Great Basin Miniature Schnauzers
Potty Training
Potty training is one of the first things most new puppy owners think about and even get intimidated by. It is a straightforward process and takes consistency and patience. Most puppies can be fully potty trained by six months old.
There are many ways to start potty training your new puppy at home. Following are a few ways I use and have worked well for me with a daily schedule. You can adjust the times according to your work schedule.
Crate training- this method is the one I prefer and have had the most success with. This is the schedule for the first 3-7 days to let your puppy know where to potty. NEVER get upset with accidents in the house. It’s going to happen so be prepared with patience and cleaning supplies.
-take the puppy to its designated potty spot after the puppy eats. It can take up to 10 minutes for the puppy to go potty after it eats.
-take the puppy to its designated potty spot every hour. You may have messes to clean up for the first 3-7 days until your puppy gets the hang of his/her potty spot.
-when you are not playing, cuddling, or interacting with your puppy, put them in the crate.
-put the puppy in the crate overnight. When it goes potty in its crate and the mess is not cleaned up immediately, it will continue to try harder to hold it until you let it out.
-DO NOT leave the mess if you are home or awake. The puppy does not want to be in its own mess but if it is not cleaned regularly, the instinct to keep its waste away from food and sleeping areas will be ruined and you will NEVER have a potty-trained puppy.
Remember the most intensive part of potty training is the first few days at the puppy's new home. As long as you are calm and consistent, your puppy will catch on to where it needs to go potty. After it realizes where to go, it will try to hold it until it gets there. There may still be accidents all the way until 4-6 months of age and that is completely normal.
Potty Pad Training- This method involves encouraging your puppy to go potty on a puppy pad. This method could take up to two weeks and sometimes longer for the puppy to understand.
-take a playpen for dogs or a small room with hard flooring and place potty pads inside to cover the whole area of the floor.
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-set food and water on top of potty pads and near the puppy's bed.
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-after a few days or when you see the puppy consistently pottying in a certain area, use 1 less pad.
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-every other day use 1 less pad until you only have one out and the puppy is going potty on it consistently.
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-over time you will be able to give your puppy a larger and larger area to play in and if you have a schedule that lets the puppy out at certain times of day, it will try to hold it until those times.
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Indoor potty training- Not all of us are able to get outside with our dogs every day. This is a situation where I would recommend indoor potty training. The method is the same as puppy pad training or even a smaller area like a crate to start with. Following are some items to use for indoor potty training.
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-litter box or pan PS KOREA Indoor Dog Potty Tray, Blue - Chewy.com
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-real grass DOGGIELAWN Natural Real Grass Dog Pee Pad - Chewy.com
Remember, potty training takes time and patience and you will have messes to clean up. That’s part of being a puppy owner. Stay consistent with the method you choose and you and your puppy will eventually get there. If you were nice and didn’t scold your puppy throughout the training process, you will have a well-balanced, confident dog when you are done. Good luck!