Puppies need love and consistent house training.
The second our new puppy, T-Rex, ran into our new home and saw my then nine-year-old son, he got so excited he peed at (and on) his feet. Luckily, my son was barefoot and the tile floors made cleanup easy. Right after that get-acquainted incident, we made sure to take the puppy out often for pee breaks. T-Rex caught on fast and soon our house was pee- and poop-free.
Puppies are like toddlers. They want to please you, get excited easily, are inquisitive, and can’t hold anything in. With patience and a few weeks of time, you can have a housebroken puppy, too. Try these tips and see for yourself.
5 Tips To House Train A Puppy
- Watch your puppy all the time. The trick is to catch the puppy “in the act.” Immediately say “no” a few times (but don’t scream) and take them outside for about 10 minutes. Don’t play with them while on their outside elimination break. A puppy will typically pee six times a day, often right after they eat and/or drink. A puppy may only poop once a day.
- Avoid giving your puppy anything to drink a few hours before bedtime. It will minimize or eliminate the middle-of-the-night outside peeing excursions no matter the weather. Let your puppy sleep in your bedroom, if possible, and prepare to quickly get up with any movement from the puppy.
- Try paper training for smaller or indoor pets. Layer newspaper in a corner of a non-carpeted area and away from water and food dishes. Take the puppy to the newspaper directly after meals. Remove the top layer of paper whenever the puppy eliminates there, but the leave the bottom layers as puppies will continue to pee or poop wherever they smell urine.
- Give your puppy lots of outside play time or walks, as a happy puppy is less likely to get anxious and eliminate in the house out of stress.
- Agree on the place in the home and/or outside when the puppy will be taken. Again, the previous “odor’ will lure the puppy to that spot. Consistently use a simple word, such as “outside”, when bringing your puppy to the pee/poo spot.
You certainly don’t need any pet odors if you plan on selling your home soon, so you’ll still need to watch your puppy carefully for the first five or six months. Patience is a virtue, both in life and puppy training.
Photo Credit: christian.senger on www.flickr.com
