House Training Ideas and Tips for Puppies

House training is one of the first tasks of many that every new dog owner will need to undertake while they are introducing their new puppy to its new home. Training a puppy takes patience and time, but it’s not as difficult as you might think. Here are several house training tips and ideas for puppies that new pet owners may find helpful.

Bringing home a new puppy is such an exciting time for your family, but along with that celebration there are new responsibilities and tasks that need to be done. Nothing will cause that wonderful feeling of having a new puppy to fade faster than having to constantly clean up after the accidents your puppy will have all through your home That’s why house training becomes the top priority of owning a puppy. Patience is a virtue when it comes to house training a puppy.

Verbal Training

Right after a nap or before playtime is the perfect time to take your puppy outside to his/her bathroom spot and then again right after playtime is done. Every morning when your puppy wakes up is also the perfect time to take him/her outside to their potty spot. . I think that the best thing that ever was invented is the doggy door. Puppies and older dogs are able to go outside to do their business on their own and then have access back indoors. But if this is not an option, there are many simple ways to house train puppies.

Choose a designated area outside of the house in a specific corner of the backyard and stick with that area. Take your puppy to this same location every time because if you keep changing areas, this will only keep the puppy totally confused. Pick one spot only. When the pup has done well, pat him, praise him, and let the dog know that you are very pleased with his actions. If a puppy stops playing and then you notice that he begins to look around and walks around the house sniffing at everything, then he is searching for a place to do his thing. Take him/her outside right then to the specified area. Just by sitting and watching your puppy, you can learn quickly and decipher the differences between a puppy’s behaviors when he is just checking out his new surroundings or if he is hunting that perfect spot to use the bathroom.

When or if you notice that your puppy is about to do his potty inside the house, walk over near him/her and firmly say “No,” and then pick the puppy up and take him/her immediately to the potty area outside. At this point it is up to you to be aware of your puppy and what he/she is up to. Any accidents that he does inside the house are your fault, not his. Now if you actually see your puppy doing his business in the house, walk over to him/her, and clap your hands together and say no and then take him/her outside to their area or rattle a soda can full of rocks at the puppy and say no and then take them outside to their area. Puppies do not like any loud noises and sooner or later will associate the loud noises occurring if they do their business in the house. Each time the puppy does his business outside in the spot, give him a pat on his head, pick him/her up and give them a hug and let him know that you are very pleased with them by telling them what a good boy/girl they are for going to the bathroom. Do this every time they do their business outside.

You can reward them with a treat when they go outside and eliminate and it will not take them long to remember that they get a treat every time they go outside to poop/pee, but do not give them a treat if they do not do anything outside.

Every time you take your puppy to the designated toilet area, stand there quietly and do not say anything to the puppy to distract him. Puppies and dogs always have to find that perfect spot to go and this always takes time. If you wait only a few minutes outside with your puppy and he has just awoke from his nap, eaten a meal or has had a drink of water, then more than likely he/she will go do their business once they get back inside. If after about 5 minutes your puppy still hasn’t gone to the bathroom, take him/her back inside of the house and wait for thirty minutes and take the puppy back outside to his/he potty area. When the puppy starts to relieve himself; quietly and calmly praise him. Pick one specific word or phrase and stick with this and every time your puppy relieves himself outside in his area, give him/her lots of praise. You can say, “What a good boy/girl” or what a good boy/girl, you used the bathroom. When the puppy finishes doing his/her business, then you can praise him/her more enthusiastically. Let your puppy know that you are very proud of them and what they did.

Each time you take your new puppy to his/her bathroom spot, repeat the same word over. You can use whatever words you want, like “go poop” “go potty” “go to the bathroom”. By repeating the same words each time, your puppy will learn faster. Just pick one word or phrase and stick with it. Using different words everyday will only confuse them When you take your puppy outside for its pee/poop, remember to take him/her back to the exact spot every day. Your puppy will recognize her/his scent and eventually understand that this is where he/she is to go poo/pee.

During the house training period, when your puppy does have accidents somewhere in the house, and they will until they are taught otherwise, make sure you clean the floor or the carpet thoroughly so the smelly odor really goes away. Use a solution that is especially formulated to remove pet urine odors and stains, because the smell and odor will stay there and your puppy will continue going to this spot and doing his/her business because their scent is there and by not thoroughly cleaning the area, this will tell them, “hey this must be where I go do my poo/pee at because this smells just like me. I bought a bottle of pet odor/stain remover from Petsmart and it is the only stuff that worked well for me which removed urine odors/stains from my furniture and carpets.

Crate Training

Confining your puppy to a crate while you are away is one way to begin potty training your new puppy. Be sure and leave food and water in the crate with the puppy as well as a soft fluffy cushion. Put a few toys in the crate too so the puppy will have something to entertain him while you are gone. Lining the entire crate with newspaper is very important. At first, your puppy will probably relieve himself in the crate, but within a week or two, he/she will probably stop doing that and will learn that they do not want to have to step in their messes nor do they want to sleep in their messes. Crate training a puppy is okay but if you are going to be gone all day long, it is best to have someone go to your home and let the puppy out to do his business. I think it is cruel behavior on the pet owner’s part to leave a puppy and or dog stuffed inside of a crate all day long and making that poor animal wait all day to relieve himself. People cannot go all day long without using the restroom, so why make your pet have to wait all day long just because you are at work? It is unacceptable in my book and is animal cruelty. If you are going to be away from your home for more than 5 hours at a time, then ask friends, neighbors or a relative to go by your house to take the puppy outside.

Paper Training

Another popular method of potty training is paper training. If you want to use this method, puppy pads will work or just use newspapers. Puppy pads are much more absorbent and make for a much easier cleanup than newspapers.

The first thing you need to teach your puppy is that when he needs to go to the bathroom the paper is the only acceptable place for him to go. If you catch him in the act of eliminating in the house, walk over to him, tell him firmly, NO and pick him up and place him on the newspapers. But this method of training as like any other will be a lost cause and useless effort unless you actually catch the puppy doing his business. Another way to teach your puppy that the newspapers are the acceptable place for him to go is by placing some of the puppy’s poop on the newspapers with him. Keep the newspapers either in a bathroom or in the laundry room. Just remember that this particular method is a very messy one because puppies love to chew on everything and anything so puppies will chew up the newspapers or puppy pads and will create extra work for you everyday and there will be poop to clean up off of the floor as well as having to pick up wet newspapers with dog urine on them. I personally do not care for this type of house training because of the smell it creates and the mess.

House training puppies can take just a few weeks and sometimes a few months. It takes lots of patience to house train puppies but it can be done with time. If you do not have the time or patience to house train your puppy, then speak to a dog professional who is specifically trained for this.

Sources:

I worked as a veterinary technician for 10 years & learned a lot of valuable information.

DISCLAIMER:

I am not a licensed vet or a professional licensed dog trainer but I did learn many useful tips and information during my years working for one. The above information is intended for educational purposes only and shall not take the place of seeking professional advice from a licensed veterinarian and/or dog trainer.

No type of guarantee is implied in the above article that using these methods will help you house train your puppy or dog. I personally used a few of the above mentioned methods for my own pets which worked for me and may not be correct for everyone else to use for house training their pets.