Arguably One Of The Hardest Tasks For Dog Owners.

Potty training is one of the most essential elements of being a pet owner and yet, it is also one of the toughest. A lot of people get a hard time potty training their dogs. It takes a lot of patience, dedication, and of course, love and understanding.

If you want to potty train your dog, you will find this article helpful. In this post, let us take a look at the best way to potty train your dog.

Teach The Potty Cue

The first thing you need to do is establish a potty cue. It is crucial that you know when your dog will tell you that he needs to relieve himself.

Timing is everything here. Usually, dogs need to go after 5-20 minutes of eating a meal. This means that after eating his meal, you can expect that he needs to poop. This is the perfect time for you to teach him the potty cue.

Potty cues begin by showing your pet how to signal when they need to relieve themselves. You may start by letting your pup sit on a rug in front of the bathroom door or by standing at the back door.

When your pet barks or shows a sign of agitation, open the door and let them do their thing. If you do not want them to bark, and you want to avoid excessive barking, you can teach them to ring a bell or pressable buzzer.

Set A Potty Area (For Outdoors)

Put your puppy on a leash and walk them out to your yard. Stay in the place where you want your furry friend to relieve himself. When your puppy has done his business, reward him with treats and verbal praises. This makes peeing outside a positive experience. If your puppy did not relieve himself after 10-15 minutes, bring him back inside the house.

Repeat the same process after a few minutes or when your dog is showing signs of pooping.

Choose a spot where you let your dog relieve himself. Use the same spot consistently as this will also serve as a cue to your dog.

Pee Pads (For Indoors)

Sometimes, it is not possible to bring your dog outside. If you’re planning to teach him how to relieve inside your home, you might need to use pee pads.

When choosing a place to put pee pads, make sure that the floor is easy to clean. A bathroom or laundry floor could be among your best options.

On the first few days of pee pad training, make sure that your pup’s bed is near the potty spot. This helps you in supervising him. Gradually change the pee pads but leave at least one spoiled pad on top of the new ones to remind your puppy that it is his bathroom.

When your puppy is used to using pee pads after a long run, little by little you can remove the pads and make his bed farther from your bed until you get to place him in your chosen spot.

Crate

When you are not home, provide your pet an area to pee such as a crate. Remember, you are not in your home to see or hear his cues. So, it would be best to have a place where he can quickly relieve himself without your help.

A crate is a great tool to help your dog in this situation. This limits accidents in your home house and keeps your place clean.

Choose the right crate size. The crate should be big enough for him to stand up in, turn around, and lie down.

Do’s And Don’ts For Potty Training

Potty training is a huge topic and a big project to undertake. For this reason, please take a quick look at the following tips:

• Do not punish your puppy for not following your command in a snap of a second.
• When you see him relieving himself in an undesignated place, call his attention and point to the crate, pee pad, or the potty areas you made for him.
• If you see evidence of accidents, do not be mad and yell at your dog’s face. He does not know what you are mad about.
• After doing what he has been told, make sure to give him praise and reward.
• Clean up and disinfect the potty spot to avoid any health issues.
• Potty training can effectively start at around 12-16 weeks. During this time, your dog should already have the ability to control his bladder and bowel movement. If you wait longer than 16 weeks, you may have a more difficult and challenging time to potty train your dog.
• Set a schedule. Consistency is key in potty training.
• Be patient. No one gets it right the first time they potty train their dog. Though training your dog may be challenging, the result is actually rewarding.

Get The Right Help

Admittedly, this blog only gives you a general glimpse of what potty training is all about. There are specific things you need to do in specific situations. For this reason, don’t hesitate to seek expert advice and help.

You can speak to your vet to help you design a potty training plan. You can also look for an eligible and qualified pet trainer who can assist you in training your pet. Finally, you can also watch tutorial videos and read other articles to get as much information as possible.