Can it be just house owners that have puppy training problems or are these worse for apartment owners?. I am quite often asked about the best way of organizing a potty training spot. Should it be situated outdoors or indoors? It is not as foolish as it may sound. Some people reside in apartments but still need a place for their pups to relieve themselves. If you think about it, virtually just about every cat owner possesses a cat litter tray in their house. Now I know that using a puppy potty area inside your home is not ideal but, some individuals circumstances mean that this is the only method available. It’s obvious that the place has to be well ventilated.
Your bathroom might be the best choice because it’ll most likely have a hard washable floor as well. You can purchase dog litter (just like the cat stuff but you need more of it!). A few people make use of regular newspaper although there could be an unpleasant side effect here. The most suitable stuff is un-printed newsprint paper which has the same absorbent qualities without the side effects. Why would you not use normal newspaper? Basically, the puppy can associate potty time with newspaper (any newspaper) and unfortunately can see every newspaper as a possible toilet (even though it has just come through the letterbox). This can be quite embarrassing in someone else’s house.Just as soon as you get the area sorted out you’re able to move onto teaching your pup the significance of it.
The simplest way is usually to encourage them to connect visiting that area with going to the toilet. This can be done by taking them to it when they show warning signs of wanting to go. Try to look for circling or sniffing the ground, suddenly halting playing and walking away, spinning around in circle with their backs arched and (distinct sign) sniffing at the scene of a prior mishap. You might feel you have cleaned it away but the pup will still be able to smell it and will try to use the same place.
You then take them over to the doggy toilet and allow them do what they do. After this you praise them. Repeat this each time and they will soon learn that this is what you want. They’ll not question why, they’ll just relate going in the right place with praise. This needs to be carried out in a quiet fashion as you do not want to get them too excited. Should they get too excited, they get tense and then can’t go. This naturally, defeats the point of the exercise. You should therefore, retain a calm manner to help your dog relax enough to relieve itself.
Time intervals will vary a lot depending on the puppy’s age. For instance, when aged up to say fourteen weeks, you will be looking at perhaps eight to ten breaks every day. This can scale down to about half of that by the time the pup is aged about thirty weeks.
When they’re young, they are not physically developed enough to hold themselves in for too long. This is why they should be taken outdoors perhaps every two hours or so. You need to closely observe the period after eating or drinking as these are common “toilet times”. Really though, they can only hold themselves for an hour or so for every month of age. Put simply they’ll not really last through the night.
It sounds odd but some dog owners maintain a written record of when the puppy “goes”. This gives them an improved idea of the dog’s natural bodily rhythms. The main items to note are eating, sleeping and going to the toilet. The owners find it easier to work out the relationship between the events, which certainly makes sense. It could in addition, highlight some health problems if the puppy starts to break with these standard times.
The next step is when your puppy senses the urge to go and realizes if they come to tell you (or perhaps go straight to the potty area) they get praise. Usually, this involves scratching the door, barking or whining. In time they’ll probably head straight for his or her potty. You are suddenly making big progress. Keep the praise going, even if there are some mishaps.
If you shout at or scold the pup they will think that you’re cross about them going to the toilet, rather than going in the wrong place. A simple detail but a world of difference. In conclusion, find an area, take the pup to it when they feel the need and then encourage them to tell you when they want to go.That’s about as simple as it gets when potty training your puppy.
Harry J Parkin
Just because an article has been around for a while doesn't mean it isn't relevant to today.