What are the best methods to potty train a puppy?

Question

I work 8-5 monday through friday with my weekends open. I make a point to be home during my lunch hour. What are the best methods to successfully potty train my puppy

Answer 1

I would suggest crate training. I've done it with all of my dogs and none of them pee in the house anymore. It's really simple. Before you leave, take him/her out to potty and then put him/her in the crate and when you come home, immediately let him/her outside to potty. Do this all day or just everytime you leave. They will eventually learn that he/she does not want to use the restroom in his/her crate where he/she is, so he'll/she'll hold it until you get home to let him/her out. It teaches routine and he/she will learn that he/she only goes to the restroom when you let him/her out. When he/she goes outside and uses the restroom, praise him/her and reinforce him/her with a small treat. I also try to pay attention to my dogs, if they're by the door, I know they need to go out. One of my dogs, Lexi, will climb in my lap and whine when she needs to go.

Answer 2

If you are not home all day I don't understand why you would of gotten a puppy and not go to a shelter and buy a dog that is already train.  But now that you have a puppy maybe consider building an outside run with a shelter than there is no chains and it is outside and not locked up to do business in your house or being locked up in a crate.  Enjoy your puppy and good luck.

Answer 3

never scold or punish your dog if he does 'it' in the wrong place. lay a piece of newspaper in one part of the house, whenever u see him positioning himself to start doing his job quickly drag him and see that he does it on the paper. gradually he will learn to do it there whenever he does not do his job there point at it and say NO clearly and then take him to the newspaper and point at it. once he learns to do his job on the paper move it into the bathroom and then put the paper in a garden outside your house and then whenever you see him going towards the paper take him out for a walk and do not take him back home until he does what he had to. slowly he will learn that he should do everything on the paper and go to the door when he needs to go out......

Answer 4

Consistency, consistency, consistency.

And positive reinforcement. And a schedule.

Avoide the newspaper/pee-pads. They just slow down and prolong the process. You train the dog to the newspaper/pee-pad, and then you need to retrain it to go outside. It's better to just have them go outside from the start.

Take the dog outside first thing in the morning. When you feed the puppy, take it outside about 20 minutes later. Take it out before bedtime. And when it uses the bathroom outside, give it a treat.

Also take the dog out every hour or two during the day, to give it an opportunity to relieve itself. (More often if it is a young or small puppy.)

If the dog uses the bathroom inside and you don't catch it in the act, do nothing. (Well, clean up the mess, but do nothing to the dog.) The dog doesn't understand why it is being punished after the fact, it has forgotten all about it's mess on the floor by then.

If you catch the dog in the act, say "no!" or "unt-uh!", and promptly take the dog outside. When it finishes using the bathroom outside, give it a treat.

You need to watch the dog constantly. Tie the leash to your belt-loop if you need to, so the dog is always by you. If you cannot be watching the dog for some reason, but it in it's crate. A dog typically won't soil it's sleeping area. (Crate training is a wonderful tool when housebreaking a dog.)

While you're at work, the puppy should be in its crate. As soon as you get home on your lunch break and after work, first thing is take the puppy outside to do it's business.

.

Answer 5

well during the day put puppy training pads in your house. it is a pad with a scent that makes them have to go potty. then when you are home at lunch let your puppy out for 15 minutes and put out the puppy pad so she/he can get all the pee out, then let she/he in and limit the water in the bowl. give him/her a treat if she/he goes potty. do NOT crate train. a crate is not a punishment it is a place where dogs can go to relax. we crate trained my second dog in the washing room and know she will not even go in there.

Answer 6

i would treat the puppy like a person. every 15 minutes put it out side or walk it until it potties and give it a lot of praise. after about two weeks raise it to every 30 minutes. i realize thou with you at work that isnt always going to work. Maybe a person wouldnt mind dog sitting so that it gets trained to potty out side

Answer 7

This is what I did:

Put my puppy in a kennel while I'm at work. Theyare reluctant to go where they have to sleep.

Then IMMEDIATELY take him outside and walk with him to make sure he goes to the bathroom.

(And when you're home, be sure to take them out every 30 minutes or so)

When he'd have an accident in the home, I would rub his nose in it and spank his butt a few times, then immediately take him outside.

In these stages, it's best to pretend that they are an 18 month old child, and you have to watch them always. If you catch them in the act, this is best. They will have a clearer understanding of why you are upset with them.

If the accident is not fresh, don't bother spanking, you will confuse them!

This worked for me. May not work for everyone, but I thought I'd at least share!