It's Time To Potty Train Your Puppy!

A new pet means it’s time to potty train! Potty training a puppy takes patience and consistency, but it can be done quickly.

Training A Puppy – 5 Tips To Help Potty Train Your Pet

Early socialization, like potty training your dog, is one of the best steps towards bringing up a well behaved pet. Some people believe that puppies are born able to behave well in social settings, and with a little training, they will. This is not the case at all. Socialization is something that have to be done from day one, and if you can not get your puppies to be friendly to all kinds of people, then they will never learn it.

Early socialization is probably one of the first and most important, steps of fundamental puppy training. Many puppy mills have puppies that are brought into these facilities by their previous owners, who were either unable to train them, or didn’t know how. They were sent on unkind and cruel puppy walks that would tear them apart while they sat on the steps and pecked at the stray dogs. The sad part is that these poor souls spent years alone and unprotected, and in all likelihood, have an anger problem that they are still carrying with them to this day. They are unable to communicate their feelings, and have no concept of right from wrong, and this is the very foundation of puppy training.

Always Use Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is essential to a happy and healthy relationship between dog and owner. Puppies can be trained by using positive reinforcement techniques such as using a “no” when they pee on the floor or get messy. They should be punished in a similar way to make sure that they understand that certain behaviors are not acceptable. If a puppy consistently does something unacceptable, then it should be corrected by giving them a correction through a verbal or physical response, or even squirts of water from a spray bottle. Never hit your puppy, because it will just teach them to fear you, which is the last thing you want.

Dogs have a tendency to obey people who show affection towards them, therefore, if they are around young children, a reward system is essential. Training a puppy not to destroy things is also important, therefore, you should always have treats close by, so that you can distract them if they start to chew on something. For younger puppies that are still learning, it is important not to shower too much praise, because they may interpret this as a sign that they have done something wrong. Always use firmness when dealing with a misbehaving puppy and be prepared to handle some very strong emotions. Be firm, but do not punish them if your puppy misbehaves, because it is not their fault and they will eventually learn that they can only please you by behaving appropriately.

Help Your Pet Get Used To People

The most successful puppy training programs have people involved. The best puppy trainer will teach the dog not to destroy anything, to sit when asked, and to learn appropriate behavior. Having other people around to help the puppy will ensure that the training is realistic and consistent. The dog trainer should also use positive reinforcement, which means rewarding the right behavior. Positive reinforcement helps them realize what they should be doing in a particular situation.  This is especially true when it is time to potty train your pup.

If the puppy has been exposed to a variety of stimulating things such as toys, the crate may be a good place for them to stay for the first couple of months of life. During the initial weeks they should be kept in their crate most of the time, or in a confined area away from the other dogs and other things, so that their brain can develop quickly. Once a puppy is over ten weeks old, the puppy should be placed in a long-term confinement area where they can be supervised 24 hours a day. Potty training a puppy is a long process and should be done correctly in order for the results to last.