Potty Train A Dog
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Bringing home a brand new puppy is one of the most exciting moments in anyone's life. If you've ever had the pleasure of presenting children with a new puppy, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. The look of sheer joy and love on their faces when they see that wriggling, squirming bundle of energy is priceless,
and will be forever imprinted into your memory. But you'll soon have to address more practical matters as well, and finding out how to potty train a dog will be at the top of that list.
There are many different ways to potty train a dog, so the particular strategy you choose should be one that suits both your lifestyle and the type of home that you live in. For example, people that have a huge fenced-in backyard will go about this task in a much different way than someone who lives on the 15th floor of a high-rise apartment building. Similarly a person who works from home all day will potty train a dog differently from someone who works a 9 to 5 job. And those whose kids are old enough to help take care of the new puppy will go about potty training their pet a bit differently than those with toddlers who are far too young to do anything.
Once you evaluate your situation, you can proceed with the actual training. Obviously, this needs to be done as soon as possible, so don't take too long deciding on the right strategy! Most experts agree that in order to successfully potty train a dog, the first step should be to establish an area where you want the animal to do its business. This can be the backyard, it can be a five-block span if you plan to take the puppy for long walks, or it can be an area in the garage or basement where you've spread newspapers out for this purpose.
Puppies usually need to relieve themselves quite frequently, so begin by bringing your pet to the designated area once every couple of hours. If he takes care of business in the right place, praise him. If nothing happens, bring him back to the general living area and try again in a little while. Being able to potty train a dog properly depends a lot on teaching the animal the right and wrong places to go, so pay extra attention to this step.
Next, you'll need to begin establishing a routine that you adhere to every single day. Habit is a major factor when you potty train a dog, and will help your furry friend learn that much more quickly. As I said earlier, puppies need to go out many times during the day, but as they get older, you can reduce the walks to once in the morning after waking up, once during the day, and once again before retiring for the night.
Now all that's left to do is reinforce the puppy's behavior (either positively or negatively) depending on how well he responds to potty training. It's not easy to potty train a dog, but with some patience and perseverance, you can get it done!
