Puppy Potty Training Basics
10/15/2005
The basics of puppy potty training
Who can resist the adorable gaze of an eight week old little puppy? They can give you such a cute stare with their little neck tilted to the side and tiny eyebrows looking at you with an excited gaze. But they also use your house as a huge permanent bathroom.
Training your puppy increases your joy of having a dog, and makes the relationship with your dog much stronger. An untrained dog is an invitation for disaster. It doesn’t matter if its a four pound Toy Poodle or a 100 pound German Shepard, a dog who doesn’t listen is always in danger.
Here is what to expect each day:
6 to 14 weeks old: 8 to 10 bathroom breaks
14 to 20 weeks old:6 to 8 bathroom breaks
20 to 30 weeks old: 4 to 6 bathroom breaks
30 weeks to a year: 3 to 4 bathroom breaks
CRATE TRAINING
Crate training works on the principle that puppies are instinctively clean animals. I recommend a crate large enough to shelter your full-size dog, and simply partition it off, moving the divider as the pup grows.At all times, the crate should be just large enough to allow the puppy to stand comfortably, turn around. and lie down. Otherwise, he just might go to the rear of the crate and do his business there.
A DAILY ROUTINE
You must make a schedule and stick to it . It doesn’t matter what your schedule is, your puppy will adapt to it as long as it is the same time EVERY day. For example: 9 to 9:30 A.M. take the puppy from the crate and immediatly outside, always to the same spot. Bring him in and feed him.Twenty to thirty minutes later, take him back outside.
Make sure to give your puppy both quality time and crate time before you rush off to work. By noon you will want to repeat this routine of food, outside time, and crate time, then again at 5 or 6 P.M.
And of course let your little friend outside before 11 P.M. and you retire for the evening. And don’t forget to get up at 3:00 A.M., thats right - three o’clock . This is important only for the first few weeks due to a tiny blatter.
A CATCHPHRASE
Each time you take your puppy out of the crate , repeat a catchphrase such as “Want go poddy?” Use the same door everytime you take your puppy outside. After just a few weeks stop carring your little dog and say “Want to go poddy?” He will make the connection, and run out the door.
SIX STEPS TO REMEMBER
1. Outside toilet time is no fun. Keep this very serious business (distiguish playing time with toilet time).
2. Don’t blame your dog. Remember they are only animals.
3. Use only one command. Then reinforce. (NO! SIT?)
4. A training collar will help you guide your dog and “check” your dog if needed.
5. Teach “STAY” ( for his protection).
6. Understanding your puppy and knowing what he needs both physically and emotionally will help a great deal.
mary cornish said,
April 3, 2008 @ 9:27 pm
ok my dog will be 2yrs on april 18 2008
he keep going to the bathroom in his creat off and on something he mark my bed at time what can i do. I leave for work at 6:15am and home at 4pm and he fine i take him right outside and went i am at home from 4pm unit i go to sleep he go outside about 4 to 5 time i am sleep by 9pm sometime 10pm and that went he go in his creat his he doing this to make me mad. i know that he can hold it he does it monday thur friday weekend i let him out all day long and the last time about 9pm or 10pm then we go to bed. he is a toy poodle, he weight about 11-12 pound.if he act up i make him go in the creat , like just morning he went in the creat last night i beleive he is upset with me because i made he come downstair and go to bed he was upstair with the girls in there room,went ever he upset that went he go in the creat. he is very smart. went he come in from doing his thing in the morning and went i get home from work and he does his thing he get a treat and i said that a good boy you went potted good boy.