5 tips for potty-training your puppy

A little ball of fur has joined your home? Even if, in your eyes, they are the most beautiful and funniest dog in the world, they need to learn to be house-trained! This step is essential for puppy training. From 2 months old, you can start encouraging them to go potty outside. So, discover our 5 tips right now to teach your puppy to be house-trained!

1| Practice positive reinforcement with your puppy

To teach your puppy house-training, recall, leash walking, and basic commands, opt for positive reinforcement! The idea is to teach them how to behave well through positive reinforcement. When your little furry friend pees outside, encourage them with a pet, a cheerful tone, or a treat. This will encourage them to do it again next time!

Even little dogs want to be winners! So, put your dog in a situation where they can succeed as much as possible. This will establish healthy and fun foundations.

2| Use a potty pad to teach your puppy to be house-trained

For puppies who are still learning house-training, it's recommended to use a potty pad. Of course, the pee-pad doesn't exempt you from taking your dog outside. It's a temporary solution that helps save the living room rug and keep the house clean at the very beginning of the dog's life. It's also practical for spacing out nighttime walks (at 3 AM, you'll appreciate it, I promise...). Place it in a strategic location so your puppy knows where to go if they can't hold it.

A top-notch potty pad should be:

Made of ultra-soft fabric
Highly absorbent
Machine washable
Reusable (say no to single-use plastic!)

3| Take your puppy out very regularly to teach them to be house-trained

To house-train your puppy, it is essential to take them out very regularly! Since they can't control themselves yet, your big baby needs to go out every one to two hours when they are very young.

Take your furry baby out after naps, meals, or play sessions. Bring along some poop bags, preferably compostable and biodegradable (hooray for corn starch!), and get ready for a house-training session! For style and practicality, equip yourself with a poop bag holder to clip onto the leash, matching your dog accessories! Yes, you can be stylish while picking up after your dog!

4| Pay attention to your puppy's behavior

If your little dog stands in front of the front door, starts scratching or whining, they might be trying to send you a message! Once outside, the excitement of the walk can quickly overshadow the purpose of going out!

That's why it's important to prioritize calm walks to house-train your beloved pet. There's a time for everything! If you offer too many stimuli during the outing, your dog might forget to do their business outside. Stay focused on the pee goal!

5| Avoid common dog training mistakes

House-training your puppy requires patience and a little time. Here's a little paw-up with 4 mistakes to avoid when house-training:

Don't punish your puppy after the fact. If you don't catch them in the act, scolding them has no positive effect on house-training.

Don't clean with bleach, because its smell might make them want to do their business in the same spot again!

Don't scold your dog too harshly. Would you like to be barked at?

Don't clean up your dog's little (or big) accidents in front of them, because they might take it as a game (we don't all have the same humor, OK!).

And you, what are your tips for house-training your puppy?

The article 5 tips for house-training your puppy first appeared on The Daily Bandit.