Puppy Potty Training – How to Teach Them When and Where To Go

Dog crates are wonderful training tools, but you must remember that is not all there is to housetraining your puppy. You also need to teach your dog where to go to the bathroom and how to let you know that it needs to go outside. Your dog also needs a command to fallow that lets him know to go potty, something that will get him to do a job quicker and where you ask him to do it.

You can teach both of these rules immediately. Take your puppy to the place where you want it to relieve itself and give him time to sniff and circle around. If you have kids keep them in the house when you are doing this task. It is important to leave the dog alone when you are potty training it. This is not a time for games; let it concentrate on what it should be doing.

While your dog is relieving itself, tell it softly (but don’t interrupt), “Go Potty! Go Potty!” (You can choose what ever words you would like to say.) After the dog has gone to the bathroom, praise him more. Let him know that he is a good boy and he did something right.

Every time your puppy needs to go to the bathroom take it to this spot, and repeat the process every time. No matter how long the process takes, you must stick with it in order to potty train your dog. For some dogs this process may take several weeks before it knows where its potty spot is.

The most important thing is to go outside with the dog. If you let the dog out by itself, you have no way of telling weather or not it has actually gone potty. The dog may come right back in the house and relieve itself in the living room; it may even sneak off into a different room and relieve itself. If you send the dog outside you will have no success with teaching the dog a command, and you cannot praise it.

Walking Your Puppy

When you take your dogs on walks and you come to a spot where it would be okay for your dog to relieve itself, tell them they can relieve themselves here as well. Remember to praise your dog after it goes to the bathroom and always pick up after it. One of the most important things in teaching a dog their potty spots is choosing wisely where they can and can not go. Don’t let your dog use the bathroom in your neighbor’s yard or in the front yard of a business.

Make sure to practice housetraining in various locations. If you take your dog only to your backyard to relieve itself, they will take this command so seriously that they will not go to the bathroom anywhere else. If you travel with your dog, they might try to go without going to the bathroom for too long which can be harmful to them.

As your dog gets into the routine of going outside you will be able to ask him if he needs to go outside. They will often respond with a bark and walk towards the door. They may also sit at the door and repeatedly bark until you acknowledge them and let them out. As your dog gets older you will be able to let him out without having to watch him.