Potty Training

Having a dog in your home can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life, aside from the birth of children/grandchildren and major human milestones. :-)  But it does take some effort to completely potty train a new puppy, and it's all up to you as a new puppy buyer because puppies aren't developmentally ready to house break until right about the time they are ready to leave their littermates to join your home.

A lot of research has been done in recent years, and the days of the rolled up newspapers are behind us. Today, we look to prevent accidents rather than punish for accidents.

To me, some big factors that affect potty training are:

• How much time the new family spends with the puppy diligently in the first few weeks after getting him/her

• Being "effective" in HOW you potty train: regardless of the method used, being consistent and constant in applying the techniques

• The living arrangements the puppy was in from age 5 to 8 weeks (or while at the breeder). If raised indoors from birth until leaving littermates, the puppy learns to potty inside their house/den. If raised indoors with free access to outdoors, the puppies tend to understand that pottying inside is not necessary or good at an earlier age. This is why we raise our puppies with a doggie door allowing them to go outside as soon as they figure out how to operate it.

Tips for New Puppy Owners

Be Consistent
Crate Train
Timing...know when to get outside
Bell/Button Train
Designate a "potty spot" outside
Don't praise DURING the potty act...only praise when completed

CRATE TRAINING: I really do support crate training while potty training, because it teaches the puppy that there is a procedure for pottying, and that after pottying, he/she gets to come back inside and play in a larger room. But it does require strength on the part of the family, because the puppy will cry while in the crate/kennel until she learns that she is going to be in for a predictable amount of time. She'll learn that she gets to come out, and after she potties, she will be with the family to play and snuggle.

One person that has a puppy from us tried something very unique to help while the family members were at work/school. She cut sod from a yard, and bought a kitty litter pan to put it in, which went inside her crate. The puppy seemed to choose on her own to potty in the pan on the grass, rather than on the blanket or carpet piece that was in the crate/kennel. She did make messes digging a couple times, so it probably was messy at first. But it didn't sound like that happened often. Within a couple weeks, she was also trained to go to the door and went in the grass.

I think that if you try the crate training, you'll have much faster and better luck with the potty training because it helps you to not have to be watching every minute of the day. Most dogs don't mind it at all after a few days, and some are actually more confident and happy, because the crate is their safe haven and their own "personal space."

TIMING and SIGNALS (Bell Training?): A big key seems to be the timing. She should not potty inside her crate/kennel (not larger than about 2' wide and 3 ' deep to begin, and smaller is fine...possibly even better) because she won't want to soil her own living area. Each time she is fed, she will "probably" need to potty within 10 to 20 minutes. So some people feed/water in the kennel, and then let the puppy out about 10 minutes later while watching carefully...others go outside as soon as they get the puppy out of the crate. As soon as she puts her nose to the ground, it's possibly time to pick her up quickly. Set her down by the door and ask if she wants to go outside. Some people even put the puppy's paw on the door and help her learn to tap the door. I am a firm believer in putting a bell at the door, and teaching her to ring the bell by tapping it with her foot as your signal (search for "dog chime" or "dog door bell" online for options). Then pick her up and go out.

DESIGNATED "POTTY SPOT" If on a leash, go to the same place in the yard each time so she can smell previous jobs. If she has gone in the house, carry the solids to that place in the yard, too. All potty should be in one place to help give her the scent cue. Stay until she potties, and praise her when she's done with the job (but not during pottying because that interrupts the pottying!). Then, she gets to come back inside after praise and a few minutes of playing if she wants to be outdoors.

Amazon.com : puppy exercise pen    exercise pens - Free shipping | Chewy
Also can be found at local stores like Wal-Mart, Tractor Supply, etc.

Consider getting an exercise pen for your yard if you don't have a fenced-in yard (minimum 24" tall for short-term use, 30" will work for longer), OR to serve as your "potty spot" in your fenced yard. I got two pens like the above pen to attach for one larger pen (you don't need a door if you can step over the height) to make a safe area for the puppy to be off leash in. Advantage: they can play in here safely. Disadvantage: they will potty in the play area. BUT, you can easily move the fence after a stool so they can continue playing without stepping in the stool, as they usually poo right at the edge of the fence. The pen is light and easily moved, which is also handy when mowing the yard.

DON'T PRAISE DURING POTTYING...ONLY WHEN COMPLETELY FINISHED If you begin praising the puppy for pottying WHILE he/she is pottying, you may interrupt the concentration so he/she doesn't completely void. Then, a potty accident will quickly happen when you return inside.

STAND STILL OUTSIDE, OR MOVE AROUND? When I'm outside with a puppy that I want to go potty, I stand completely still (unless that doesn't work after a week or two, and then I might try slow walking). Sometimes, the puppies will come to me and want me to pick them up, but I ignore them if it's potty time. If I walk around, they seem more interested in moving with me and are not looking for a place to go. I also stand in the same place every time, so they go potty in the same area every time. Each time they go outside, they can smell their previous potties there, which I think also helps them prepare to go. When we play outside, I go to a different place (away from the potty area) to play for both cleanliness reasons and also to keep play and potty separate. Many people/trainers even suggest taking soiled paper towels (pee) and stools from indoor accidents outside and placing them at the potty location in the yard.

POTTYING INDOORS AFTER BEING OUTSIDE...FRUSTRATING. TIPS FOR HELP! Young puppies often go outside, don't go potty, and then return to the house and potty within a few minutes. Or, they will pee outside a little, go back to the house, and within a couple minutes will pee more (this often happens if we praise them before they are finished pottying, which interrupts them so they aren't finished...it's best to not praise them or move until they are totally finished). It is normal, because sometimes they really don't have to go to the bathroom when we take them out. As they learn the potty training process, they learn to "try" longer when they go outside, but it's too early for that in the beginning.

POTTYING IN THE CRATE? Pottying in the crate isn't unusual at first, as puppies can't "hold it" for very long. But, having a too-large crate does give the puppy the idea that he can use part of the crate for a bathroom, and have a part for sleeping. Blocking off part of the crate to make it JUST large enough for the bed may be a good idea until the puppy is better potty trained. If a puppy continually pees in the crate, a drastic measure might need to be taken: leave the wet towel in the crate and don't use a bed. Quickly, the puppy will discover that you are no longer constantly refreshing the bed, and he will try to hold it to avoid having to live in his potty.

EARLY START AT THEIR BIRTHPLACE: We have had puppies leave us that have been going to the door and whining or ringing a bell within 3 days of leaving for their new homes. That is not the norm, but it does indicate some people make great strides very fast. That takes some great watch skills and dedication, but shows that puppies are definitely trainable with diligent owners. You can do this! You can succeed, too!

Many people raise puppies in a small area with papers on the floor, and the puppies learn to poo/pee in the same place that they eat/sleep. Instead of that, we have an eating/sleeping kennel, with a doggie door to an outside area. "Almost 100%" of our puppies are going outside to potty 100% of the time before they are 7 weeks old (through their doggie doors), so they already have a desire to stay clean and potty outside. It's up to us humans to continue that desire with training to get them going outside.

GREAT LINKS BELOW! I could write a long article (or a short and to-the-point one) about potty training, but why reinvent the wheel? There are some fantastic references online that have already done a thorough job.

If you know of another superb link to add that would help puppy owners, please let us know so we can add it here.

Because potty training and general obedience training benefit each other, the links below cover more than just house training.

Potty/House Training   General Training   Biting and Dominance   Crate Training   Chewing   Shows and Grooming   Top