I just got my puppy and now I will take it home and show it where to go and all will be good! What reality do you live in? You just brought home a baby infant puppy. They do not come potty trained nor do they have a clue what that is right now. It doesn’t take long to get that overwhelmed feeling when it comes to potty training issues with your new puppy. Consistent timing, crate training, learning your puppies body language to determine if he is needing to go, and of coarse cleaning up accidents off the floor. How in the world can you find time to do these things plus have time to work and do all the other things called life. We are going to go over a few easy to follow steps that you and your puppy can follow and master in no time. Some do’s and don’t s.
What is House training really?
It’s all about teaching your puppy when and where to go potty. Dogs are creatures of habit. They need a place of their own for potting. To help your dog learn and be successful you will need to locate a spot for him to potty, set a schedule and follow through with consistency. House training is all about having the same rules and never changing them.
When your puppy potties in the correct spot reward him.
If your puppy goes out and potties then praise him and give a small treat. Make a big deal about it and get excited. Puppies love this. What you do not do is spank him or scream at him if he goes in the house. He would have no clue why you’re screaming or hitting him and that will make house training a lot harder. It will make him scared of you and then he will develop trust issues and this will just make things worse. If you catch him in the act pick him up quickly and move him outside to his spot. Even if he is done he will at least start making the connection. Clean up any mess and spray the area with a cleaner that will eliminate the scent. We do not want them identifying this spot later as a place to potty. One solution is 50% water and 50 % vinegar in a spray bottle. Of coarse you can just buy something at the store as well.
House training is paying close attention to the details.
You must pay attention to the body language of your puppy. He will give hints when he needs to go potty. It’s up to you to learn them. When should you be watching the most for potty signals?
- Right after they wake up from a nap.
- Right after they eat
- Right after and during a lot of playing time.
- First thing every morning.
- At least every 3 hours while they are very young
These are the best times to go ahead and take them out to their potty spot. Do not carry them every time. They need to learn where to go by themselves.
Provide a comfortable surface for your puppy to go on.
If you own a Bama Husky then he or she is already use to going on wood shavings. They will feel very comfortable at their new home if you place some shavings in the area of the yard you want them to use to potty. This could speed up the process of learning. Give it a try. This is called a conditional response.
Feed puppy on a regular schedule.
Your puppy should be eating twice a day. Never leave extra food in a bowl for your puppy to free feed. Feed every morning and every evening. Make the evening feeding at least 4 hours before bed time. This will give your puppy time to potty before bedtime and possibly sleep through most of the night. Your puppies ability to hold it during the night will depend on the same factors that influence how long he can hold it during the day. Its all about the schedule you have developed, your dogs age and activity level in the crate.
Crate Training
Crate training is about keeping your puppy confined to a small space forcing it to learn to hold its bladder and poop for a little while and not just pooping where ever it wants while in the house. Dogs do not like to eliminate where it sleeps. A puppy will be able to hold it’s bowels for just a couple hours while young. If you are going to leave it while you work a regular job then you do not need to use a divider in the crate. You will be forcing your puppy to lay in its on poop and pee as it can not hold it all day. Crate the puppy when you are just going to be gone for a couple hours or will not be watching it closely. Then take it out of the crate and outside immediately each time. Slowly your puppy is going to get it. Slowly your puppy will be able to hold it longer as it gets older
Don’t give up after a couple weeks if things are still not going as you hoped. The puppy will get it in time. Be consistent on taking him out to potty and with feeding and watering. You create a schedule and stick to it. Every puppy will have his oops moments. Keep a close eye on him and take him out at the first sign he is going to potty and you will set him up for success.
Bama Huskies and Purina working together for healthier dogs.
