He's so cute and adorable ... and then he pees on the carpet. Your puppy's welcome will soon wear thin if you don't jump in and start training him the moment you bring him home. If you are vigilant and patient the smelly "accidents” along the way will soon become a thing of the past. The most important thing for you to do as a new owner is teach your puppy not to go potty on the carpet inside. Some purist dog experts also believe that dogs should strictly be trained to go outside. This is not always practical, but there are specific strategies for each potty training method.
Outdoor Potty Training
Pick a spot outside where you want your puppy to go potty. You would have already bought him a crate to sleep in or provided him with his own pen area. Before your pup is house trained, he must not be allowed to run unsupervised in the house. Tether him on a leash close to you. Every hour, take the puppy to his designated potty area. He must be taken outside within 10 minutes of eating, waking up or between playing and eating. Puppies, particularly those under 12 weeks, have to urinate often. As he gets older, he will be able to wait for longer periods. Circle around the designated area while using a cue word, such as “go potty.” Don’t make the command complicated and don’t change it. The dog will associate "go potty” with using the area. Keep repeating your command and if the puppy complies, reward and praise him immediately. If he still doesn’t get it after about 5 minutes, take him back in the house and try again about 30 minutes later. Allow your puppy some free play time in the house after a successful potty trip. Play with him and praise him. Then place him back in his crate or pen area. Remember to be persistent and consistent.
Indoor Potty Training
Owners who choose to indoor paper train their puppy probably accept the fact there will be occasional accidents inside the house and they prefer to direct those accidents onto something that can be easily cleaned. Some puppy owners live in apartments or are housebound themselves, so it is not practical to trudge outside to "go potty" with the dog every 30 minutes. Choose a small room, such as the bathroom and put down a thick layer of newspapers covering about a third of the room. Put down some toys, food and water on the opposite side of the room away from the paper. Dogs won't go potty where they live and sleep. As with outdoor potty training, take the puppy to the room every 30 minutes or sooner after he has eaten or woken up. Circle and say "go potty." Interrupt the dog if it starts to potty on the non-papered part of the floor; praise and reward if he complies. Gradually reduce the size of the papered area once the puppy has learned to go potty in the designated area.
Be Careful
If your long-term intention is to get your dog to go potty outside, indoor paper-training could make the job harder. Be careful with a paper-trained dog with your unread newspaper. If you leave them unattended on the floor, you may later discover more in the news than you bargained for.
Dealing with Accidents
- Don't punish or shout at your puppy for having an accident on your carpet. He doesn’t understand. It doesn’t matter whether he did it a few minutes previously or hours before. All you will achieve is confusion and possibly prolong the training period.
- When cleaning up an accident, don't using a cleaning solution that contains ammonia on urine stains as it is too close to the urine scent and you be attracting the puppy back to that spot. Instead, sprinkle baking powder, which absorbs the smell, over the area.
Sources
- Pet place: Paper-Training Your Puppy by Dr. Nicholas Dodman
- "Housebreaking Breakthroughs: Dog Training Techniques! How to Have a Happy, Obedient, Well-Behaved Angel of a Dog in Four Weeks or Less"; Manuel Ortiz; 2010
- Complete Guide to Responsible Dog Ownership: Puppy House Training - The Right Way
- "Housebreaking Breakthroughs"; Manuel Ortiz Braschi; 2010
