Just like humans, dogs acquire new experiences that shape their behaviours in life. As a pet owner, you should set boundaries and rules from the get-go on how you want your puppy to behave. One specific area is potty-training your puppy to not soil the house and leave behind a stinky mess. However, most pet owners get frustrated when puppies don't follow the training routine. Here are some key tips for potty training a puppy.
Understand a Puppy's Body
The success of a puppy's training regimen requires a clear understanding of how their bodies work. According to experts, a dog can only control its bladder based on hours that correspond to its age in months up to at least a year. For instance, a 3-month-old puppy can hold its bladder for about 3 hours. However, the estimation is not cast in stone and might vary from one puppy to another. Therefore, your training schedule should be based on this fact among others such as diet.
Diet Control
Besides teaching your dog basic commands, you should always consider its feeding schedule. Understand that a puppy's digestive system is underdeveloped, and thus, they cannot take in a lot of food or fluids. Therefore, instead of feeding the puppy one large meal, you can split it into two or three small meals to give ample time for proper digestion. Also, puppies require high-quality food rich in nutrients to prevent stomach upsets. Therefore, talk to your vet regarding the best diet for your puppy. A pro-tip from dog vets is to always examine your puppy's stool to determine if a change in diet is necessary. Stinky, loose, or bulky stools are tale-tell signs that you need to switch the diet. In a nutshell, controlling a puppy's diet, in terms of quality and quantity, eases the potty training process.
The Basics of Housetraining
A great potty-training approach emphasizes prevention, enabling your dog not to soil the house. During training, you should keep an eye on your pet and avoid leaving it unsupervised for long. For example, always put your puppy in their crate or take them with you. If your puppy tries to relieve itself inside your home, you can always take them outside or in a designated toilet area. Also, it is advisable to take your puppy to the toilet area once an hour and give it a specific potty command. After that, allow ample time for the dog to finish its business. Remember to reward your puppy with verbal praises or treats when it successfully uses the designated toilet area. Do not scold or punish your puppy when it fails to do the right thing.
For more advice on puppy training, talk to a veterinarian.
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