General prepartion & tips for potty training your Dog

For starters it is important to understand how long it takes for puppies to really internalize and remember exactly where they can relieve themselves. Theoretically, puppies can pick up the dos and don’ts within a couple weeks, however, not all new puppy owners have two weeks to dedicate to training alone. In this case it is going to take longer and there are going to be a number of mistakes. Having multiple grass potty pads around during this phase can be helpful though the goal should ultimately be to have the dogs go in only one (or as few as possible) designated area(s).

Your focus, from the position of a dog’s psychology if you will, should be to create a ‘den’ mentality in your house for your dog. By nature dogs will typically avoid soiling their homes and sleeping places. It will take time for your new puppy to develop potty vs. den associations.

Every puppy is different. Factors that contribute to how often a dog must relieve him or herself can be size, breed and eating regiment. Puppies have been noted as having to potty as often as once every hour other cases even more often. This alone is reason enough to anticipate mistakes therefore it is critical to understand that patience is key in properly training your puppy to go potty in the right location (and perhaps eventually, somewhat, at appropriate times).

Remember during your training phase - as much as possible, keeping your puppy in close proximity is always ideal. This enables you to watch them more easily and react more swiftly if they are about to make a mistake. Begin by restricting their roaming locations. You can achieve this by keeping them isolated to smaller areas of your house, apartment or condo during the training phase. As they get a bit older and seem to develop a handle on what is and what is not acceptable, you can expand the roaming area but maintain a close watch during each phase. Once they enter new territory it must again be made clear that the new area is not a soiling ground. Using a leash is a viable alternative when you don’t have other ways to restrict how far away from you they can get.

Crates can also be effective tools during the training phase but it is important to note that puppy’s cannot stay in them for too long. If you leave them in too long and they soil right next to themselves you can actually create an issue by conditioning the puppy to go potty closer to themselves then they would by nature thus removing a natural barrier you have to preventing them from going potty near or in their living quarters (or yours!).