Posts Tagged ‘how to potty train puppies’
Crate Training – Really the Best Way for Potty Training Puppies?
November 11th, 2009 | 
Author: Crate Training – really the best way for potty training puppies?
Im not sure if you have heard of this before but crate training can be one of the best ways to potty train your dog or puppy. Its especially good to start out early and get on them while they are young. If your puppy is raised with the right training then you are far less likely to have any accidents. Later on.
The whole theory behind crate training is to put your dog in a adequately sized crate and make this his bed. Just like humans, dogs don’t want to sleep in their own waste one bit. So by making the cage the right size the dog will be very reluctant to wet his bed.
So does Crate Training Work?
One of the great benefits of this as far as training a puppy is that it teaches them that they can hold it. They don’t have to relieve themselves every time that they feel the urge to go. Now this helped me a lot because I go to work during the day and sometimes there wouldn’t be anyone to look after Kenny for a while. Since I potty trained him with a crate he now knows that he can wait until I get back home to go. He dosen’t have to go every time he feels it. Its also helpful for making sure that if you cant watch your puppy he doesn’t go all over the house. When your not there hes stuck in the crate so he doesn’t have the option of using the bathroom wherever he pleases.
Important
The most important thing to remember if you are going to crate train your puppy is to get the right sized cage. To small of a crate obviously has problems because you don’t want your dog to be uncomfortable. It is going to be his bed, you wouldn’t want to sleep in a 5 year-olds race car bed would you? Also to big of a cage can be an issue as well. If the create is to big it can hamper your potty training efforts because the puppy will just use one corner of the cage. If he gets use to this you may find that he uses that instead of learning to go outside. This can be a major setback in potty training puppies. You have to teach them right from the start.
Hope you take this into account if you are thinking about potty training your puppy with a crate. There are some great advantages to it so i would highly recommend it.
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Talk to your Puppy – Use Verbal Clues When Potty Training Puppies
Talking to your dog is very important when your training him, no matter if its potty training or teaching him tricks. Using specific words and tones lets the dog know exactly what is expected of him. When your potty training your dog you can use the command “outside?”.
Some dogs will go to the door when they need to go to the bathroom. But this is not as common as lot of people think. Using a command like “outside” can make the dog come to you when he wants to go outside and use the bathroom. I think this is better because it makes you a important part of the process. The dog doesn’t just want to go outside. He wants you to take him outside.
Once you get him outside you can use another command to try and speed up the process. And also let him know exactly what the trip was for. Something like “potty”, “hurry up”, or “do your numbers”. Work pretty well. Also make sure after you have taken your puppy out and he’s done his business you go right back inside. Make it clear that the trip was for the bathroom only. Don’t start playing or take a walk with him.
Finally there is one thing to keep in mind when using verbal cues to potty train your puppy. If you do decide to use outside as your cue then you need to only use it for bathroom breaks. If you are going to take the dog on a walk or go play fetch you do not want to use “outside” as your cue to come outside with you. This way he will respond to outside by knowing its time to go releave himself.
The First Night Home with your Puppy
Potty training puppies starts the first night that you bring them home. Most puppies that are around 3 months old have very little bladder control and also, very small bladders. No surprise right? That means that you will need to take them outside about every two hours when they are awake to avoid any accidents. Its better if you can start a schedule off the bat and stick too it. Most puppies aren’t aware of themselves enough to tell you when they need to go. So if you wait to long you’ll end up with a mess on your carpet.
Taking them outside every two hours will make sure you don’t wait to long and have your puppy make a mess in the house. If you can keep him from peeing in the house then your potty training efforts will be much more effective. My making sure that he never goes to the bathroom in your house and by making him used to having grass under his feet when he needs to go to the bathroom will teach him that grass is where that is supposed to happen. A good thought to instill into your puppies mind when they are young.
When you take them outside make sure they go. Sometimes it can take up to thirty minutes but its important to make sure they actually do the deed when you take them outside. And make sure you praise them when they do so they know they did something right.
The Schedule
A tentative schedule to follow is to take him straight from the car to the yard and let him do his business. After that every two hours until supper, after dinner take him straight out to the yard again and walk around the yard, try to get the puppy to follow you, walking can speed up the process. Keep up the 2 hour routine until bed time and put him to bed right after you hve taken him outside. If he whines in the night take him out, he probably needs to go potty. After the 3-5 month range most puppies will be able to sleep through the whole night. Following a schedule like this will really help potty train your puppy faster. Hell get the system down and before you know it, he’ll let you know when he wants to go out.
