Potty training does not have to be a stressful situation for
you or your dog. If you adopt or
purchase a puppy that is still with their mother then Mother Nature is on your
side. Puppies eat and relieve themselves and their mother’s clean them. Dogs as a rule do not like to relieve
themselves in their den. As the puppies
get older and can go outside with their mother she teaches them where to
relieve themselves and they learn by imitating their mother. For example: my Rottweiler’s have been
conditioned to only relieve themselves in the back section (our yard is fenced
off in 3 separate sections) of our yard. This gives us a 2nd section
for play and exercise and the 1st section for relaxing and
entertaining!
A second built in aid is the puppy’s digestive track. 5-30
minutes after eating the puppy will need to relieve itself. This is an
excellent time window to take your puppy outside to condition eat, relieve,
reward. A consistent schedule will help
make the potty training process quick and efficient.
A third tool is your own biological clock or routine. First thing every morning when you wake up
(and have relieved yourself) is an excellent natural opportunity to take your
puppy outside. This will condition your
puppy to go outside. When you come home
at lunch or if you stay at home another natural opportunity is every time you
go, take them outside afterward.
Each time your puppy successfully completes the proper elimination
process outside, make sure to reward him/her to help condition the positive
behavior. When your puppy does have
accidents do not punish, raise your voice, or hit your puppy. This associates
negativity with their bodily functions and can create stress and frustration
with the housebreaking process. Quietly remove your puppy from the area (so
they cannot see you clean their mess) and clean the mess up. Quickly the puppy will begin to learn to
relieve themselves outside and the entire learning process would have been
painless and helped you bond with your puppy.
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