How to Potty Train a Puppy

Are you pulling your hair out trying to potty train your puppy?  Are you tired of cleaning up dog urine and finding little "surprises" around the house?  Potty training your puppy doesn't have to be a frustrating endeavor.  Below are a few simple strategies to successfully potty training your dog.

Step 1: Be Consistent

The first key is that you must discipline yourself to be consistent with a potty training schedule.  If you take your dog out every half hour one day and then not for four hours the next, you can't be upset if he just takes a bathroom break whenever he feels like it. 

Start with a puppy potty training schedule and stick with it.  Develop a routine and take your puppy out for a potty break the same time every day.  This will make it much easier to housebreak him.

Step 2:  Watch Your Dogs Elimination Patterns

When developing a potty training schedule for your puppy, there are a few givens.  Take your puppy out right when you get up the first thing the morning, fifteen to thirty minutes after he eats, and right before bedtime.  Depending on the size of your puppy, that post feeding potty break may vary.  A teacup Yorkie is obviously going to have a much smaller bladder than a Great Dane and will need to be taken out more frequently. Your puppy will most likely give you cues when he is ready to go out.  Watch and pay attention to them.

Step 3: Reward for Success

It is very important to reward your dog for his positive behaviors.  Put him on a leash and take him outside when it is time for a bathroom break.  Be sure to bring a treat along with you.  As soon as he does his business, reward him with a treat.  This will reinforce his success.

Step 4:  Have Patience

Remember that your puppy is new to the world and is still learning what it is all about.  Be patient with him as he is learning how to please you.  There will be accidents.  Don't look at them as a failure but as part of the process.  If you stick with a consistent schedule and continue to praise your puppy when he succeeds, before you know it your puppy's potty training will be sure proof.