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Steps To Potty Train Your New Puppy

By Pooja Kaushal

You have thought enough and are now ready to take the plunge. You are all set to welcome a new member into your family – a pet dog. Or better still a puppy. This bundle of joy will prove to be a perfect companion for you and your family for many years to come. But for this to happen, you will have to take good care of it.

You will have to make yourself aware and be well-informed about the various aspects of raising a puppy into a healthy dog. One very important part is potty training for puppies.

Steps To Potty Train Your New Puppy

When you decide to get your little pup, be prepared for lots of hard work. It would not be wrong to say that taking care of a puppy is like caring for a baby. When it comes to potty training, you will have to be alert at all times. It will take almost three months to get your pup potty trained. The duration can vary depending upon the breed.

A key requirement from your end will be patience and consistency when undertaking the task of potty training for puppies. Being very young, it will have no control over its bladder and bowel movements. You will have to figure out from its gestures and help it develop that control. Remember it is your child. It will act as it is taught.

Potty training a puppy
Being young, a pup has a smaller bladder capacity and hence, it needs to urinate at shorter intervals. The good part is that puppies sleep a lot and do not pee in their sleep. But to train it, you need to work out your schedule and method keeping some important things in mind.

Regular meals: It is a simple rule – something will go in and something will come out. At the same time, these accidents may not be predicted. One way to keep a tab on these timings is by observing regular meal times. Keep a note as to when your puppy had water and what time it had its meals. Depending upon this, you will be able to figure out when the puppy needs to excrete.

Regular walks: If you live in an open space and can regularly take your dog out, there could be nothing better. Maintain a regular time as to when you are supposed to go out for a walk and make sure your dog does its business during this time. Do not play with the dog unless it has finished its job. In case of urban high apartment living, you can designate a place in the house for the purpose of potty training.

Eliminate odours: If, and it’s quite likely, the puppy has an accident in the house, do not panic or yell at the dog. Punishing and yelling could give very adverse results. On the contrary, clean up quickly using either vinegar or a spray solution especially made for this purpose. The idea is to completely remove all traces, even smells, as that might serve as a temptation to display a similar behaviour.

Shower praises: Just like small children, dogs also need praises for good behaviour. After having completed the job, make sure to show loving gestures to the dog. It will understand that it is loved more after a ‘job well done’.

Look out for signals: Dogs, unlike humans, cannot talk. They, however, have gesture to convey their requirements. These gestures should be read with great care. During potty training for puppies, every bit of attention is important and worth noticing. This is the only and safest way to avoid accidents.

Remember, an accident made by a dog is an accident made by you. Potty training for puppies is no child’s play and can prove to be quite a task. If you love your puppy, hang on to it, train it well and see it grow into a loving and caring companion.

Story first published: Friday, July 18, 2014, 17:44 [IST]
Read more about: pet care