Of all the challenges to overcome when bringing home a new puppy, potty training is one of, if not the, biggest. The combination of a small, growing bladder, pelvic muscles that aren’t strong yet, and acclimating to a new environment makes accidents an inevitable part of puppy parenthood. If you stay on top of their training though, and follow these guidelines below, you can minimize accidents and have your pup housebroken in no time!
Take your puppy outside often and on a schedule.
As soon as your puppy comes home for the first time, choose a potty spot outside and show them where it is. Take them out to this spot every two hours throughout the day in the beginning (you’ll be able to extend these intervals as training progresses), so they don’t have much of a chance to go anywhere else. You should also take them to their potty spot routinely after meals, playtime, and waking up from sleep.
Always give potty praise.
More than anything else, your puppy just wants to please you, so show them that going potty outside does that. When your pup successfully goes in their potty spot, give them lots of verbal praise, pets, and treats to reward them. They’ll quickly learn that this is a good behavior and begin to do it more instinctively.
Limit your puppy’s access to the house during the potty-training phase.
If your puppy has the freedom to roam wherever they want in the house, then they’ll go potty wherever they want too, until they’re trained otherwise. When you can’t supervise them, keep them in their crate, a playpen, a gated room, or another confined area. This way, you can better control where they’re going—and where they’re going.
React to accidents quickly and calmly.
Punishing your puppy for accidents by rubbing their nose in it or scolding them will only make them fearful of you, not help them understand where to go potty. If you catch them having or about to have an accident inside, interrupt them with an “oops!” or “eh, eh, eh!” Then, pick them up (they will stop going when you do) and bring them outside to the potty spot ASAP. Be sure to clean up any accidents with a product designed for animal waste and that discourages marking.
At Blue Star Labradoodles, we begin training our Multi-Generation Australian Labradoodle puppies extensively to ensure a smooth transition to their forever homes. Starting at five weeks of age, they learn to go outside on a regular schedule to go potty, making house training much easier for you when you finally welcome them home.
Contact us today or more information about our available Australian Labradoodle puppies and to reserve one of your own!
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