Housebreak Your Dog With These Easy Steps
Potty training your dog or pup can be extremely stressful if you have trouble with persistence or are unsure how to properly go through the training process. This article aims to provide you with a few helpful tips to ease the stress of dog potty training.
Puppies are a lot like children in that their minds are like sponges, which is why most people begin obedience and potty training when during puppyhood. The main thing which you must understand before beginning the training process is that a puppy does have limited control of his bladder, so it is best if you admit to yourself that accidents will happen, and come to terms with the idea. A good thing you can do for your puppy is to buy him a crate or similar place that will be his own “personal” space. That way, if you’re unable to watch him for a time, the accident will be in the crate and not somewhere around the house where you may not notice for a while.
Keeping to a regular schedule is the key to preventing accidents and potty training your dog or puppy. Take your dog out first thing in the morning, thirty minutes after every meal, and right before bed. Also, feed your puppy on a strict schedule. If it goes in on a schedule, it will come out on a schedule! It is important to initially praise your dog every time you take him out and he does his business. This helps reinforce to the animal that this is the correct spot to eliminate in.
When an accident does occur, don’t get upset or hit your dog. If you didn’t catch him in the act, simply put him in his crate while you clean up the mess. There is no point in trying to punish him, as he will not know why he is in trouble. If you do catch him in the act, giving him a firm ‘No!’ will let him know you are upset. Immediately take him to the proper spot outside and praise him if he goes again.
Though it requires dedication and patience on your part, training your dog by keeping to a routine to avoid messes in the first place is much more effective than trying to teach him through punishment. Now that you have succeeded in dog potty training, you can move on to teaching him to bring you the remote! Or for the little or arthritic dog, train him to use dog stairs! Even if your dog is perfectly healthy, pet steps can greatly reduce the amount of impact your dog’s joints receive.
