Be sure to read the Crate Training topic at the top of this forum. We hope to add a potty training thread soon. Working with Tracey on that. Lots of good potty training discussions here already, though. Sift back 1-2 pages and have a good read. Many members have offered many good suggestions. Here's a starting point I keep on hand:
POTTY TRAINING:
1. Fixed feeding times (don't leave food in bowl all day long) is necessary if you want rapid success with poop training. You can switch to free-feeding after they are totally housetrained.
2. Cardinal Rule: Walk your dog IMMEDIATELY after eating, sleeping & playing (that third one's a bit tricky with young pups as sometimes that's only 5 mins! ). That's when puppies get urges to go pottie. Always walk them on leash to the same spot in the yard! The first week or so, praise with a treat and exhuberant verbal praise when done. Soon you can just give verbal praise. Bring them right back inside, because if you allow them to play afterwards, they will confuse two important concepts: OUTSIDE = POTTY; INDOORS = PLAY. Restrict play to indoors until they're fully pottie trained lest they get these two ideas reversed! The logic here is if they play after doing business & then you let them in "after you're done playing with them" the Cardinal Rule (after play) kicks in again and they immediately squat to pee! There'll be time enough to play outside when they have got those two basic concepts firm in their widdle heads.
3. Beat them to the urge! In addition to the Cardinal Rule, walk them hourly the first week, then every 2 hours the second week, then every three the third week, and so on (except at night, when you walk each time they wake). Increase the time intervals when it appears your pup is holding it that long with no accidents. Some have to stay on an interval longer than others. Back up to the previous hourly interval if the pup is having accidents. Walk them to the SAME SPOT in the yard, as prior pee & poop scents will speed up execution and the overall learning process. If you have an already trained adult dog, it helps train even faster!. The reason it is vital you do not "free feed" but give food at fixed times of the day is that puppies have a strong gastro-colo-rectal response & tend to have to poop within 3-10 minutes of eating (varies with each dog). Use that fact to to your advantage in your training efforts!
4. Crate train: See thread atop this forum on crate training. Keep crate within bedroom hearing distance first month). Crate them at night, whenever you're not home or just can't watch themduring the day. Dogs will try hard not to soil their "den". This works in your favor. Be sure crate isn't too large or they'll make a spot to go in the crate! When they wake up at night walk them to "the designated spot". When done, praise, treat & bring right back to crate to sleep (do not be tempted to play with them at night. Ride out any whining!). You will lose some sleep week 1 & 2 , but believe me, the fast results will be worth it. If they go potty in the crate (because you slept through their wake up call), just clean it up in the A.M. with no correction.
5. Accidents: If caught in the act just pick the pup up quickly, (scoop & run) say "Nooooo, pottie outside" in a firm, displeased voice and take them outside to the usual spot. (this teaches the word "outside" fast, too, by the way). Set them down and again say "pottie outside". They'll usually go on & finish the interrupted task. Praise for finishing in the right place, outside, & just clean up when you get back inside.
If found after the fact, do not scold. Instead, let them passively watch you clean up the urine spot with Natures Miracle saying "pottie outside" in a normal tone as you do so. If it's a poop, I pick up the poop in a paper towel with the pup watching (pups learn watching mom clean the den in the wild, don't they?), carry it outside (with pup following). Drop the poop out of the paper onto the ground & say "pottie outside" in a normal tone. That's it. Don't make a big deal of it! No harsh voice. Above all, never rub nose in urine or poop. By doing this, you teach the dog that eliminating itself is bad & "maybe I better hide it better next time" (like under furniture, or yuck, eat it to hide the evidence)! Remember, dogs live in the moment & don't connect delayed corrections with the act that occured a long time ago. But they "reshape behaviors" learning from watching other pack members.
All my dogs have been house trained in just 1-2 months with this method. Even my rescue Zipper, a stray used to going whenever and wherever.
Hope this helps. Potty training takes serious and consistent effort on the part of every member of your family. It's a family dog and the entire family needs to help train her. Teach these techniques to everyone in the house. Consistency is extremely important or the puppy will take a lot longer to train.
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