How to house train your dog or puppy | Become Your Dog or Puppy Expert to Potty In One Week

Training your dog at home or puppy demands perseverance, dedication and a lot of constancy. There will be some mistakes in the process If you stick to these guidelines for house training to get the new pet on the right path.

To potty train your puppy, establish a routine

Puppies do best on a regular schedule. It helps them understand that there are times to eat, times when they can play and when to do their work. Most puppies are able to regulate their bladder for one hour for each month. If your puppy is 2 months old they'll be able to hold it for approximately two hours. Do not go more than that between bathroom breaks or you'll be likely to be in a situation where they slip.

You should take your dog out at minimum every two hours, and shortly after they awake while playing, and afterwards as well as after having a meal or drink.

Choose a toilet outdoors, and make sure you bring your puppy (on leash) to the spot. While your puppy relieves themselves, make use of an appropriate phrase or word that you could use later prior to leaving to remind them of what to do. You can take them to a longer walk or a playtime after they've got rid of.

Give your dog a treat each time they go outside to eliminate. Reward them with treats or praise. But be sure to reward them right after they've completed their exercise, not when they've returned to the inside. This is crucial since rewarding your dog's behavior for going outside is the only way to show what is expected from them. Before you reward, make sure that they've finished. Puppy's are often distracted, when you give praise them too quickly, they might be distracted until they're in the home.

Set your puppy up on a routine feeding schedule. What is put into a puppy who is on a routine emerges from an animal that is following a plan. Based on their age they may have to be fed three or two times daily. Feeding your puppy at same time each day makes it easier for them to remove in a consistent manner as well and make house-training simpler for you and your puppy.

Make sure to pick up the puppy's water bowl about 2-1/2 hour before it's time to sleep to lessen the chances that they'll have to relieve themselves at night. The majority of puppies will rest for about seven hours without needing to take a bathroom break. If your puppy wakes you up at night and you are awake, don't make a noise about it. Otherwise they'll think that it's an opportunity to have fun and will not want to return to sleep. Make sure to turn off as little light as you can. Don't interact with or talk to your puppy. Instead, take them to the place in which they can relieve themselves, before returning to bed.

Supervise your puppy

Do not give your dog an chance to stomp around the home; keep your eye on them when they're inside.

Bind your puppy to your own or to a nearby piece of furniture using the 6-foot leash when you're not in the habit of engaging in training or playing. Look out for signs that your puppy should go outside. There are some obvious signs, like scratching or barking against the doors, sitting or squirming, nervousness, sniffing or the circling. If you notice these signs, pick up the leash and lead the dog out to their bathroom. If they don't the bathroom, congratulate them and reward them with treats.

Leash your dog within the backyard. While you are house-training your puppy your yard should be treated as every other area in your house. Allow your puppy to roam within the yard and in the house until they have become house-trained.

When you can't supervise, confine

When you're unable to watch your puppy at all times, restrict them to an area small enough that they won't want to eliminate there.

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The space should be big enough to comfortably stand, lie down and turn around. You can use a portion of a bathroom or laundry room blocked off with baby gates.
Or you may want to crate train your puppy. (Be sure to learn how to use a crate humanely as a method of confinement.) If your puppy has spent several hours in confinement, you'll need to take them directly to their bathroom spot as soon as you return.

Mistakes happen

Expect your puppy to have a few accidents in the house—it's a normal part of house training. Here's what to do when that happens:

Without a lot of drama, immediately take them to their outside bathroom spot. Praise your pup and give a treat if they finish there.
Don't punish your puppy for eliminating in the house. If you find a soiled area, just clean it up. Rubbing your puppy's nose in it, taking them to the spot and scolding them or any other punishment will only make them afraid of you or afraid to eliminate in your presence. Punishment will do more harm than good.
Clean the soiled area thoroughly. Puppies are highly motivated to continue soiling in areas that smell like urine or feces.

It's extremely important that you use these supervision and confinement procedures to minimize the number of accidents. If you allow your puppy to eliminate frequently in the house, they'll get confused about where they’re supposed to go, which will prolong the house training process.

Make plans for when you're away

If you have to be away from home more than four or five hours a day, this may not be the best time for you to get a puppy. Instead, you may want to consider an older house-trained dog who can wait for your return. If you already have a puppy and must be away for long periods of time, you may need to:

Arrange for someone, such as a responsible neighbor or a professional pet sitter, to take them for bathroom breaks.
Alternatively, train them to eliminate in a specific place indoors. Be aware, however, that doing this can prolong the process of house training. Teaching your puppy to eliminate on newspaper may create a life-long surface preference, meaning that even as an adult they may eliminate on any newspaper lying around the living room.
If you plan to paper-train, confine them to an area with enough room for a sleeping space, a playing space and a separate place to eliminate. In the designated elimination area, use either pet pee pads, newspapers (cover the area with several layers of newspaper) or a sod box. To make a sod box, place sod in a container such as a child's small, plastic swimming pool. You can also find dog litter products at a pet supply store.
If you have to clean up an accident outside the designated elimination area, put the soiled rags or paper towels inside that area afterward to help your puppy recognize the scented area as the place where they are supposed to eliminate.