7 Tips on Potty Training Your Dog ...

Photo Credit: CourtneyPo

Puppies and adult dogs alike respond to treats and a positive tone of voice. Make sure to only give treats when the deed is actually completed. My sister has a small dog that started going to the pee pad and squatting in hopes of a treat. He would actually hover over the pad, stare at her the entire time and then come wagging his tail expecting a treat.

Photo Credit: CourtneyPo

No one usually wishes to tolerate dog messes in the house, so quick clean ups are often a given. However, if you are pressed for time and are thinking about cleaning up the mess as soon as you get back, you might want to reconsider. Even if the mess is on a concrete floor and not soaking into the bathroom carpet, it should still be cleaned up right when it happens. This will help keep the smell down and show your dog that this isn’t the appropriate place for dog messes.

Sticking to a routine will make it easier to determine how often your dog actually needs to take a bathroom break. Older dogs might be able to hold it for hours, while a puppy with a tiny bladder needs to go out every hour. As puppies get older, their bladder muscles will be stronger and they will need fewer bathroom breaks during the day. Be sure to take him outside as soon as you get up in the morning and between 20 to 30 minutes after eating. The rest of the time is dependent upon your dog’s needs.

When you get frustrated and start yelling at your dog each time he makes a mess, this doesn’t make potty training enjoyable for either of you. Take a deep breath if you feel anger coming on and try to remember that your dog is still in the learning process. People who lose their patience often lash out at their dog to try to feel better. Hitting your dog with a rolled up newspaper isn’t going to teach him anything. Using positive reinforcement works much better!

Consistency is a large part of potty training dogs. Stick to the same bathroom schedule every day, use the same positive reinforcement tactics each bathroom break, and inform everyone else in the household of the potty training process. If each family member can also use the same potty training methods, then it will be a lot less confusing to your dog when someone else takes him out to do his business.

I have a very large yard and don’t want to spend time staring at the ground as I walk around it. In order to avoid random landmine placement by my dog, I’ve trained her to head to a specific part of the yard. This not only keeps me from stepping in her dog messes, but it also makes it a lot easier to clean up. I can simply walk to this portion of the yard, instead of feeling like I’m on an Easter egg hunt.

Photo Credit: Freesteamer

Dog crates can be used for both indoor and outdoor dogs. My mom used a kennel when training her indoor dog to use puppy pads for doing his business on. She would take him from the kennel and place him on the pad until he understood that this was where his indoor bathroom should be. I’ve used a portable cage to potty train all my large dogs. I would take them directly from the kennel to the outdoors and place them in the location I’d chosen to be their bathroom. Kennels also eliminate messes in the middle of the night as well.

Being successful at potty training your dog requires a lot of hard work, but the pay off is excellent. It makes your life much simpler when you aren’t spending most of your time getting frustrated with having to scrub the carpet again and again. These 7 tips on potty training your dog might make this necessary task a bit easier to handle. Are there any additional tips you have for this tedious process? What is the quickest method you’ve found for potty training puppies?

Top Photo Credit: sabbathrescue