Top Sure Fire Potty Training Tips for Puppies and Adult Dogs by A Top Obedience Competitor
For the uninitiated, potty training a dog can be a very frustrating experience.
It is for this reason that Dog Potty Training books are easily found in bookstores, libraries and the internet; many owners are simply screaming for help.
The reality though is that if you know how, the whole process is relatively simple.
And better still, anyone can easily learn to potty train a dog successfully.
Dogs are creatures of habit.
They love to keep the place where they eat, drink and sleep clean i.
e.
they will try as for as possible not to soil these areas.
If they are brought to the same place to relieve themselves often enough, they will likely continue to go back to that place on their own accord in future.
They usually offer telltale signs just before they do their business e.
g.
sniffing the ground and circling etc.
More importantly, their potty habits can be very predictable.
For example, we know that dogs tend to relieve themselves:
Young puppies though will need to relief themselves more often.
While it may vary slightly from puppy to puppy, as a general rule, they should be able to hold off an hour for each month of age.
For example, a 2 month old puppy is likely to be able to control itself for about 2 hours before needing to relieve itself again, while a puppy at 5 months old will likely need to go once every 5 hours.
This same relationship holds true all the way till they are 12 months or older where they should be able to hold off for at least 12 hours.
Another noteworthy point is that just because your puppy has the physical ability to control itself for say 5 hours before needing a toilet break does not mean that it will want to hold off for the full 5 hours.
The 5 hours threshold tend to hold true only if your puppy is put in a situation where it will rather not relieve itself, if it has a choice e.
g.
if it is confine to its sleeping quarters or feeding area etc.
As mentioned previously, dogs tend to do their best to keep these areas clean.
Thus, to effectively potty train your dog, you simply have to manage the situation.
By managing the situation, we simply mean that your job is to minimize "accidents" and ensure as far as possible that your dog is always brought to the same spot (your designated potty spot) each time it needs to relieve itself.
If you are able to consistently do this, your dog will eventually go there on its own accord (sometimes in less than a week!).
But How Do You Manage the Situation? To do this effectively, you will need either to watch over your dog 24 hours a day (which is not practical) or set up a situation where you can predict, with a fair degree of accuracy, when your dog's next potty time is.
Armed with your new found knowledge of a dog's potty habits, setting up your dog for success in potty training should be a piece of cake.
It is for this reason that Dog Potty Training books are easily found in bookstores, libraries and the internet; many owners are simply screaming for help.
The reality though is that if you know how, the whole process is relatively simple.
And better still, anyone can easily learn to potty train a dog successfully.
Dogs are creatures of habit.
They love to keep the place where they eat, drink and sleep clean i.
e.
they will try as for as possible not to soil these areas.
If they are brought to the same place to relieve themselves often enough, they will likely continue to go back to that place on their own accord in future.
They usually offer telltale signs just before they do their business e.
g.
sniffing the ground and circling etc.
More importantly, their potty habits can be very predictable.
For example, we know that dogs tend to relieve themselves:
- When they first wake up in the morning
- After every meal
- After strenuous play/ exercise
Young puppies though will need to relief themselves more often.
While it may vary slightly from puppy to puppy, as a general rule, they should be able to hold off an hour for each month of age.
For example, a 2 month old puppy is likely to be able to control itself for about 2 hours before needing to relieve itself again, while a puppy at 5 months old will likely need to go once every 5 hours.
This same relationship holds true all the way till they are 12 months or older where they should be able to hold off for at least 12 hours.
Another noteworthy point is that just because your puppy has the physical ability to control itself for say 5 hours before needing a toilet break does not mean that it will want to hold off for the full 5 hours.
The 5 hours threshold tend to hold true only if your puppy is put in a situation where it will rather not relieve itself, if it has a choice e.
g.
if it is confine to its sleeping quarters or feeding area etc.
As mentioned previously, dogs tend to do their best to keep these areas clean.
Thus, to effectively potty train your dog, you simply have to manage the situation.
By managing the situation, we simply mean that your job is to minimize "accidents" and ensure as far as possible that your dog is always brought to the same spot (your designated potty spot) each time it needs to relieve itself.
If you are able to consistently do this, your dog will eventually go there on its own accord (sometimes in less than a week!).
But How Do You Manage the Situation? To do this effectively, you will need either to watch over your dog 24 hours a day (which is not practical) or set up a situation where you can predict, with a fair degree of accuracy, when your dog's next potty time is.
Armed with your new found knowledge of a dog's potty habits, setting up your dog for success in potty training should be a piece of cake.
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