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No training is more fundamental for pet owners than that first important lesson: Do it outside the house! Teaching your pet to eliminate outside the house, not in it, usually begins between six and eight weeks of age. Puppies as young as four weeks have been started on the plan, however at that age only a few have the muscular mastery to succeed. Just like any puppy instruction routine, trainer patience is as important as the pup's temperament. 'Sit', 'stay' along with other behaviors can frequently be learned in a number of days. 'Potty' training usually might take weeks - sometimes as short as two, generally a month or more. As with other learned behaviors, it helps to observe for signs of the wanted behavior and enforce and direct them with a voice command followed by praise. In this situation that method works much more towards the trainer's advantage, because all puppies will naturally eliminate. The strategy is to have them perform it when and where you would like! View for signs od imminent potty behavior, such as circling or squatting, then pick up the pup, say 'outside' and dash outside. The puppy may circle some more, but will usually squat immediately. As it begins, say 'Go potty' (or some other unique phrase) in a clear, firm (but not angry) voice. Wait until it's finished and praise the puppy lavishly. You will not usually be able to catch the puppy about to begin, but don't become annoyed or impatient when the puppy messes in the house. This normally takes time for your puppy to understand to tell you it is time to 'go outside'. It also normally takes time for the muscles required to control bladder and bowels to mature. Young puppies will need to eliminate every 2-3 hours, on average. In case you haven't noticed pre-elimination behavior within that time, take the puppy outside anyway. Issue the command 'Go potty' and wait. At first, usually, the puppy will have no clue what you desire. Yet again, even when outside, it helps to wait and watch for the preferred behavior then say the command. That helps the puppy connect the command with the behavior. If the puppy hasn't gone right after a few minutes and a number of 'Go potty' commands, take it back inside for an hour. Needless to say, in case you notice the pre-elimination conduct in much less time, go outdoors once more quickly. Dogs have a amazing capability to rapidly learn what their 'alpha' (the leader of the pack) desires. This really is nearly usually accomplished by associating a spoken command with behavior, followed by praise. Punishment is usually counter-productive, and nowhere more so than in waste elimination instruction. Under no circumstances rub a dog's nose in waste. Paper and/or crate training is preferred by some. A pup might be trained to go on a newspaper, or on one of the chemically treated pads designed for that purpose. Some little breeds that live all day in the house might not require to go outside at all. The technique has a couple of downsides however. Unlike cats, puppies will rarely go inside a perfumed litter box. Newspapers (even with all the top layer removed after the puppy goes) will eventually develop an unpleasant smell in the house. Also, long before the odor becomes unattractive to humans, dogs can smell their own distinctive scent. They don't find it unattractive - quite the opposite. And that's the trouble. Puppies which are paper trained will generally prefer to eliminate indoors. At times they'll miss the paper by only an inch, making a mess to clean up. Once the odor is in the carpet, the dog will generally search for that spot out as its correct 'place to go'. This makes training the dog to eliminate outside even more challenging. Best to suffer a few accidents than to develop a hard-to-overcome habit. Patience, praise and consistency are the keys to any puppy instruction. Elimination training will be the first challenge for you and your puppy.
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Need help with house training your puppy or dog? Pick up a free report "Dog Training Tips" and register for your free 7 day dog training e-course at MyPuppyCare101.com Debra Garrison is a veterinarian and is dedicated to helping you raise a happy, healthy and well behaved dog. View a video on house training your puppy at MyPuppyCare101.com/articles
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