5 Incredible ways to master puppy potty training
Puppy potty training is the first thing you will teach your dog. As such, it is an activity that sets up everything in place and if you will, creates a hierarchy between two of you.
No matter how you observe things, it is true that you are dog’s provider and that you will stick with him from its first to its last days. Because of that you need to create a good basis upon which you can build your relationship.
Most people see puppy potty training as nothing more than a potty training that is meant to keep your house clean.
This is wrong!
Secondary effects are much more important in this case. Small mistake can be costly and even affect the way your dog perceives you.
What are the must-know things when it comes to dog’s potty training?
Before anything else you need to realize that a puppy is clueless when it comes to its surroundings.
Dogs are like small children and they will remain so till the rest of their lives. They do not understand what is right and what is wrong and oftentimes, they do not understand what we expect them to do.
This is especially obvious during potty training where accidents are common, they keep occurring and in most cases, it takes a while for a puppy to understand that this is wrong.
Unfortunately, not everyone has the necessary patience and some people will turn to physical abuse and punishment as a way of training a dog. This is completely wrong and should be avoided at all costs.
Such behavior can lead to trauma and fear severely affecting dog’s perception of you and your future relationship. Such trauma will stay with the animal for a long time making it distrustful not only to humans but animals alike.
Actionable tips you need to apply during potty training
Now that you know the general stuff, it is necessary to address small details.
Puppy potty training can be seen as series of steps that are performed each and every day. Let’s see what you need to do from morning till evening. These are just 5 of them, but if you want to dig into the topic in real depth, you should check this guide by Kaufmann’s Puppy Training.
- As hard as this can be, it is necessary to wake up before your dog. Puppy will react to its instinct and start peeing as soon as it wakes up. Of course, given that it will be inside of the house, your carpets will take the brunt of the punishment. This is a dangerous precedent and you need to prevent it. If you leave things as they are, puppy will create a habit of relieving itself inside of the house
- Besides morning go, puppy will need to relieve itself several times during the day. Smaller breeds need to go out more often. Anyway, you will definitely need to walk your dog at least 4 times a day
- When you prepare breakfast (or any other meal) make sure to serve same amount of food each and every time. This way you will be able to track dog’s behavior and predict when it needs to relieve itself. If the dog doesn’t eat its portion, make sure to remove it. Worst thing that can happen is puppy eating its food all day long. This way you cannot predict its needs and it may start relieving itself during midday.
- If a dog becomes restless, starts circling, barking or scratching the door, this is a clear indication it needs to go out
- When you go out, make sure to stay for just enough time so that the puppy does its thing. Do not let puppy stay as long as it wants but as long as you want
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