is essential in any potty training strategy. You can use the meal schedule to determine the potty schedule, considering the previous tip. But ultimately, if you train your dog to go potty at certain times a day, they will learn to hold it until the potty time comes. This is the type of outcome you want out of successful potty training.

When you consider the potty training schedule, it is essential to take your scheduler into account. You have to be available to take them out when the time comes.

If you are not the only one who can take them out, make sure the rest of the people taking care of the dog can fill in for you. Once your puppy is on a schedule, it is crucial to keep it. In time they will go potty only when you take them out to do so.

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Potty training treats are different than the regular food you feed your dog. These treats should be a reward for them, and in time, they will even learn to expect it.

When it comes to the type of treats you want to feed your puppy, you can purchase these already made or make them at home. Either way, your dog will love them, and they will most likely look forward to them.

There is actually a debate regarding if you should or shouldn’t treat your dog after they go potty. But ultimately, this is considered a method to stimulate them and motivate them.

Hence, it is in both your benefits to doing that. A great strategy, however, is to choose different treats for indoors and outdoors potty training sessions.

You might want to give them the best treats when they go potty outside since this is the final outcome you want to reach. Indoors potty training is just a transition phase, as you don’t want to add monthly wee-wee pads to your budget.

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When you gather your potty-training arsenal, there is no way to go around the pee pads. You might make it without other items and supplies, but these are simply a must.

You want them to be absorbent above anything else. Still, you should also pay attention to size, odor control, and material.

For puppies, the best pee pads are the ones of medium size, while for older dogs, you might want to invest in larger pee pads. Depending on how many layers of material these pee pads have, they will absorb better or worse than others.

So, pay attention to the type of material and how resistant they are as well. If you find pee pads with odor control, even better. This way, you will not have to deal with unpleasant smells in your house during the potty training phase.

You will most likely go through several brands of pee pads before you find the ones that work best for your dog, but considering these aspects will help you find the right ones faster.

The use of a dog crate has many facades. This is one of the best investments you can make when bringing a new puppy into the house. A crate will separate their space from the rest of the house, and it will also give them a place of their own.

Ideally, your dog will find comfort in going to their crate any time they need to get away from whatever is going on in the environment around them.

You can use a crate to make sure your puppy doesn’t go potty in the house where they are not supposed to. It will also work if you put a pee pad inside the crate and lock your dog in so they can go potty only there.

Putting a pee pad inside the crate, however, is a controversial option among specialists. Still, it might work when nothing else does.

The great news is that you will be able to use the crate even after the potty training phase is over. This will remain your dog’s comfort zone, and you will only have to change it once your dog grows out of it.

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No matter how obedient your puppy is and how great you are at potty training them, chances are that there will be accidents. If you use a crate or gates to limit your dog’s access to certain areas of your house, you might be able to keep the accidents under control.

But they will still occur as your puppy needs time to learn the new routine you are setting up for them.

If apotty accident happens, don’t get upset at your dog. They will not understand your anger, and they will get even more frustrated because they want to please you. If you catch your puppy in the act, you should interrupt them and redirect them to the new location where they are supposed to go potty.

You can also make a sound or tell them to go outside and take them out, but don’t be loud because you don’t want to scare them. Once the entire accident is taken care of, make sure to clean the area where they had the accident in the first place.

Dogs rely on their smell a lot, so if you don’t clean the place well, they will most likely repeat the accident because their nose will tell them so.

If you manage the first potty accidents right, you will not have to deal with them very often. Your dog will understand sooner rather than later that they get rewarded and praised if they go potty where and when they should.

Whether you will potty train your dog in the house or outside of it, you will have to establish a place for this. For indoor training, you can even use gates to limit this space.

But ultimately, where you put the pee pad is where they will understand to go potty. Ensure you place the pee pad in an area easy to clean and easy to access by both you and your dog.

If you train your dog to go potty outside, you will have to be more patient. Choose a spot that will work for both of you and walk your dog in that area until they actually go potty.

It might take several minutes and even half an hour until they go potty in the area of your choice, but if you remain constant, they will stick to it as well. Eventually, they will go potty in that area naturally, so the entire hassle will be history.

When you choose the outdoor potty place, try not to go too far from your house. Consider that there will be times when you will be in a hurry or the weather will be bad, and you don’t want to take trips just for your puppy to go potty.

And once you found the best place, stick to it at all cost. Otherwise, it will be more challenging to establish a routine.

Even if you should let your dog follow the potty-training process at their own pace, you can still establish specific goals. This will help both of you move forward in the right direction.

But make sure you don’t set unrealistic goals because you will only get both of you frustrated for not reaching them.

A good milestone, for instance, is to go potty on the pee pad every day. Once that reaches a level of consistency, you can aim to go potty outside at least a couple of times a week.

The transition between indoor potty training and outdoor potty training is the most challenging part. So, maintain the pee pad inside your house until you notice that your dog only goes potty outside. This will happen over several months once you start the potty training process.

Set milestones that are adequate to your dog’s age as well. Puppies are faster to learn, but they control their body functions less. So, even if they know the right thing to do, they might still have accidents in the house simply because they can’t avoid them.

Keep that in mind, when you set a milestone such as no accidents in the house for a week because chances are you will both get disappointed if your dog is not ready for that.

Maintaining your puppy on a healthy lifestyle is essential when you want to potty train them. An active lifestyle stimulates your dog’s metabolism and helps them stay in shape. It also helps them train their body to go potty at reasonably same time frame each day.

Just like you want to establish a potty training schedule, you should also establish an exercise schedule. Let your dog run loose in the park or in your yard at the same time each day.

Doing so will help them get into a daily routine that includes eating, playing, and potty training as well as naps, so it will be easier for you to maintain your own schedule. Dogs who exercise regularly have fewer problems during the potty training phase, and they learn to stay constant much easier.

It is essential to establish your dog’s exercise schedule before their meals. That way, they will be well exercised before they eat and have no problem going potty afterward. A nap will most likely be due after these three activities take place.

Even if it might be tempting, it is important not to start the potty training forcefully when you bring your puppy home. Invest in some dog diapers and pee pads before you get into the potty training schedule and strategy.

Let them smell the place and get used to the atmosphere in your house before the discipline starts. After all, they come to a new family that will become their own as well.

If you have your puppy wearing diapers, you will not have to worry about accidents in the house. You can enjoy them for a few days entirely before you start teaching them where and when they should go potty. If your puppy is younger than 12 weeks, you might want to postpone the potty training phase until they reach this age. Otherwise, it will not give you the results you want, and things can get frustrating quickly.

Follow your puppy’s needs and let them love you first before they learn that they should obey the house rules. These days will create an essential bonding between the two of you. Eventually, you will be more successful at your potty training technique.

Just like crates, gates can have multiple benefits for your dog. These gates will keep your puppy away from some regions of the house. They work great if you want to control their chewing everything phase and during the potty training phase.

You can also use these gates to keep your dog away from your baby, in case the interaction between them is not a safe one from the start.

Set the gates in the areas where you want your dog to hang out and make sure they are tall enough. Most likely, your puppy will try to jump over the gate, and this is the main reason why the height of these accessories is essential.

If you use the gates to potty-train your dog indoors, put them behind the gate when you want them to go potty. Place a pee pad on the floor and don’t allow them to come out until they actually go potty. This is one of the most efficient ways to potty train your dog and avoid potential accidents.

There are many gates on the market but keep in mind that these are temporary accessories in your home. Ultimately, your dog will go potty outside, and they will not need the gates anymore.

During the potty training phase, cleaners are a must. You will have to clean the waste as well as eliminate the odor left by it. Luckily, you can find all these supplies almost everywhere on the market.

And if you don’t want to invest in special potty cleaners, you can always use your traditional house cleaners. However, potty cleaners tend to be more friendly with your pet, and they don’t contain chemicals that would bother or harm them.

Since you are at the potty cleaners chapter, you can always look for an odor spray.

You will find odor sprays that will attract your dog to go potty in a particular place while eliminating the waste odor. This is the type of product that will work for both of you, so it is one of the best investments. It is also essential to clean the potty place as soon as your dog used it because you will only add to your work and discomfort if you wait.

Keeping a clean house while you have a dog that goes through the potty-training phase might not be as simple as you wish, but it is definitely not as complicated either. If you use the right potty cleaners, your place will be sparkling clean in no time!