How To : Potty train your puppy

Potty training a puppy can be lengthy, frustrating, and well...smell bad. But it doesn't have to be! Keeping it simple is the best way with a puppy making it easiest to teach him or her as quick as possible. As with anything though, it will require some patients and paper towels to clean up the mistakes.

Pick a potty zone

You want to pick one specific area to teach your puppy at first. Later on after he's already trained you can move on to letting him know the whole yard etc. is ok. Remember keeping it simple is best, and if you keep bringing your puppy to multiple areas outside then he will easily get confused and make this a slower, more painful process.

Set a schedule

This is especially important in their younger days, but you need to set a schedule for yourself to bring the puppy outside and when to feed him or her. Usually you'll be feeding 2-3 times per day, but make it consistent on the times as much as possible. The better you can keep your puppy on a schedule the faster the process will go. Make sure that when you start you are bringing him or her out every 30-60 minutes, your puppy may not need to go this often but it will help in the learning process. Carrying your puppy outside is ok, and needed sometimes just in case your puppy can't hold it long enough.

Reward reward reward!

This is the MOST important part! Every time your puppy goes potty in your designated area, REWARD! Get treats, praise him/her, and get excited about it! Your puppy will know when you're happy and enjoy that more than anything. You do NOT want to punish your puppy for mistakes in the house. All this is going to do is scare your puppy into thinking going to the bathroom is bad, and making your puppy scared of you which is the one thing you do not want.

What to do about "mistakes"?

First and most important, don't startle your pup or try and get him to stop if you catch him in the act pooping because he can't...he will run and make a huge mess. If you catch him peeing you can startle him slightly and then hurry him outside to his designated area and reward him when he finishes. Make sure you have some Nature's Miracle(This stuff work wonders!) or something similar to clean up and eliminate any urine or fecal scents and stains left behind from messes.

Summary

In the end, it's all about consistency. After your puppy realizes the right thing to do, they'll do it! They want to make you happy, and they enjoy rewards. Never get upset about cleaning the mess, it's always going to be a problem when training your puppy. If you follow these easy tips you'll be done training in no time at all!

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