HOUSE TRAINING

Now is the time to develop patience if you have ever needed it. House training should begin immediately after getting a pet. Many puppies have a bladder the size of the tip of your thumb. This means they cannot hold their urine as long as we want and as they grow, so will their bladder. The result is the ability to hold their urine longer. When training pets, you should place them on the ground and say the same command each time. While your puppy is outside do not play with her/him until after she/he uses the bathroom. The reasoning for this action is to keep the puppies’ mind on going to the bathroom and not distracting with play.

I know a lot of you are thinking—“I take them out, bring them back in, and then they urinate on the carpet!” This is because they are excited. If you take them out and play, they think they are somewhere new and fun. Who wants to take the time to stop and urinate? Now when we get inside again, they think same old, same old. Since they are not excited now and have their mind off of the world of outside opportunity, they urinate.

The key point is potty time is potty time and play time is play time. When you get home take your pet out immediately. You should also do this each time your pet eats due to a reflex in the body which makes him/her defecate after eating. If you see the puppy sniffing, take him/her out. If you see your pet urinating on the floor, take her/him back out. Remember hitting the pet does no good whatsoever, but will cause your pet to be scarred of you. This will take time so be patient and be consistent.

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