5 Practical Tips to House Train a New Puppy

Are you welcoming a new puppy into your home? How exciting! Puppies bring lots of playful excitement and loyal companionship to a family. But before you let your pup roam free in your home, you’ll need to housebreak him first. Not sure where to start? Here are five practical tips to help you house train a new puppy.

1. Feed your puppy at regular intervals.

Allow your pup to eat for about 15 minutes, and remove any uneaten food at that time. Take your pup out for a 20-30 minute walk to give him time to eliminate and explore.

Remember, your puppy should always have access to fresh water. Do not try to limit water intake to regulate his potty breaks.

2. Keep the puppy in a crate until trained.

Until your puppy regularly eliminates outside, much of his time inside should be spent in the crate. However, after each outside potty break, give your pup some time to roam in the house for 15-20 minutes before putting him back in the crate.

Keep in mind that the puppy crate should only be large enough for him to stand up and turn around in. While it may seem kinder to give him more room to move around, doing so may give him so much space that he decides to potty in the crate, which you don’t want.

3. Place puppy pads near the door.

If you want to use puppy pads to help with your house training efforts, place them near the door. This will allow you to pick up your puppy quickly to take him outside when you see him start to pee. This helps reinforce the idea that he needs to go outside to eliminate.

4. Offer praise and rewards.

Help your puppy look forward to bathroom time by offering him lots of praise and rewards each time he eliminates outside. Keep the treats small to avoid feeding your pup too many calories.

5. Do not get angry over accidents.

Just when you think your puppy has the hang of it, he may have an accident (or several) in the house. This is normal for puppies as old as 6-12 months of age. If, after a year, your dog still has frequent accidents, talk to your vet. Making a small investment in a quick and easy way to clean up accidents will save you stress and frustration. The Pet Spot Bot is an inexpensive way to get accidents cleaned up quickly and thoroughly (and it works great for kids as well as puppies). You just set it on the stain and walk away!

 Do you have a practical puppy potty training tip? Share it in the comments!

 

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