How to Potty Train a Puppy

A puppy does not develop full control over his bladder until it is over four or five months old. Since they are growing and developing rapidly at this time, puppies eat more, burn more calories and need to eliminate more frequently than an adult dog.

After each nap, meal, drink or play, take your puppy to his designated area (indoors or outdoors, wherever you have decided) and stay there until it eliminates. Then bring him to his crate.

Repeat this situation everyday until he has developed a habit out of it.

Here are a few tips you need to know on how to potty train a puppy.

• You need to understand your dog's body language. Watch for signs that will indicate to you when your pet wants to eliminate.
• If you own puppies, remember that they need to go potty at fairly frequent intervals - as soon as they wake up, after short naps, after play-time, after meals, before and after being crated and finally, before retiring for the night.
• Take your dog for walks at the time that he usually does his potty. Take him out to the yard and then to the same place there every time he needs to answer nature's call.
• Praise your dog after he eliminates at the right place. Some dog owners even give their dogs treats. But remember to do this every time he does it right. He will relate the rewards to his having "done it right" and zero in on the spot where you want him to defecate regularly.
• With time, you can try signal training. This is so that you know when your doggie wants to go. You can hang a bell at his level near the door and teach him to push it with his nose or pat it with his paw on his way out.
• Until a dog has been fully potty trained keep him under strict vigilance. Do not let him roam around the house freely.
• Use a crate. A crate-trained dog is usually very happy to get his own den. The advantage of crating is that dogs do not soil the place where they sleep. So, he will naturally not eliminate inside the crate.
• If you have a small dog and if you live in a high-rise building or in a place that does not have a proper backyard, you can try litter pan training. What you do is create a space for your pet to eliminate in your house itself.
• Use positive reinforcements while potty training your dog. Do not scold or hit him as you will gain nothing by doing that. He will only associate punishment with your return from outside. If you catch him in the act, a stern 'NO' or 'FREEZE' will do. It will startle the dog enough for him to stop pooping.
• Be prepared to return to a soiled home if you are keeping your dog home alone for more than four hours as separation anxiety is quite common among home - alone dogs.
• Accidents will happen. It is unusual for a trained adult dog to work against its housetraining. But medical problems or health disorders may lead to sudden accidents.
• Many dogs mark their territory. These can be a leg of a table or a particular wall. Intact male and female dogs mark their territories by urinating. Use deodorizers to spray on the places where your dog has marked.
• If you are patient and are ready to accept that perfect potty training takes time, even months sometimes, you will end up having a good housetrained dog.