Potty training your puppy needn’t be a messy affair! Do it with a gentle style and a firm hand. 

So, you’ve welcomed a new family member, of the canine persuasion, into your home. Your new puppy knows lots of things. Barking, playing, eating and sleeping are what he does best. He also knows how to potty. Unfortunately, he doesn’t agree with you on the where. If you’ve never potty trained a puppy, you need just a few simple potty training tricks up your sleeve. Here’s an explicit plan that gets you and your puppy up to speed. 

Vets recommend that a puppy not be separated from his mother before the age of 8 weeks, for bonding, nursing, weaning and behavioral reasons. However, for your purposes of easily potty training your puppy, 12 weeks is a better age. This gives your puppy’s Mama more time to introduce and reinforce the adult dog potty ritual. By the time you bring your new puppy home, he’s a bit more aware of the protocol, although he isn’t practicing the ritual himself.

Even if you find it’s necessary, for one reason or another, to bring your puppy to your home at 8 weeks, potty training your puppy shouldn’t take long. It doesn’t matter whether your puppy is going to be an inside or outside dog. The time-honored system of using the training newspaper works. Where you place it is key. Although it may be a minor inconvenience for a couple of weeks, place several sheets of newspaper right by the door leading to the outside of your home. At first, he will do his business wherever he might be at the moment. You need to be alert to his doings at all times. Every time a potty mishap occurs, with a period of time before you discover it, slows down the potty training process.

If you catch him in the act, carry him, or put him on a leash and show him the results he’s deposited on the floor or carpet. As with most puppy training, using a specific phrase consistently allows him to associate the act with the desired behavior or consequences. A gently spoken, “No, bad dog!” is a good standard phrase. This then becomes associated with any bad dog behavior. He understands it’s unacceptable. Immediately lead him to the newspaper. Here you pet him and sit him down on the training newspaper. Potty training your puppy requires much repetition. If you don’t discover the infraction until a period of time has passed, it’s essential potty training your puppy 101 to take him to the scene of the crime and point out the problem. He may already start to look shame-faced, so the old rubbing-his-nose-in-it isn’t necessary. The simple “No, bad dog!” and immediate transportation to the newspaper will do the trick. It helps if you put emphasis on the ‘bad’ in your tone of voice.

The first time he does his business on the training newspaper on his own is a victorious moment indeed. Have a little treat on hand for this celebration. If you miss the live event, do a replay. Bring him to the newspaper, treat in hand and pet him vigorously with a cheerful sounding “Good dog! Good dog!”, with emphasis on the ‘good’. Hey, you’re almost done with potty training your puppy!

Now it’s time to move the newspaper outside the door. Be sure you have him in attendance when you do this, so he knows where it is. This can prompt a smart puppy to go to the door and whine when he needs to do his important business.

Now, shortly after he’s eaten, watch carefully for any signs of upcoming potty business. Fifteen minutes after eating, put him on the leash and lead him to the door, saying, “Good dog!”. Chances are good he knows what to do. Make a big deal out of successful events, with lots of praises.

As soon as he knows to go outside, he’ll come to expect regular walks after meals. You’ve successfully completed potty training your puppy! Congratulations!

 Debbie Foster is the owner of Pet Beds Unlimited and an avid animal lover. You’ll find a wide selection of quality pet beds, dog crates, dog carriers, dog pens, cat beds, cat carriers, small dog beds, large dog beds, pet strollers and more at http://petbedsunlimited.com.