Potty Training Your Toller Pup!

How to Potty Train Your Puppy

At Tollchester we start potty training your puppy at 3 weeks of age. By 8 weeks of age many of our puppys are already fully litter box trainned. Litter box training provides an easy transition to outdoor potty training.

We recommend puppy families purchase a large litter box and place pin shavings into the box. Put it in an area the is within reach of the puppy; preferably somewere you can see the puppy going to the box. When the puppy approaches the box it's best to try and pick them up before they go into the box and carry them outside. By doing this you are substituting the outdoors for the litter box and eventually you won't need the box in your home.

Remember puppies under 9 weeks have very small bladders and need to pee anywere from 8-12 times a day! Some trainers will recommend to monitor water, food and sleep inorder to adjust to your puppys potty schedule. It's very common for puppies to pee within 10 min of drinking water, poo within 20 min of eating, and within 2 min of waking up. If you watch your puppy during these times and provide them with outdoor activities following these three times this will help you minimize the amount of "accidents" your puppy may have.

When potty training it's best to keep your puppy in a smaller area within your home and close to you. You want to get to know your puppies cues on when they need to potty so you can avoid "accidents". Umbilical and Crate training are great tools along with litter box training to help you potty train your puppy.

There is a wonderful article about potty training puppies at http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2114&aid=157

Umbilical Training

Umbilical training is a wonderful potty training tool. It's a method that involves a leash (typically 6 feet in length) be tied around the owners waist and the latch of the leash being clipped to the puppies collar. The leash should have some slack to it when the puppy is laying on the floor but not be too long that the dog is more then 4 feet away from you.

The idea behind umbilical training works with the theory that a dog will not potty next to their owner out of respect for their space. This training also helps you build a bond with your puppy and helps aid in awarness on your dogs body cues of when she/he needs to go potty. This is a great tool in combination with crate training as it teaches your puppy boundaries. Giving a puppy too much freedom isn't fair as they haven't learned the rules of the house. Typically a puppy who doesn't have rules will get into trouble or potty as they feel the need to without guidance.

When doing this training you should include movement (doing laundry, tidying the house etc..). By using movement you are getting your puppy used to the feeling of his leash and collar while giveing them stimulation and exercise. You can also incorparate being stationary such as working ont he computer or watching tv. Puppies tend to get comfortable when stationed for long periods so it's important to introduce a nudge to encourage them to get up when you are ready to move. Remember: after rest, eating and drinking are three of the most common times your puppy will need to "go". 

This is a good article on umbilical training http://www.thehousebreakingbible.com/training/umbilical-cord-training.htm

TIPS

• Everyone in the household should take turns.  This will encourage everyone to be on the same page with dog training
• The puppy should also have time not attached to his leash, to learn confinement (crate training is a valuable tool for confinement), independence (outdoor/indoor supervised activities are a wonderful tool) and give him a rest as well.  Remember to keep balance in training
• Most puppies take weeks to months to house break.  Try not to get angry or frustrated during this time.  Remember they are babies, and in addition to growing up, adjusting to new people and places we are also asking them to learn rules about our homes which goes against their natural instincts.  Be patient.