House Train Your Puppy With These 7 Effective Tips

Puppies are just like small babies; the first time you take them home, you will feel like you are in way over your head. However, once you understand some basic rules and try and fail several times, you will be more confident in your “parenting” techniques. If you are a dog lover, you know that dog training is not only about teaching your pet fun tricks; dogs need the discipline to live a healthy life. You need to teach them how to listen to you as this can be a life-saving skill. While you can always find an experienced dog trainer to train your puppy, doing it yourself will create this special bond between the two of you.Generally speaking, puppies can be fully trained within 4-6 months, however, this depends on every dog’s size and breed. 

If you want to learn some tips to help you on your training journey, you’ve come to the right place. Here are 7 effective tips to house train your puppy.

Start with the Basics

Dogs learn better with structure. Starting with the basics will give you and your puppy the chance to ease into the training process. If this is your first time owning a dog of your own, you have to approach this whole training thing gradually. Otherwise, you will get frustrated easily and feel like you are not up to the task at hand. Most puppies gain control over their bladders when they are 12-16 weeks old, which is when they become ready to be trained on how to wait until they go outside to eliminate.

In the beginning, it’s recommended to take your puppy out as frequently as every 30 – 60 minutes. Stick to one place that your puppy can get familiar with to associate it with doing his business. Every time they eliminate outside, make sure you reward them with a treat and give them a few encouraging words with a pat on the back. 

Use Positive Reinforcement

Just like humans, dogs learn better through positive reinforcement. Because your puppy is still small and doesn’t understand much, you will first have to teach them how positive reinforcement is a good thing. To make this happen, you should let them hear the happiness and excitement in your voice when you are giving praise. This way, your puppy will understand that “Good job” is a good thing and that they need to do certain actions to make you say it. Always remain calm and avoid harming your puppy just because they are taking longer than you had expected to learn new habits.

Stay Consistent

Consistency is key when you are training your puppy. Simply put, you can’t expect your puppy to suddenly change their behavior after you have been reinforcing the opposite one. Luke Stevens from Puppy Joy says that one way to house train your puppy is to get them on a good schedule. Just as you would with your baby, establish a strict routine that your puppy can follow where they wake up, eat, and even go out to play at the same time every day. You also don’t want to change your training techniques too often as this will confuse your puppy and might even make them forget about behaviors that they were already good at. 

Keep an Eye on Your Puppy All the Time

This is especially important in the beginning when you are trying to teach them the basics. When your puppy sees that you are watching, they will be more encouraged to keep up the positive behavior that you treat them for. Also, like small babies, puppies don’t like to be left alone for extended times. This can make them aggressive and harder to train, which will make your job even more challenging. In addition to keeping their spirits lifted, another reason you need to keep an eye on your puppy is that they can easily trip on loose cables or down the staircase if they’re still unfamiliar with your home. 

Give Your Puppy Their Own Space

Assigning a confined area for your puppy early on is a good way to keep them safe when you are away and reduce the possibility of accidents. Dog crates should be spacious enough for your puppy to move freely without feeling that they’re locked in. If you are planning on leaving your puppy confined for more than a couple of hours a day, you have to make sure they have enough clean water. However, once you get back, you will have to take them for a walk to eliminate them. Take care though, if you find that your puppy is eliminating in their crate, this might mean many things. It can be a sign that the crate is too small for them, or that they’re simply still unable to control their bladder.

Expect Accidents

Accidents will happen. No matter how long you spend teaching your puppy good behaviors, it is only normal that they will make mistakes, and it all comes down to how you choose to handle them. Remember that it’s all about positive reinforcements and having enough patience to train them over and over again. 

Try to Maintain Their Routine, Even When you are Away

As we mentioned above, consistency is key in housetraining your puppy, so if you don’t want them to regress when you are traveling, you have to have a backup plan. You can either leave them with one of your friends whom you trust will be able to keep their schedule or you can hire a professional pet sitter. Whichever you choose, try not to make a habit out of leaving your puppy behind and take them along whenever possible. 

You can’t become an expert in housetraining your puppy unless you try and fail several times. It will take awhile before you and your puppy can become accustomed to your training sessions and start to see long-term results. If you follow the tried-and-tested tips above, you will be able to make the most out of your training time. Whenever you feel discouraged, remember that your puppy will grow to become your best friend for life, which is definitely worth the extra effort you have to put in at first.