Potty Training Puppies: A Quick and Easy Guide

Are you bringing home a new puppy? You must be excited about the fun you’ll have with your new best friend. However, there are other things to owning a dog than playing in your backyard. You need to take care of their potty training; else, they’ll litter your entire place. Here’s where potty training puppies comes into the picture. 

By beginning potty training as soon as possible, you can train your puppy to defecate at a particular spot instead of anywhere in the house. This makes your life easier as a dog parent. 

Here’s a useful guide to potty training for new puppies. 

Be Empathic and Patient (Most Important)

If you have kids, you probably spent at least two years teaching them that they’re not supposed to pee or defecate on the bed. Some kids take even longer. Dogs, although incredibly smart, are less intelligent than humans. You shouldn’t expect them to learn potty training in a week. You’ll need to be patient and work hard with them to ensure they understand how and where they need to relieve themselves. 

Depending on the breed and its intelligence, it can take anywhere between 4-8 weeks to 4-6 months to potty train a puppy. If you don’t have the time, patience, and dedication to training your puppy, you shouldn’t get one in the first place. Have empathy and understand that it’s not easy for a newborn puppy to figure out the details of potty training. 

Get a Crate when Potty Training Puppies

The first step of potty training puppies is to get a crate for your dog. If you leave your dog to roam unsupervised in the house, house training will be more challenging. A crate adds discipline to a dog’s life, which is an essential aspect of potty training. The purpose of putting your dog inside a crate is to teach that it shouldn’t relieve itself in the crate. 

Now, getting a good-sized crate is essential. If the crate is too small, your dog won’t be able to sit, stand, and lay freely. You don’t want to make your pooch uncomfortable. At the same time, if the crate is too large, your dog will make one end the potty corner and the other end its bed. This will negate the purpose of getting him a crate. 

Ideally, the crate should have just enough room for your dog to sit, stand, lie down, and turn around easily. 

Establish a Schedule and Stick to It

Setting a potty schedule is critical. When you make your puppy go through a plan multiple times, it develops an understanding of what to expect at which time of the day. This includes not only potty but everything else as well, including eating, playing, and sleeping. 

In general, puppies defecate once a day if they eat in normal quantities. If you feed them more, they’ll need to relieve themselves more often. Therefore, the first thing you need to decide is when and how often to feed your dog. Two or three times is enough. It’s best to feed small amounts of food thrice a day. This way, your dog will remain full for almost the entire day. 

Another vital thing to keep in mind is that you shouldn’t feed your dog two hours before sleep. So, if your dog sleeps at 9-10 pm, feed it by 7 pm. When you feed them at a fixed time, they’ll excrete at the same time every day, making potty training easier for you. 

Take Your Dog Outside More Often

Dogs, like all animals, are meant to be outdoors. If you want them to have fun and be happy, take them outside frequently. The timing and schedule matter here as well. You should take your dog outside at times when it’s most likely to excrete, which is immediately after it wakes up. 

Additionally, you can take it out on a short walk before feeding him and at least an hour after feeding it. Finally, take your dog out just before bed. 

A mistake many dog owners make is they take their dogs out immediately after feeding them. If a dog performs a lot of activity immediately after eating, its stomach could fill with gas, food, and fluid, causing bloat. This bloat can progress into torsion, which could be life-threatening. Therefore, ensure that you allow your dog to rest for at least an hour after a meal before taking him outside. 

Feed In Moderation

The more you feed your dog, the more it will excrete. Remember, dogs are like breastfeeding babies, who keep sucking in milk until they become full, which sometimes leads to vomiting. Your dog will keep on eating until it becomes full. As a result, it’ll defecate more frequently in large amounts. 

Moreover, overfeeding your puppy can put it at risk of obesity and even bloating. So, it’s essential to feed your dog in moderation. Follow this puppy feeding chart to learn how much to feed your puppy based on its age and weight. 

Prepare for Accidents while Potty Training Puppies

The final and most crucial tip is to prepare for accidents. As discussed in the first section, your dog won’t adopt a new potty method immediately. You’ll need to train for at least a few weeks. 

During that time, accidents may occur. Your dog may excrete in your kitchen, bedroom, or even your bed. And that’s fine. Raising a puppy is no different than raising a baby. Allow them to make mistakes and make them learn from them. Be strict but don’t be aggressive. You can give your puppy minor punishments to teach them a lesson, but never yell at them or hit them. 

Conclusion: Potty Training Puppies

Owning a dog is fun, but the initial few years require a lot of work. If you don’t potty train your dog, be ready to see your pooch excrete all over your house. Early potty training is a must to make your dog disciplined and teach it the right way to defecate. Setting a schedule and being patient are the most important aspects of potty training your puppy.