But we were JUST OUTSIDE and now he peed on the floor!
It’s January, and many of you are celebrating a new year with you new bundle of fur. And as things start to get back to normal and you get back to work and the kids get back to school you’ll soon be thinking, “WHAT HAVE I DONE!?!”
That’s right. You’ll be questioning this new dog thing. Whether you chose to adopt a new puppy or adopt an adult dog, you’ll be asking the same questions–Will I ever sleep again? Will the stains come out? Will I need to replace my carpet? We were just outside!!!!!!!
I’m here to tell you all of those questions are normal, but they don’t have to last. It’s not uncommon for people to call me after they’ve had the dog for 2, 3 or even 6 months and still they feel the dog isn’t as potty trained as they could be.
Well I’m here to give you a few tips to get you rolling. And if you want help or better yet, a step by step plan to get potty training conquered asap, give me a call or shoot me an email now. We can have your dog letting you know they need to go out in no time at all!
5 Must Know Dog and Puppy Potty Training Tips
1. What goes in, must come out. Image with me for a minute that you and I are going on a car ride. At the start, I pull up to Chick Fil-A and order each of us a chicken sandwich, waffle fries and two large sweet teas (I mean they have the best tea and lemonade…Am I right??). We eat our meals and drink our drinks before I start driving and inform you we won’t be stopping for the next 4 to 8 hours. Basically if you don’t have a bladder of steel, I’m going to have wet seats, correct?
Don’t set your puppy or dog up for failure by loading them up on food and water right before you leave and can’t let them out. They’ll thank you.
2. Supervise, Supervise, Supervise! If you can’t see them, they are peeing or getting in to trouble.
3. Who’s responsible anyway? I THOUGHT YOU WERE WATCHING HIM!?! Get clear on who IS and who IS NOT watching the dog. If it’s everyone’s responsibility…it’s no one’s responsibility.
4. Expecting too much. The general rule is a puppy can hold it for their age in months plus one. So a 3 month old puppy can hold it in their crate for 4 hours. But while out running around the house they might need to go out every 30 minutes or so. Be reasonable. They need to learn how to control their bladder, let you know they need to go out, wait for you to get them outside and not get distracted while doing their business. That’s a lot for a little puppy to learn or a dog that hasn’t been exposed to too much!
5. Consistent in equals consistent out. A lot of people like to try to free feed from the get go. This is tough as you never quite know then if they just ate or drank a ton and need to go out. Feeding puppies on a schedule 3 times a day in the beginning makes pottying much more predictable.
Bonus Tip. If your dog or puppy is suffering from any sort of parasites or stress (new home anyone?) forgive them for a bit. Their bellies are all upset and need some time to get regular again. Finish up the medicine or give them some time to settle in and you’ll start to see a more regular potty schedule again.
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