How To House Train a Puppy ( 8 weeks to 6 months)

By Charlene Little, Contributing Writer

You found the most adorable, cuddly, fuzzy little guy at the shelter or in the newspaper. You get them home and they fit perfectly into your family. You are so happy until the moment that they decide the center of your living room carpet is there for their personal toilet.

This is the moment that reality hits and you decided that your puppy needs to be trained. Where do you start? How do you convince this adorable little fuzzball that he needs to potty outside, and not on your carpet on laminate floor? I will tell you the easiest way to potty train a puppy.

---

Pay Attention:
Paying attention to your little cuddle buddy will prove to be the most valuable asset in house training. This step will show you what cues your puppy uses to show that they have to go potty. Many puppies signal that they have to go by turning in circles.

After Eating or Drinking:
Take your puppy outside shortly after they eat or drink. Puppies tend to potty within 10 to 15 minutes from the time they eat or drink . Taking them outside at the 10 minute mark will allow them to do their business outside.

Praise:
Praise your puppy after he goes potty outside. He will relate positive interaction with going potty outside. Puppies are people pleasers, they want to make you happy and they want to get praise.

Do Not Play With Them:
During potty time, do not play with your puppy. Puppies will forget about needing to go to the bathroom if they have someone to play with. Let them use this time to sniff around and get the feel of the yard. When the urge hits, they will do the deed. Do not forget his praise.

Consistency:
Puppies have a small body, and in return, they have small organs. They cannot hold in their potty for a long period of time. Take your puppy outside every half hour to 45 minutes. They will see that you insist that they do their business outside the house. Failing to be consistent will confuse your puppy.

Another part of consistency is using the same door, and the same part of your yard every time you take your puppy outside. This may seem strange, but changing the area can lead to confusion. Their scent in the grass will remind them what they do in this area. They will be able to remind themselves that it is time to potty.

Crate Training:
Do not crate train a puppy that is less that 16 weeks old. Their bladder cannot handle prolonged periods of holding it. They will inevitably potty in their crate and relate it with a negative place. Dogs do not like to potty where they sleep, if they are forced to potty where they sleep, they can relate that place to negative feelings. We will talk about crate training in another post.

When Your Puppy Potties Outside;
When your puppy potties outside, use the words that you want them to associate with potty.  "Go potty, good boy/girl, go potty." After your puppy finishes going potty, give them lots of love and praise. They will feel proud that they made you happy.

If Your Puppy Potties Inside:
If you catch your puppy going potty inside do not scold them. Pick them up and carry them outside the second you catch them. Let them finish their business outside. Even though your puppy started going potty inside, praise them if they finish outside. Just as you would if they went outside for the entire incident.

Puppy Training Pads:
Many people believe that puppy training pads can reinforce negative behavior. If you are not home all the time, consider using a puppy training pad while you are gone. Remember, puppies cannot hold it for a long period of time. Giving them a secure place to go potty when they have no other choice, will prevent damage to your carpet and flooring and still reinforce that there is a specific place that they are required to potty.

More From Caradwyn:

Learning What Your Dog Needs Directly From Him: Exercise

The Downside of the Free Puppy Trend

How to Tell What Your Dog is Thinking

---

About the Author

Charlene Little is the mother of three wonderful boys and a volunteer foster mom for her local animal shelter. She enjoys working with various breeds of dogs and cats in learning social behavior, training, and how to be the successful member of a fur-ever family. She enjoys studying animals' behavior and finding solutions to behavior problems that the everyday person can handle. She covers topics from various forms of aggression and small problem behaviors. Every problem behavior has a solution, and the solution is never to give up on your pet! Love, kindness, and small adjustments could be just what you need.