Tips for potty training your new puppy!

Managing the environment for training a puppy is a key element to getting them to learn the behaviors that they need to know. A very important behavior for them to learn ASAP is potty training. These managing the environment tips can save you a lot of time in the potty training journey.

The first thing I do and tell clients to do for potty training is to baby gate their puppies in the living room with them and watch them closely to make sure they don’t have accidents. When you can’t supervise the puppy, put them in a crate so they can’t practice any bad behaviors, going potty in the house in this situation is the bad behavior. It is important that they know the rules throughout the entire house, not just in “ their ” room. When I am ready to let them explore more of the house, I am watching them like a hawk. If I see them starting to sniff like they are about to squat, I give them the “eh-eh” and take them immediately outside. I wait for them to potty so I can give them a treat. If we are out there for a while and they don’t go, then I will put them in the crate for 5 minutes. This is the management. I know they need to potty, but if I give them freedom in the house they will go once I turn my back. In the crate they will hold their bladder. Then I will take them out and give them another opportunity to go potty for the treat. Management is not just putting the dog away in their crate or locked in a room. It is any limiting of their access to the bad decision while you are teaching them what is expected of them.

Potty training can be a long and tedious endeavor. But if you only allow them to practice the correct behavior, aka potty outside, then that is all they know. You will have a much higher success rate and retention if they only have the opportunity to potty outside.

Please contact us if you have any questions on this training tip. Currently we are offering online training sessions to keep with the social distancing restrictions we are in. For more information please visit www.newmansdogtraining.com/online-training.

Also, follow us on instagram @newmansdogtraining. You can also follow our dogs adventures on instagram @adventuredogbarry.