How did you potty train your puppy?

Question

& For how long?

Answer 1

Lots of good suggestions here! We also taught our dog to ring a bell by the door when she needs (or wants!) to go outside.

Answer 2

Whenever the dog is in the house and not crated put a body harness and leash on the dog, tie end of leash to your belt. Wherever you go the dog goes. When you see the dog start to signal (sniff/circle/scratch) that it's got to go than run the dog out to where you want it to go. Praise, reward (immediately) and use a command word consistently. When the dog shows it's learned to go outside consistently by dragging you to the outside than you can undo the leash from your belt. Keep the leash on the dog still and keep an eye on it whenever it is in the house and not crated so if it starts to make an accident you can grab the leash and run it outside. Once it is going outside with no attempted accidents for at least a week than you can take the leash off.

Remember puppies only have an average hold time of 1 hour for every month of it's life until they reach 8-10 months or so and can hold overnight (usually).

Potty training varies from dog to dog, just like from human to human. Just follow the instructions above and when the dog is going outside consistently and has not attempted to make a mistake in the house in over two weeks, it's housebroken.

Answer 3

Happy puppy day!!!!
House training 101- you need to watch him all the time.

1) Get a crate large enough for him to stand and turn around.

2) Leave him in the crate when you cannot supervise him.

3) When you take him out of the crate- make outside his first stop.

4) Use the same spot to eliminate.

5) Make sure you get in a walk- it'll stimulate him to go.

6) Common times to eliminate are a) after sleeping b) after eating c) after a play session.

Sometimes samples of his own scent (rub the pad over a spot where he has gone) will inspire him to go.

Remember dogs are pack animals- especially pups. So if the pup is with you, then wanders to another room- there's a good reason for his privacy quest. Too many times, they'll wander off, eliminate, then trot back to the owners happy that they've just gone, feeling great, and the unsuspecting human praises the cute pup- thus encouraging the bad habbit.

One more thing- make sure you chemically clean any spot in the house where he has gone. Dogs can smell the animal protines in the urea long after it has passed our sniff/sight test- and if you don't clean it properly- you've given him another sanctioned spot.

Honestly- it doesn't take long if you stay on top of it. But you cannot leave them unsupervised. Trust me- it's better for them- and you- in the long run.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 4

I started by taking her out every two hours. If she "performed" I praised her and took her right back in. If she had an accident in the house, I said "no" and took her outside right away. I used the key word "OUTSIDE". I never, ever, ever hit or slapped her. EVER!! Always take a puppy outside first thing in the morning and just before bed. After the night outing, I said, "Let's go night night. Get in the bed and take a nap." (I used it when she was crated at night and ten years later, it indicates she will get on her sleeping bag beside my bed.) Training a cat is simple. There's the litter pan. Training a dog takes patience!! Up to six months but what wonderful companions they are!!

Answer 5

I started with potty pads...You set them down next to your door and put the puppy on them, they have some sort of scent that makes the puppy want to use them for the bathroom. You use these for a couple weeks and then the puppy will start associating that area (by the door) as the spot to go to the bathrooom, you need to keep a careful eye on him after you remove the pads because he will walk back towards the door and as soon as he does then let him outside and reward him as soon as he does go to the bathroom outside. Then he will be associating going to the bathroom outside as the right thing to do!
Good Luck

Answer 6

When we got our yellow lab (who lives in the house) we just made sure to take her outside at least once every hour for her to go to the bathroom, this way she goes outside and gets used to it right away. I think it only took us about 4 or 5 days and she was potty trained, we got lucky. If you have to leave them alone, make sure its in a kennel that just fits them, usually they wont go in a small kennel because they dont like to sit in they own business. Bring a treat outside with you, so when they go potty, you can reward them right away and they know what its for.

Answer 7

1st of all, don't have them out in the house when you can't supervise them. You have to catch them in the act to tell them no and get them outside.

What I've done with every dog and litter of puppies we've ever fostered is set a timer (stove) that beeps. Set it for every 30 minutes. Take them out when it beeps. Make a huge deal of pottying in the right spot. Give them a biscuit, clap, throw a favorite toy, pet them.

Everyday that they go without accident, add ten minutes. Don't worry about waking them up to go out if they're sleeping when the timer beeps, just make sure to take them out when they wake up.

Be warned, they'll forever run to the backdoor when they hear a beep LOL!

It usually takes two weeks to really sink in.

Good luck.

Answer 8

First of all.... NEVER spank dog. even lightly.

take dog outside.. every 2 hours..
put puppy in ecact same spot you plan to use for toileting..
stay with him until he pee/poo... then praise him..
and give pets and 'good boy'.. if you choose.. a small treat..
then go back in house.
Do not play until he does business.. even the smallest pee gets attention..
Hard to do in middle of night.. but pays off.. big time.
I have trained a dozen or so that way.
Works like a charm...
we all respond to positive.. not negative..
Good luck

Answer 9

We took her outside about every hour, and gave treats every time she went to the bathroom outside. If she went inside we said NO in a commanding voice and took her straight outside. If you also control when they eat, like not leaving food down 24/7, you can control when they go to the bathroom.

Answer 10

Doesn't really help. But I got my dog from a shelter. He was already housebroken and they didn't even know it.

Shelter dogs rule :)

But try crate training (google it) worked for a lot of people I know's dogs.