If you want to learn how to potty train a dog, you should start while they are still young puppies. Potty training a dog is important in order to improve their dog behavior. This helps them know when and where to do their business and also helps save you time for cleaning and deodorizing.
Knowing how to potty train a dog is a basic part of house training a dog, because they’ll be able to know their place in your household. If you don’t learn how to properly potty train your dog, you’ll end up with a messy mutt in your house whenever it is time for them to relieve themselves.
If you’re not keen on housebreaking a dog, you’ll find that they have difficulty in unlearning their undesirable habits. Of course, you can enroll your pets in obedience training for dogs, but that won’t be necessary if you know how to potty train your pet correctly. This article will walk you through some of the tips that you can follow on how to potty train a dog, and hopefully be useful in keeping your pets obedient, even when it comes to doing their businesses in your house or in any other place they’re in.
They key in learning how to toilet train your dog is to successfully time the IN and OUT of food and excrement in their body. For puppies, you should know that when they take in food, there’s usually 15 to 20 minutes of waiting time until they pee or poop. The purpose of potty training is to get your beloved pet to where you want them to be when it’s time for them to relieve themselves of whatever they ate.
The first step in potty training your dog is to take him outside. You and your pet will stay there until he’s done with his business, or when a long time has gone by without any results. So, when should you take him outside? A good time to take him out is immediately after waking up in the morning. Hopefully, you wake up ahead of him, so that he won’t be able to relieve himself on the floor, or worse, in your bed. In learning how to potty train a dog, you need to have patience and dedication, so even when you still want to sleep, try to wake up early when your pet is still a puppy. You also have to take him out after his naps, because he’ll surely have something stored in his bladder after a restful sleep.
You also have to take him out after his meals, whether it his breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks. As mentioned earlier, 15 to 20 minutes after eating and drinking, your puppy will surely have to go. This way, you’d be able to instill in his mind some basic phrases that he can associate to the act of doing his business. You can say, “Do your business” as he tries to relieve himself. If you do this for quite some time, he’d be encouraged to poop or pee with just your words. Make sure that you praise him when he’s done relieving himself. To further reinforce his actions, you can also give him a treat when he’s successfully pooped or peed. This is quite useful when he’s still a puppy, so that he’ll know that he did a good job. Make sure that you praise him in a cheery voice when he produces.
The next tip on how to potty train a dog is to feed him or give him water when you can take him outside right away. This means you’ll have to ration his meals and drinks at first, so that he’ll be able to develop a routine for relieving himself. You only need to do this when the dog is in training, but when they’re done and you’ve successfully learned how to potty train a dog, you can just leave food and water for them. By rationing the food and water, there will be fewer accidents so your dog learns quickly what you really want him to learn. However, use your judgment to avoid the risk of dehydration, especially in places with hot or dry climate.
The next tip on how to potty train a dog is to quietly clean up poop or pee when your dog does their business somewhere you don’t want them to. This isn’t the time to show that you’re angry, disappointed, or even condescending, because they won’t learn if you show mixed emotions. Just ignore him while you’re cleaning up, and just hope for the best next time he needs to relieve himself. Never yell or physically punish him in any way, because this will just hinder their learning process. They won’t know why you’re punishing them, so there’s no point in hitting or yelling at them.
Lastly, another key on how to potty train a dog is to keep him with you as much as you can, if you are both at home. You could have a leash with you, so that when it’s time to go, you can easily take him outside.