Puppies are a bundle of newfound joy. You’ve prepared the
house, and even bought him a new rubber chew toy.
However, with all the joy your new pet brings, he also brings
along with him his natural behaviors and instincts. It’s now
your job to begin training and molding him into the furry
companion you’ve always wanted. It’s not quite time for
adventure or obedience school. It’s time for potty training!
Just for starters, let’s reiterate what pet experts back 100% of
the time: never hit or abuse your puppy in any way. It will
have a detrimental affect on his future behavior, his trust in
you, and his ability to socialize with other dogs and humans.
With that said, you should not expect your new dog to be
fully housetrained until he’s about six months old, especially
if you’re not home to oversee his training every hour of
every day.
There are a couple of different tried and true options to
choose from when house training a puppy. One is commonly
referred to as the “passive” option, or the newspaper option.
The other option is considered the “active” approach, where
you attempt to teach your new puppy when and where to
control his bowel movements from the confines of a puppy
crate.
The newspaper option is great for those with the necessary
floor space, workers and/or apartment dwellers. Start out by
designating a puppy room. If you don’t have the space, and
you still want to opt this route, create a room. Choose a
small area (perhaps a tiled laundry room) and puppy proof
it. In other words, don’t allow the puppy access to any
cleaners, wires or sharp objects. And, don’t put your puppy
into a closet or dark room. Be sure the room has windows
(which you can crack open for air movement). Line the
floor with newspaper. Put his bed, toys, food and water
bowl in the room. At first, he’ll go to the bathroom all over
the place. Give the process plenty of time.
Optimistically, no matter where your puppy eliminates, it
will be on the newspaper. Over time he’ll slowly choose one
spot (most likely based on scent). Then, gradually move the
newspapers less and less on the floor until the spot where he
usually eliminates is left covered. This process could take a
few months. Move the paper inward only an inch or two
every couple of days. If your puppy has an accident,
remember, it’s your fault. Most likely, you’ve moved the
papers too quickly.
Crate training, as stated, is called the “active” approach
because you really have to have an open schedule with
plenty of patience and fortitude to make it work. Figure that
you’re going to have to take your dog out of the crate/cage
about every forty-five to fifty minutes each hour of the day
when you first begin.
If this is all viable, then make sure that you buy a puppy
crate and not a dog cage that will be much to big. Buy a
puppy cage for a puppy and later a dog cage when he
becomes full-grown. Your dog should have enough space to
be comfortable when sleeping, but not enough to have room
to defecate in an extra corner.
Every forty-five minutes you should take your puppy
outdoors on a leash to walk around and hopefully eliminate.
He should do so within ten minutes. When he does go,
praise the puppy by petting and saying, “Good boy” or
“Good” plus his name. Once inside, allow the puppy to
have supervised indoor playtime with a treat or two. If the
puppy doesn’t go to the bathroom outdoors, be sure to put
him back in his cage and repeat the process a little later. If
the puppy jitters around like he has to go to the bathroom,
take him back outdoors. Expect accidents until he learns the
procedure.
While both procedures take ample time and patience, they
will work. The choice is yours. Give the puppy time to
become familiar with his routine, you as his owner and his
environment. The best thing to do is to richly award his
successful attempts and never scold him for accidents.
About the Author:
Tina Spriggs is an expert dog lover whose lifelong interest in canines provides the motivation for her site. To learn more about dogs or to find gifts and toys for them visit her site at
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Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.
