Potty Training

 

    I figured it was about to time actually post something relevant to training, so here you are!

    Potty training is amongst the most frustrating and time consuming stages in a dogs life. For both the dog and you. But if you remember PCP you can effectively and quickly train your new puppy not to potty on the Persian rug.

    Patience!  

    Patience is probably the hardest thing to come by what puppy is weeing on your freshly cleaned livingroom carpet but it’s the biggest thing to keep in mind. Puppy doesn’t know that livingroom carpet means indoors and indoors means no potty. So you must teach him this by keeping what patience you have and calmly correcting the behavior. A simple AH! and a clap of the hands will do with a quick evacuation of the puppy to the outside. Normally puppy will have already finished his business on the carpet so the evacuation will not be very long.

    To avoid accidents all together make sure puppy is going outside a half an hour after eating or drinking. If puppy doesn’t relieve himself then make sure you take him out every twenty minutes or so after. Even with constant vigilance it is impossible to avoid one or two accidents, just keep this in mind when considering a puppy.

    Consistency!

    Puppy needs a routine, one that will be adopted and kept consistent. An example is;
7am- Immediately outside for potty
7:15am- Food and Water
7:45am- Potty break
8am- If human so chooses back to bed
9am- Potty break
9:15am- Play
9:45am- Sleep
12pm- Food and Water
12:30- potty break
Repeat
5pm- Food and Water
5:30pm- Potty break
8pm- Sleepy time.
Midnight- Potty Break
3am- Potty Break

    Make no mistake, this schedule may not work for everyone, but it is the consistency that matter. For example if you work during the day you may want to consider crate training, or better yet an adult dog.

    Also realize that the midnight and three AM potty breaks are inevitable, unless you want to be cleaning up after Puppy every morning.

    Praise!

    Act stupid when your puppy potties outside. The first time puppy potties outside is like the first time manage to beat that level on Pac Man, Mario Bros, or Halo, sheer bliss. So do your part to let puppy know that he’s done the right thing. Talk in that really high pitched voice and jump up and down. Doesn’t matter who’s around. You can also offer treats and pets, puppy will love that. Just let him know he’s a good dog for pottying outside and not on grandma’s rug. If you stay consistent with your praise like “Good boy go potty!” puppy will learn that’s his cue to do the job and see his human act like a fool.

    I hope this helps someone with their potty training problems. If you have any questions or comments be sure to leave them, I will try and get back to everybody.