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The term “potty train dog” gives you the biggest hint for how to train puppy to toilet in the correct places.

A little puppy, like a human baby has a small bowel, small bladder and no built in self control mechanisms – this must be learnt and you as the trainer, must be patient.

You must never physically punish your puppy for “accidents” in your house. You can scold her if you catch your pup in the act, but any delay at all between pooing/peeing and your reaction means that the dog does not connect the two and puppies training is ineffective.

Never ever rub your dog’s nose in it’s excrement or urine. A dog’s nose is extremely sensitive to smell and the smell receptors are very easily damaged.

Think about the complex message you are trying to give your puppy with this misguided action. The message it gets is not “Oh right, you don’t want me to poo on your expensive carpet. I’ll never do it again” but something more like “This big bully is doing unspeakable things to my poor nose. Why are they so mean to me?”

Rough, punative behavior with a baby animal simply can not work.

Frustrating as it is, your puppy, like a human baby, will occasionally do it’s business at the wrong time and in the wrong place. To potty train dog means accepting these little mishaps and putting your energy to rewarding your pup when she does what you want her to do.

There are 3 main ways to potty train dog

1. Vigilance. Straight after your puppy eats or wakes up, take her outside to the spot you’ve chosen as a dog toilet area. Wait for her to do her thing then as she poos or pees, praise her. A very young puppy will need to go out every 2 hours or so. Watch when she is playing, often you get a good indication of her interrupting her play to look for a good place to “go” – that’s the moment to get her outside.

2. Newspaper training. This is especially good for night time. Choose a small enclosed area of your house and cover the floor in newspapers. In the morning you will see where your dog has chosen to poo and pee.

Take about a quarter of the newspaper out from an area well away from her chosen toilet spot.
Over time, cut the paper area back more and more till only a small amount or eventually even none is left. If a small amount, your dog will use that paper at night. If none, she should wait to be let out in the morning as her night toilet is no longer available to her.

3.Crate Train Puppy. This involves confining your dog to a very small area when you cannot supervise her. She will not go to the toilet in an area where she sleeps or plays, so she will wait to be let out. There are some specific guidelines for using a puppy training crate to ensure it’s effectiveness to potty train dog, but done properly, without coercion, it works a treat. It is not a punishment, however and should not be used to discipline a puppy biting, for instance.

Potty training is just one aspect of your dog’s education that you need to address through proper puppy training to have a well behaved and obedient dog in your family.

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