Potty Training

Potty Training

Potty training the small dog is no more difficult than it is for larger dogs. The owner needs to be more diligent in the lessons to accomplish this however. It is often difficult to detect a puddle no larger than a teaspoonful, especially in carpet. Each mistake the dog is allowed to make reinforces the idea that the spot it has chosen is "ok" for use.

Training proceeds very quickly if the dog is not allowed to make mistakes and is rewarded for relieving itself in the desired area. Keep this fine training technique in mind: If the dog potties in the wrong area take a newspaper, roll it up, and hit yourself over the head with it while saying: "I should have been watching, I should have been watching, I should have been watching!" Three times is usually sufficient for most humans, repeat more often if you find yourself making additional mistakes.

Punishing the dog after the fact makes it more diligent to hide the act from you. It hardly takes you closer to the desired goal.

Take a dog outside immediately after waking, eating, or exercise. They often need to eliminate after these activities and you'll have a wonderful opportunity to catch them in the act and reward for their good deed.

Keep a dog that is not potty trained under close supervision. It may be crated during times that you cannot give it the attention it needs, or you can keep it on leash so that you can readily observe its behavior. Usually they will sniff the ground and move in circles preparing to potty. Take the puppy outside and wait for it to potty. When it does praise!

Your dog's success is directly related to your diligence. It is a matter of a couple of weeks for a young dog to catch on, older dogs even less. If it takes longer ask yourself what you've missed and refer to the newspaper technique described above.