Most puppies can be potty trained in 4 to 6 months. That may seem like a huge time investment, but it’s worth it. By the time your puppy is fully grown, you’ll have a well-behaved companion and a new best friend.
If you are running into puppy potty training issues, we’re here to help.
Here are 5 common house training issues and how to fix them.
1. Repeatedly Soiling the Same Area
Dogs prefer going to the bathroom in the same spot.
If you furry friend keeps soiling the same area in your house, chances are your dog is smelling leftover urine. It’s estimated that a dog’s sense of smell is 10,000 times better than ours. If there’s any urine scent left in your home, your pet will gravitate to that spot.
To avoid this, make sure to clean up any accidents with a deep clean. You must get rid of any smells in that area that your dog may be picking up on.
To get rid of urine smell in your carpet use an enzymatic cleaner made for cleaning up pet stains. The enzymes in pet cleaners break up the odor molecules in pet urine. You can find these cleaners at most pet supply stores.
2. Your Dog Has Accidents While You’re At Work
Puppies can only hold their bladder for one hour per every month of age. That means that your 2-month-old puppy can only hold their bladder for 2 hours.
You can’t expect a puppy that is only a few months old to hold his or her bladder for the 8+ hours you are gone at work.
So how can you keep your dog from having an accident while you are at your job?
Ask a friend, family member or neighbor to take your dog out a few times during the day. If you work nearby, come home during your lunch break to let the puppy out. Or pay for a dog walker.
3. Your Dog Won’t Go When You Go Outside
One of the most common puppy potty training issues is that the pup won’t go when he or she is outside.
If your dog asks to go out and they don’t go potty within 5 minutes or so chances are they wanted to go out for something other than a bathroom break. If you’re still in house-training mode, take your pup inside rather than indulging them in play.
Notice when you take your dog out every two hours and he isn’t going potty each time. This likely means his bladder has grown and he doesn’t need to go out that often anymore. Try letting your dog out every 3 hours.
Check out 6 puppy health tips for new owners to ensure your new addition is in optimal health.
4. Your Dog Doesn’t Let You Know When He Has to Go Out
Dogs don’t instinctively know that they should tell you they need to go ou. Finding a way for your dog to let you know that they’ve got to go out is tough.
Dogs often sniff the area when they need to go out, but it’s easy to miss that subtle hint. You can try teaching your dog a new cue such as using a bell.
Choose a method and stick with it. Praise your furry friend when she uses it properly. Soon, your pet will have a reliable way to tell you it’s time to go out.
5. Puppy Won’t Go Potty On His Own
Puppies are very dependant on their owners when they are weeks old. Don’t expect that you can let your dog out into the backyard often and that’s enough.
If you don’t go with your pup, she won’t relax enough to let it out.
It’s annoying, especially in bad weather, but you must be outside with your puppy and wait.
Voila! Puppy Potty Training Success
We hope you’ve enjoyed these 5 puppy potty training tips. Remember that this is a process and you may feel like your puppy is not getting it.
Be consistent and keep going. The effort you put in now will mean an excellent companion for years to come.
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