Raising your puppy: 6 tips to help with potty training

Confinement may seem like a punishment, but it will help

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For many, the thought of confining a brand new puppy to a certain area of ​​the house or a crate can feel awful. Hearing your pup screaming can certainly test your willpower, but if you keep your dog in a small enough area, he will quickly learn not to relieve himself inside.

Incarceration training is effective for many reasons. Your puppy will not want to relieve himself in a small space that he cannot leave.

Bench or confinement training will also help keep your puppy safe. For example, if you’re not home and let your puppy run wild, he or she could get into something poisonous or get stuck somewhere.

Eventually, with proper training, your pup will come to see that space as its own personal territory. It’s a safe place for them to retreat to if they’re feeling overwhelmed or just want some peace and quiet.

You may soon find them napping there, and they may even prefer it to your human furniture when looking for a resting place.

As soon as you release your pup from confinement, take him outside

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When you first start training your puppy in the crate or confinement, you may want to play with him as soon as you take him out for a walk. Before introducing your puppy to his new favorite toy, take him outside and let him defecate.

Use a command word, such as “potty,” “outside,” or whatever works for you to let your puppy know it’s time to go outside and relieve himself. Even if you have a fenced-in backyard, you should start with your puppy on a leash so they know it’s time to eliminate, not play.

If you are home with your puppy all day, you will still need to keep him in a playpen or crate unless you can keep all of your attention on him. Take your puppy out every day one to two hours to make sure they are not in their confined space with a full bladder or bowels.

Reward them generously

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Keep some small treats with you when you let your puppy out to go to the bathroom.

Once they have been successfully eliminated, make sure to compliment heavily and reward them. Your puppy will quickly associate the positive reinforcement he receives with defecating outside, and they will get the idea that they need to go on the potty there.

Avoid yelling at them if you find an accident

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If you leave your puppy in the crate and you return home in a soiled situation, resist the urge to push your puppy’s nose in or yell at him.

Not your puppy associate the punishment fouling them, because you didn’t catch them in the act. Yelling at your puppy can actually have the opposite effect of potty training; they can urinate submissively to prove they pose no threat.

They may also develop neurotic behaviors such as hiding or even eating their poop to avoid punishment.

You can use grass to train your puppy indoors

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If you live in a five-story walk-up or if you’re having a puppy when it’s freezing cold outside, it can be difficult to walk your puppy every few hours. This doesn’t mean you can’t still successfully train your puppy to go to the bathroom outside.

Set up an area—whether in a utility room, in the corner of their playpen, or by the back door—that you can designate for your puppy to use the toilet. There are pee pads made of grass that can help your puppy transition from inside to outside on their own.

Putting your puppy on a sleep schedule can also help

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Now you can’t magically dictate when your puppy falls asleep and wakes up, but in order for your puppy to grow into a dog who can go to the bathroom on your schedule, you’ll want to establish a routine for your pup.

For example, puppies usually need to urinate within half a minute of waking up. If you want to get things done in the morning before taking your pup out for a walk, they may need to sleep in their small space — not your room — so they don’t wake up as quickly as you do.

Conversely, many people find that if they take their puppies for a walk first thing in the morning, they won’t be able to hit the snooze button half a dozen times, so you may want your puppy to sleep in the same room as you.

It may take some trial and error, but you and your pup will find a groove in terms of relieving themselves the right way. Taking your puppy out at the same times throughout the day — more in the beginning, then weaning him slowly every four to six hours instead of every hour — will let them know when to go outside and relieve themselves.

Dogs thrive on structure, and this will help stabilize your relationship also with your puppy.