House Training Your Puppy

When you begin to house train your new puppy you should always remember to try and stay patient – its normal for your puppy to make progress and then accidentally use his bowels where he shouldn’t.

Full bladder and bowel control in puppies is not a realistic expectation until they are five to seven months old. Until this point accidents are normal.

The first step you should take is to build your puppy a den.  This den is for your puppy to live in – this means there should be nothing that the puppy can destroy with his teeth or will be damaged by urine or feces.

A den must be able to contain your puppy – a small room is ideal or alternatively a small part of a larger room.  To contain your puppy to their den if you are sectioning a part of a room you could consider using a leash attached to a sturdy piece of furniture.

Paper should be used to cover the entire floor area of the puppy’s den.  This is very important, as covering the entire area is going to streamline the time it takes to clean up.

It is important not to scold your puppy when she soils the paper in the den.  This is very important. In a relatively short space of time you will notice that one area is being used for toilet purposes more consistently than other areas. This is where your puppy has chosen – this is a good thing.

Now the toilet spot has been established begin removing some of the paper from the floor beginning at the point furthest away from the toilet area.  Should you find that your puppy soils where there is no paper cover the entire floor area and begin again.
You will be able to reduce the covered floor area of the den until the only paper covered area is the chosen toilet area.  If you leave your puppy for any length of time you should let him out for his toilet once you get home, after time you will notice his bladder getting stronger and the paper will be less soiled. It is essential that you reinforce positive behavior when your puppy holds their bladder and manages to go outside.

A puppy can hold its bladder for approximately forty five minutes. It is a good idea when you are at home with your puppy to take him outside regularly.  When potty training keep the toilet breaks short and stick to the same area of the garden for consistency.  This will help to minimize confusion between play time and toilet time.

Monitor your puppy and when she has not soiled the papers in her den for two weeks you can take the paper up.  By now potty training should be well underway and you should be able to confidently let your puppy move between rooms of the house. Remember to take the puppy out for regular toilet breaks.  If you find your puppy has soiled inside, do not get angry simply ease back your training.  Minimize the freedom she has in the house and concentrate on getting the potty training perfected in a few rooms again.  Its important to remember plenty of positive reinforcement when your puppy gets potty training right.

With time, patience and positive reinforcement your puppy will progress to a point where you do not need to continually monitor him and the toilet breaks outside will become less frequent.

You may also find that your puppy begins to indicate to you when they need to go outside to use their bladder or bowels by standing at the door.