I have a 4 month old puppy what is the best way to potty train?

Question

I've tried alot of diffrent methods my husband bought him at 2 months i need help, do i need a trainer?

Answer 1

Kennel training. It's the fast way. He will not want to lay in his pee or poop all day so he won't go where he has to lay. Good Luck!

Answer 2

When I got my dog she was already six months and I was afraid I was not going to be able to train her because she was older but I did it in two days. This is what I did: The first day I got her I was just looking after her, you can kinda tell when they are about to go because they start smelling around, she had an accident and I saw her doing it and I went over and yelled at her "NO" and she got scared. The next day the same thing I caught her going #2 and yelled at her again. She got really scared (I felt really bad) but after that everytime she needs to go she'll start wimpering or something to get my attention. If I am not home she will hold it, she has not had an accident since. But you also need to be very consistent with them, for example I take my dogs out every morning for about a 30 min. walk and that will hold them till I get home. As soon as I get home I'll let them out the backyard. Then before they go to sleep i let them out again. Please don't rub their nose in it, I heard it does not work and also don't yell at them if you do not see them actually doing it because they do not know why you are yelling at them. They need to make the relation between them peeing and you yelling. GOOD LUCK!

Answer 3

It's a great idea to go to puppy classes - you'll learn a lot and of course be able to chat with other puppy owners, and get info that way.
For expert advice about potty training, go here:

http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

When I got my 1st shelter rescue, I was very resistant to crate training. But, it is truly the kindest and clearest (and therefore quickest!) way to teach your pup how to make the right potty choices. Your own consistency is the key to successful crate training. Good luck!

Answer 4

I crate trained my dog for 2 weeks. You only let the dog out to pee and poop and to eat. Most people feed their animals while they are in the crate but I think that leads to the dogs peeing and pooping in the crate.


Good Luck

Answer 5

i heard that when he uses the bathroom put its nose in it and then whip it and then take and set it on its pea mat or whatever it's suppose to b using. thats the best way i heard to do it.

Answer 6

i found this answer good for me and our family dog, maybe be good for yours dog too

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Establishing a routine with your dog is essential to good training. Your routine should include feeding times, bathroom breaks, playtimes, training and timeouts. Having a young pup is just like having a small child when it comes to potty training. Young pups, just like young children have very underdeveloped bladders. A young child does not necessarily know when they need to go to the bathroom until they are doing it. The same thing applies to your young pup. If only it was as easy to control your pups peeing on the floor as it is to control your child’s peeing on the floor. Your child generally wears a diaper if they are not potty trained, but putting a diaper on your pup is very impractical and darn near impossible. How long do you think a diaper would actually last on your pup’s backside before it is ripped off and shredded? If your pup is anything like mine, about 30 seconds. There is an easy way to know when your pup may need to go to the bathroom. Depending on your pup’s water intake, and amount of exercise, this chart can help you keep your floors and carpets protected from your pets bathroom habits. Approximate age to hours your pup is able to hold their bladders starting at 8 weeks of age, (General time your pup will enter your home to begin your lives together.) 8 -12 weeks of age (2 - 3 months of age) = 30 mins 12 - 16 weeks of age (3 - 4 months of age) = 45 mins to 1 hour 16 - 24 weeks of age (4 - 6 months of age) = 11/2 to 3 hours 24 - 36 weeks of age (6 - 9 months of age) = 31/2 to 6 hours 36 + weeks of age (9 months to 1 year+) = 6 to 10 hours These times may vary with your dog. Different breeds mature at different times in their life. A small breed dog matures faster than a large breed dog, so your large breed dog may need more frequent ‘bathroom-breaks’. It is always a good practice to take your pup out every 30mins to 1hour when you are home, even when they are older. Repeatedly letting your dog out will solidify your training efforts. When training your pup to go to the bathroom outside it is good to establish a routine as well as some familiar words to coach your pup into the right behavior. Every time you take your pup outside to go to the bathroom use the same spot as much as possible. The familiar smell of their urine will help them recognize that this is the spot to ‘go’. When you take your pup outside to 'go', say to your pup, "Go pee." or some other similar phrase over and over again until they actually start to go. With using this phrase over and over again the dog comes to realize that this word means to 'go pee' and you will have a dog that will pee almost on command. When they start to 'go' use the phrase again with a 'good dog' added. Give your pup lots of praise when they are done and possibly a treat. Praise is one of the most useful training tools you can use. Dogs respond better to praise than yelling. Just like us, dogs like to be praised for something they do right and strive to achieve praise. With established potty times, using the 'go pee' words and lots of praise your pup will come to understand where it is acceptable to 'go pee' and where it is not. This will make your life a lot easier and your bond between you and your dog will grow stronger. You should never give your pup the full run of the house, even when you are home, and never when your not home. Set up a medium to large crate for your pup in your house. If you don’t have a crate, a bathroom or laundry room will do, any place in the house that has easy to clean floors. Place towels or blankets, food and water bowls, a few toys and newspaper or absorbent ‘doggy’ pads in your dogs space. This area should be warm and inviting to your dog. Just like us, your dog needs its own area to relax. Giving them this space gives your dog a place to go when things become stressful for them, like when you have company over that may be to loud for them. This will also restrict the area your pup has to make a mess. It is against a dog’s nature to urinate or defecate in the same area they sleep in. Give your dog a big enough space so that they can ‘do their business’ away from their sleeping area. Some people take their pups out for long walks to tire them out before they leave them home alone. Extra exercise requires extra water intake, which will increase your pups urination and accidents in the home when left alone. If you feel the need to exercise your pup before you go out, do this a good hour and a half to two hours before you plan to leave. Let your pup out a few times before you leave to make sure they have emptied their bladder as much as possible. Remember your pup will have accidents, but with a little time and effort you will have a happy new addition to your family and a clean comfortable home.
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Breeder of Border Collies/Professional Pet Groomer/Dog Trainer

10 months ago - Report Abuse

Answer 7

How long it will take you to house train your dog depends on your dedication to the training process and your puppy's maturity and learning rate.

Things you will need to housetrain your puppy are a properly fitted crate, a collar and leash, some treats, and time and patience.

You also need to pick a spot for your puppy to go potty. Using the same spot each time will help the puppy recognize that this is where he should go, and the smell from going there other times will help him go potty faster when you take him out.

I don't recommend using doggie litter boxes or those puppy pads. If you want your dog to always go potty in the house fine, then use this article to teach them to go there. But don't complain to me when your dog starts going other places in the house. Dogs often times cannot tell the difference between a puppy pad and your expensive rug. All they know is its ok to go potty in the house so any area with a roof is fair game for elimination. Also trying to paper train a dog and then trying to switch the dog to going outside is counterproductive and confusing for the dog. Doing this will only slow the training down. So forget the puppy pads and start teaching your dog to go outside from day one. If you have already been using them throw them out and start all over from the beginning, but keep mind the process may take a little longer the second time around since once your dog has bad habits they are hard to break. Its much easier to prevent them than to correct them later.

When looking for a crate you want one that is big enough for your dog to stand up, turn around and lay down. You don't want it so big that he can lay in one end and use the other end as a bathroom. If he can do this trust me he will. There are all kinds of different styles of crates: the two most common are wire and plastic. But they come in mesh, wicker, all sorts of different materials now. I would recommend choosing either a wire or plastic one, especially for puppies that like to chew. Here are some pros and cons of plastic and wire crates.

Plastic: These come in several sizes so can accommodate nearly every size of dog. They also give a more den like feeling to the dog and have less of a cage look. The disadvantage to these crates is that you may need to buy more than one to accommodate a growing puppy, and they take up more room if you want to store them even though they usually will come apart in halves for storage. There are also some newer plastic crates that will fold up similar to a wire crate.

Wire: Like the plastic crate these also come in a variety of sizes. They do look more like cages though, something that can be fixed by purchasing a cover for it. A cover will also help some dogs feel more secure in a wire crate. The advantage of these is that you can buy a size to fit your dog when it is full grown. Wire crates have dividers available for purchase so that you can make the crate fit your puppy. These also have a storage advantage in that most fold up very neatly and can be stored easily.

Next you will need to introduce your puppy to its crate. Just sticking the puppy in there without a positive introduction can be very stressful for the pup. I like to bring a new puppy home on a day off, and try to pick it up as soon as possible in the morning. This way I have all day to introduce the puppy to the crate so that by bedtime the puppy will feel pretty comfortable with its crate and shouldn't fuss to much.

Start by showing the puppy the crate and let him explore it. Next show your puppy a treat and then toss it inside. When your puppy goes in to get the treat praise him excitedly. Repeat this a few times and then end this session. If your pup won't go all the way in the crate to get the treat try throwing it closer to the door, or even outside the door and then gradually toss it farther back, until the pup goes all the way in.

After an hour or two have another session with crate. If your pup went all the way in the last time start there, if not start at the point you left off. After a couple times of going in the crate and coming right back out you can shut the door. But let the pup out after a second or two. Repeat this gradually increasing the amount of time the pup is in the crate. If you do this several times the first day by the time your ready for bed your pup should be pretty comfortable with the crate. I also like to repeat this process for a day or two after the pup comes home.

Also remember that whenever your dog is crated you need to remove any type of collar, even a buckle collar can catch on a crate and strangle a dog.

Now that you have your crate set up and your pup introduced to it you need to put your puppy on a feeding schedule. Puppies 8 wks to 6 months should be given three meals a day. After six months this can be cut down to 2 meals. Free-feeding (having food available all the time) is not recommended. It can lead to obesity and makes it harder to housetrain your puppy. Another disadvantage to this feeding method is that it will be harder for you tell if your dog is off food which can be a sign of illness. Feeding on a schedule allows you to predict when your puppy will need to go out. If you know when it went in you can predict when it will come out. You will want to divide your dog's full daily amount into three smaller meals. Give him the food and after twenty minutes take away the bowl whether there is food in it or not. Dogs will generally consume all they want in twenty minutes. Take your puppy to his potty spot about 15-20 minutes after he has finished eating. Repeat the go potty command while you are waiting for him to go. When he starts to go tell him good boy go potty, and when he has finished give him a treat and make a big fuss over him.

I'd also like to tell you how to tell if your puppy is getting to much or to little food. The recommendations on dog food bags are just a starting point. Start with that amount and then watch to see if your dog needs more or less. The way to tell is to do a rib check. You shouldn't be able to see the ribs, if you can add more food. You should be able to easily feel the ribs under a thin layer of fat, if you have trouble feeling the ribs, cut back the amount of food.

In addition to having to go out after meals your puppy will also need to go potty after he wakes up from a nap, after playing, and first thing in the morning and before bed. Signs that your puppy needs to go out: are restlessness and circling an area while sniffing. If your puppy does these things it's a safe bet to take him out. Remember though that individual dogs have their own signs of needing to go to the bathroom and you will soon pick up on these signals as well.

When you are out for potty breaks you should stand still, if he wants to play ignore him. You want him to know that it is time to go to the bathroom not time to play. If you allow him to play before he goes to the bathroom he may start to hold out on you to extend his playtime. Once he has gone to the bathroom however you can play all you want. Stay outside with your dog for about 10 minutes to wait for him to go, if he doesn't go in ten minutes just pick him up and carry him back inside matter-of-factly. No treats or playtime on the way in. When you get back into the house he will either need to be crated or watched like a hawk. Try again in ten minutes. Repeat until he goes.

Another mistake a lot of people make when they bring their new puppy home is to allow him free run of the place. This will only hurt your training and will also cause your dog to get into a lot of trouble. Young puppies need to be watched. When your puppy can't be watched he should be in his crate. This way he can't make a mistake or get into trouble.

Accidents:

The only time you can punish your puppy for having an accident in the house is if you catch him in the act. Even then it's less of a punishment and more of a redirection. If you see your puppy going to the bathroom in the house, startle him with a sharp NO and take him outside to finish the job. When he finishes outside, give him a treat and lots of praise. Back inside the house clean up the mess and use an enzymatic cleaner (such as OUT or Nature's Miracle) to remove all traces of the mess so he won't be tempted to use the same spot. Most carpet cleaners will leave traces of the mess that you can't see or smell, but your pet can.

If you find a mess after the fact, well to bad that one is your fault, you should have been watching the puppy. Simply clean it up and try to watch more carefully. If you try to scold your pup after the fact he will have no idea what you are mad about and will be confused and may even become scared of you. NEVER, NEVER rub your dogs nose in urine or feces. It is not only disgusting but it also has no training value what so ever. Hitting your dog with anything including a rolled up newspaper is also unacceptable.

Young puppies may need to use the bathroom during the night, so I advise putting the crate in your bedroom. This way if the puppy sounds restless you can take him to the bathroom. This will also make your puppy feel more secure because he is close to you. If you do need to take your puppy out in the middle of the night make sure you allow him to go to the bathroom only. No playtime for these outings. Still give him a treat and praise, but do so in a quieter manner than you would during the day. This way you won't get him all riled up the middle of night. Remember if you let him get away with playing in the middle of the night he will begin to expect it, and you don't want that. How long night time outings will last depends on the age of your puppy, and how fast his bladder matures.

It also helps to have his last meal of the day at least two hours before bed and take away his water an hour before bed. You don't want to put it in the crate with him, it would be unfair to the puppy to expect him to have a supply of water and then not have to go to the bathroom all night long. The only thing that should be in your dog's crate are a chew toy and maybe a doggie blanket. Although some pups will urinate on absorbant materials that are in their crate, if yours does remove it. Also if you see that your puppy is chewing on his blanket it should be removed. If the puppy ingests part of the blanket it could cause an intestinal blockage. If that happens emergency surgery is needed to remove the blanket from the intestines.

I know this sounds like a lot of work but that is what puppies are. They are also a lot of fun and that should make up for the work part of having a puppy. And just keep in mind that one day soon you will have a beautiful dog who is housetrained and is a joy to have around.

(Note: if you are going to use this article to train a dog that had previously been housetrained and is now having accidents, please contact your vet first. If your dog suddenly "forgets" his housetraining it can be a sign of infection, and that needs to be treated. Once you have confirmed that the dog is healthy with your vet, then refresh your dog with this article)

Answer 8

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