One of the first things a puppy would need to be taught is to handle business outside instead of in the house. While most pet owners wish this step could be skipped, potty training is simply a part of being a responsible pet owner.
Keep in mind that some puppies, especially those of specific breeds, learn house dog training extremely fast while other breeds can be downright challenging. The speed in which a puppy becomes house trained is based on numerous factors and because of this, we wanted to offer some suggestions for making this type of training easier and more successful, but also things you may need to consider if your puppy is not learning.
Veterinarian Checkup
Regardless of the breeder, the actual dog breed, or even the age of the dog, anytime a puppy is purchased it would be imperative for him to be seen by a veterinarian within the first two days.
Although buying a puppy from a highly respected breeder would reduce risk of potential health problems, even with this there would be times when a person returns home with a beautiful new puppy only to discover that he is very sick and in some cases, to have the puppy die. For this reason, any new puppy should be seen by a reputable veterinarian so testing could quickly rule out any potential problems.
As a part of this checkup, the veterinarian would perform several tests but also look at the puppy’s general health. If the puppy were deemed healthy then house dog training should be relatively easy but if certain health problems were identified, this type of training could become a long, drawn out process.
For instance, if you bought a puppy and the veterinarian discovered the presence of internal parasites or worms, or perhaps the puppy was suffering from a bladder infection or had a condition known as cystitis, house dog training would be difficult, if not impossible. Of course, with proper treatment, the health problem would be corrected and training successful.
Value of Diet
Many new dog owners have no clue that so many things factor in when it comes to successful house dog training. In addition to buying a healthy puppy and having him checked for health problems, other things considered critical to potty training include a safe and loving environment, daily exercise, and even diet.
You want to feed your new puppy the right food from day one but first, identify the brand and formula of food the breeder used. If you changed diet quickly, the puppy would likely experience an upset tummy and develop diarrhea.
You could either purchase the same food as the breeder, thereby keeping your puppy on that diet but if preferred, you could purchase a different brand of food. However, to make house dog training easier and quicker, make sure you transition the puppy from one food to another over the course of two weeks. That way, digestive problems and delayed success with potty training would be avoided.
Proper Supervision
To be successful with house dog training you will need to keep a close eye on your puppy. Obviously, even with proper supervision accidents will happen but if you plan to take your furry friend outside early in the morning, several times during the day, and then again a number of times at night initially, but also offer praise when he takes care of business, a connection between going potty outside with something good would occur.
The one thing you want to avoid is allowing him to play during this time. Usually puppies get outside and immediately think it is time to play for you want to supervise him each time he goes outdoors to help keep him focused on the task at hand.
Benefits of Using a Dog Crate
A crate, also called a kennel, is one of the best house dog training tools available. For one thing, keeping a puppy in a crate at night and while away from the home provides a safe environment. The more comfortable a puppy is the easier training would be. In addition, if an accident were to happen in the crate, cleanup would be easy.
Now, if you were going through house dog training and your puppy had an accident in the crate, you should never discipline. Instead, take the puppy outside, keep him focused, and then after doing his business, you want to provide a small treat and a lot of praise.
Unfortunately, there is no magic solution to fast house dog training but in general, using each of the tips provided would increase the chance of getting your new puppy potty trained. The bottom line is that house dog training takes time, patience, and flexibility but if you know this prior to buying a dog it would be easier to get through several months of inconvenience.
No comments yet.