Judy Powell
To housetrain your puppy may be your biggest task as a new pet owner. It may be very challenging at the beginning. You’re caring for a new pup in a new environment. And it doesn’t know where and when to go potty.
It’s also hard to take a young pup outside very often. And being new at caring for canines, you may be unsure about when your puppy needs to go or not. If your situation is like this right now, this article may help you. Here we talk about how often your puppy goes potty and more. So read on for more insight.
Does a Puppy Go Potty a Lot?
The frequency of going potty differs with each puppy. And it also depends on age. You also have to observe how much it eats and drinks a day. Your pup’s toilet habits are affected by all these. However, as a general note, new pups may need at least 5 times of potty breaks in a day.
When Do You Take Your Puppy Out to Go Potty?
The sensible thing to do is take your puppy outside for a potty break as soon as it wakes up and before you both retire for the night. So take it out to its designated place every morning. And bring it out to go there again at night.
Besides those two times, you must also take your pup out after every chow time. And take it out after seeing it drink in large amounts of water, which it usually does, especially after playtime.
Is it Better to Let Your Puppy Sleep in the Same Room with You?
Yes, for potty training purposes, it’s a wise thing to do. Let your pup sleep in your room. Or let it sleep in the room of whoever’s in charge to take it out the next morning. This way, you (or the assigned person) can hear the puppy wake up.
At times, your puppy may let out a whine or bark to let you know that it’s ready to go potty. Because pups don’t usually like to poop and pee where they sleep. So you have to be nearby to hear these clues from your young pet.
Give Your Puppy Sufficient Time to Do its Potty Business
Young pups don’t have it together yet. They may find it hard to relieve themselves. While some owners make it a quick in and out potty break, try not to do that. It’s best to wait a while before you bring your dog back in. It may be easing itself into taking a pee or poop and you might interrupt it by taking it back in immediately.
Help Your Pup Go Potty Through Exercise
So you’ve waited 15 minutes already. But your pup doesn’t seem to need to go potty. But it already had its meal. So what do you do? Take it out and walk it for some minutes. Exercise somehow speeds up the dog’s urge to go potty.
So walk outside a bit. Then bring it back in to finish its potty break. It may likely be ready by then.
Praise and Reward Your Furry Pup for a Job Well Done
This encourages your puppy to go potty whenever you take it to its spot. That will encourage your pet to repeat this positive behavior. Soon, it will learn to wait and control itself until it’s outdoors for a potty break.
Use Odor Neutralizers on Accident Spots
While early in the housetraining phase, your pup will make mistakes. So spray the areas where it pees and poops inside the house. This removes the scent which acts as a marker for your dog. If you don’t take away the scent, your pup can get confused and repeat peeing and pooping in that same spot the next time around.
Final Thoughts
Given time, a young pup will learn discipline and control when it comes to going potty. Be diligent in housetraining your pet. Take it outdoors frequently so that it can do its business outside the house. Do it every morning and night. And do it after meals. Soon, your pup will even learn to signal you when it’s ready to go out and take a potty break.