Discipline and Training are the two most important qualities that are seen in any pet. Well, both of these qualities are not inbuilt but these are made to provide them with. Likewise, humans human, pets that are equipped with these qualities can become anyone’s favorite.
Pets and babies resemble each other in every single way, except their physical appearance. It is important to take care of pets in the same manner as we look for babies. By looking for them and taking care of them we can develop exactly the similar qualities in them from the beginning itself.
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How to potty train a dog?
Apart from all the other training this one is a bit longer taking the time. But it is possible to achieve successfully and early with a practice of patience, commitments, and lots of consistency.
But besides these, the major thing which we have to learn about is that the acceptance of accidents and these accidents are nothing but mistakes which are obvious to be conducted while practicing your dog to training. If once we accept the fact that the accidents during this process are natural, we can get the newest member of our family right on track, only in a few weeks time.
Steps to follow:
Establishing a Routine:
Making a timetable or following up a routine is a good way to achieve something out of a day. Like humans, dogs also do best if they are provided with a regular schedule. Going with the schedules, that teaches them that there are times to eat,times to play, times to do their business.
A very interesting fact yet not very well known, puppies are used to control their bladder for one hour for every month of age. For example, if your puppy is two months old, they can go without urination for about 2 hours. We shouldn’t go longer than this duration for bathroom breaks, else they are guaranteed to have an accident.
1.1 How can we make their routine?
Establish a Routine
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Frequent walks:
This is the most effective way to potty train a dog. They should be taken to frequent walks at least every two hours, during and after playing, after eating and drinking, and immediately after they wake up.
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Picking up a bathroom spot:
During their frequent walks, choose an appropriate bathroom spot and make sure to always take your puppy to that particular spot, when they have to eliminate it.
Apart from this, we can use a specific word or phrase, while they are relieving themselves, so that we can eventually use it before they go, to remind them what to do. Only after they have been eliminated, you can take them out for long walks and for some playtime but not before that.
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Rewarding:
Carry Treats with you
Rewarding your puppy is something that can make them understand that we are proud of them, and what is expected from them. Praising them or giving them treats, but remember, to do so only when they have finished and not when they have entered the house. This definitely will help to potty train a dog.
It is important to make sure that they are finished before rewarding because puppies easily get distracted and praising them too soon might easily forget to finish until they are back in the house.
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A Feeding Schedule:
If the intake is on schedule then what comes out of it is on schedule,i.e., if what goes into a puppy is on schedule then what comes out of it is on schedule.
Depending on their age, puppies usually need to be fed upon three or four times a day. Feeding them at the same time each day, will make it more likely that they will eliminate at a consistent time as well making to potty train a dog easier for both of you.
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Follow-ups during bedtime
Pick up your puppy’s water dish about two and a half hours before their bed so as to reduce the possibility of their elimination during night.
Most puppies can sleep for straight seven hours without needing a bathroom break in between but if your puppy does wake you up in the night, don’t make a deal out of it, else they will think it’s time to play and won’t want to go back to sleep. To ensure this, turn on as minimal light as possible, don’t talk to them or play with them, straight away take them out and then return them to bed. This definitely will help to potty train a dog
Accept the Mistakes:
Accept the Mistakes
Accept the fact that it is normal that your puppy will make a few mistakes in the house. It’s perfectly normal while you potty train a dog. Here is what to do when accidents happen:
1.Whenever you caught them in the act, make sure to interrupt them. Don’t try to ignore them, else it will come in their habit.
2.Make a startling noise or say the word or phrase which you eventually say, when they have to go out. Immediately take them to their bathroom spot and praise them or give a treat if they finish there.
3.After so many precautions, if they somehow soil in your house, then make sure to clean the soiled area thoroughly. Because puppies tend to soil the exact area multiple times which smells like feces and urine.
- As we all know, punishment often does more harm than good. Punishing your puppy for a soiled area will only make them afraid of you or make them afraid to eliminate in your presence. So we shouldn’t punish a puppy for elimination in the house.
1.2 Supervising:
Supervising
Don’t give your puppy an opportunity to make accidents because they will develop a habit of making mistakes. Do not let your puppy soil in the house, keep an eye on them whenever they are indoors.
If we are not actively participating in their training or playing then it is better to tether your puppy. Tether them to a nearby piece of furniture with a six-foot leash. Watch the signs that your puppy makes for going out. Some signs are obvious, like barking or scratching at the door, restlessness, sniffing around, or circling. Whenever you see these signs, grab their leash and immediately take them outside to their bathroom spot.
Confinement:
When it is not possible to watch your puppy every time, restrict them to a small area, where they won’t want to eliminate. Make sure the place where you are confining them must be enough for them to comfortably stand, lie down and turn around. You can use a portion of the bathroom or laundry room for this purpose.
It is of utmost importance that you use these supervision and confinement procedures to minimize the number of accidents. If we allow them to frequently eliminate in the house, they will get confused about where they are supposed to go, which will definitely prolong the potty training process.
Now, these were the measures that we can take when we are around them. If we have an older dog then we can expect them to wait for our return but when we already have a puppy then we have to arrange someone for them. We do have to look for them when we are far away from them as in like we went for a business trip, or for some other work. So the plan for when we are far away are:
- In order to look after them, we can arrange for someone, like a responsible neighbor or a professional pet sitter, to take them for bathroom breaks and provide them with foods.
- If they have eliminated outside their designated area, then put the soiled rags or paper towels inside it afterward, to help your puppy recognize the scented area as the place where they are responsible to eliminate.
- Also as an alternative, we can train them to eliminate indoors. But we have to be very careful because however doing this can prolong the potty training process. Treating your puppy to eliminate on a newspaper might mean that, even as an adult they may eliminate on any newspaper lying anywhere. So this might be a prolong the effect of this.
- If we decide to paper-train them, then we can confine them to a small space with enough room for a sleeping space, a playing space and a separate place to eliminate. To paper-train them, we can place newspapers in their designated elimination area.
CONCLUSION:
It’s all exciting to bring a puppy home, but a new pet also comes with a lot of challenges and responsibility and one of the first and biggest challenges is to potty train a dog. Some puppies will definitely learn quickly while others will take their own time with it. But following all the above guidelines and tips, we can assure you that this journey will be pretty easy for both of you. But during this potty training session, you have to ensure that you remain calm, deal it with patience, and be consistent. If you follow up on the above write up, it will be a quick and easy process to potty train a dog
How do you punish a dog for potty training?
Whenever you caught them into an act, make a startling noise or say “Outside” and take them out to their bathroom spot. Praise them and give treat to them, if they finish there. Never punosh your puppy for eliminating in the house. It will make them scare or afraid of you and will never eliminate in your presence.
How long on an average does it take to potty train a dog?
With all the consistency, paitence and positive reinforcement, it typically takes 4 to 6 months for a puppy to be fully potty trained but some puppies may take upto one year.
How can you tell if a dog has to use a bathroom?
Watch out for the signs they make like sniffing around, fidgeting, and beginning to circle before squatting.
Are female dogs easier to potty train?
Female dogs are not only easier to potty train but also easier to breakthrough.
Why does my dog come inside to poop?
Apart from training, one of the reasons why your puppy comes inside to poop is the medical problem. A number of ailments could cause your dog to poop inside, including food allergies, food poisoning and infections.
