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March 1, 2021 - By :

How to Potty Train Your Puppy

    Everyone loves having a new puppy, but nobody wants to clean up accidents at 2am. Here at Come. Sit. Stay. in Jacksonville, FL we have a handful of tips to make potty training as easy as it can possibly be. So the question is, what’s a good way to actually potty train your puppy? It can be difficult teaching potty training, but it’ll be made easy with a few simple tricks. Grab a few packs of treats and a crate and you’ll be ready to teach your pup. As every pet owner of a puppy knows, pity training can be… well, a messy subject. The good news is that dogs are naturally clean animals and puppies will actually try very hard not to soil their eating or sleeping spaces. They have a solid understanding that there are areas for sleeping, eating, playing—and going potty. Keeping this in mind will help you during the housebreaking process—and hopefully make it happen as quickly as possible. Here are some tips on making it all work.

Make the Space Smaller

For a puppy, a home is a very large, confusing space. In his mind, inside his new big home, there are many different eating, sleeping, playing and bathroom places. It’s difficult for him to understand that, even though our house is so vast, he is not allowed to potty anywhere within it.   This is why one of the easiest and most successful ways to potty-train a puppy is to “make the house smaller” for your pup—if he doesn’t have a complete run of the house, he won’t be able to randomly go off into another room when he needs to pee. If you can, for example, have him in only your living room, kept in by baby gates. He will be much less likely to potty in this smaller space. As he gets older and used to holding it or letting you know when it’s time to go, you can expand his access to the house one extra room at a time.  

Accidents Happen

If you catch your puppy about to go potty inside (but before he actually does), pick him up and carry him outside right away. You can usually tell he is getting ready to go by seeing him sniff the ground intently, turning in circles and then squatting down. It’ll show him where he is supposed to go, verses in the house.    If you catch your puppy after the act, it’s too late to fix the issue this time around. Never punish him by hitting or screaming. It is impossible for him to understand that you are punishing him for the choice of bathroom place. Instead, you will seem unpredictable and scary—not the way you want your puppy to think about you! 

Keep these tips in your back pocket

The two best things you can do for your puppy in potty training is getting into a routine and by praising good behavior. The younger your puppy is, the shorter the time he can hold it before he really, really has to go. For example what we suggest here at Come. Sit. Stay. in Jacksonville, FL is, most puppies have to poop about 5-30 minutes after eating. As a general rule, puppies need to be taken outside: After every meal, after waking up, after playing, and other than that about every 20-30 minutes when they are very young (8-10 weeks of age). Reinforcement in house-training means that every time your pup gets it right (goes outside instead of inside), he should be rewarded. For example, every time your pup goes potty outside, tell him he’s a great dog and offer a treat   If you’re looking for a free in-home consultation or if you have any questions please contact us at (904) 233-0608 or fill out a form here! https://www.comesitstayusa.com/contact/

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