If you are raising a new puppy, potty training is going to become a bit part of your daily routine.  As with all of training, creating good habits from the beginning is far easier than trying to fix a problem after it has already started.  We spend a tremendous amount of effort to ensure our puppies have limited accidents in the wrong place.  If your puppy pees behind your couch a couple of times, your puppy could think this is their new spot.

 

We are big fans of CRATE TRAINING. Crates are such a great way to help facilitate good habits in your new puppy as they learn about the world, where to pee and what to chew on.  Think of your puppy as a new baby.  You wouldn't want to let them crawl all over the house unattended.  Babies are kept in cribs or play pens until they learn how to safely be out, and the same is true for our puppies.  A crate can also be a much needed rest for you, as new puppy owners, to get a break from having to constantly manage your pup. 

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Take your puppy outside:

--right after they get out of their crate

 --after they wake up from a nap

--after they play

--after they eat.  

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When you take your puppy out, it helps to have a specific "potty area" for your puppy in your yard that you can take them to.  Pick up any toys or distractions in this area so you puppy stays focused on using the bathroom.  Try not to give your puppy too much attention while you are trying to get them to pee.  I often walk around, ignoring them and saying "go pee".  Once our pups start to pee, we slowly and calmly tell them how good of a puppy they are.  We don't want to be too excited or we might get them stimulated and cause them to stop peeing and run over to us.  

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We don't let our puppies in the house until we have just watched them potty outside.  When our pups are loose in the house, we are always there to supervise.  If we can't watch them, we put them in their pen or in their crate.  Remember that every accident they have in the house strengthens their desire to pee inside, so try to have as few accidents as possible as your puppy grows.  

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We love using a dog door to allow our pups to let themselves outside anytime they need to go.  

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We do not use potty pads.  Teaching your puppy to pee on a soft pad inside your home is a great way to teach your puppy to pee on your rugs or any other type of absorbent material in your home.  

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If you catch your puppy in the act of using the bathroom indoors, make a loud verbal correction, try to interrupt them and then immediately rush them outside.  If they continue to use the bathroom outside, calmly praise them.  You want to make sure to praise your puppy when they pee outside so they don't become scared to pee in your presence after you have corrected them.  If you find an accident in the house after it has happened, there is nothing to do but clean it up and try to make a note of that location to keep your pup from going to that spot again.  If your puppy does have an accident indoors, it's important to clean it up with a specific enzyme that can clean urine.  We love Anti-Icky Poo!  Check out OUR FAVORITES page to a link to order.  There are a ton of other good urine enzymes you can find at any pet store. 

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If your puppy is having diarrhea issues, this may be a sign of parasites.  Check out our page on POOP for more information on how to deal with diarrhea.