Potty training your puppy takes time and patience.

Today, learn a routine that will ensure that your dog develops great potty habits.

Show Highlights

• We will be addressing specific behavior issues over the next couple of months.

• Bennie does empathize that there are times when tough decisions have to be made for the safety of your family or if your dog has mental or physical issues and are not a good fit.

• Always remember that taking responsibility of dog ownership needs to be serious.

• Routine: First thing in the morning:
  • First take the dog to go pee
  • Then feeding time
  • This routing only done twice a day
  • 1st in the morning after feeding time
  • 2nd time in the evening after feeding time

• Free-feeding creates a process where the dog could have to go to the bathroom throughout the day instead of at specified times.

• Food is only down for 20-30 minutes – no more than 30 minutes

• Any leftovers get picked up and put back int he bag

• Training your dog to eat within the 30 minutes

• Do not overfeed for the evening if they didn’t finish first thing – feed them the same amount

• When first starting training, after your dog is done eating, take them out within 5 minutes of finished feeding time
  • Put the leash on them
  • Always go out the same door
  • Always go to the same spot- about the size of your living room
  • Always use the same phrase “go potty”, etc.
  • Very important that in winter you stick with the same routine to show your dog regardless of the elements this is a routine

• If your dog doesn’t go the first time within about 10 minutes:
  • Put your dog in the crate for a few minutes with no freedom
  • Follow the same process in 5-minute increments until they go potty
  • This will allow you to see how long it takes your dog to go potty after they eat
  • Reinforce the phrase with positive verbiage when they finally do
  • Once your dog goes potty outside, make a big deal of it

• Notes:
  • For younger dogs – a good rule of thumb is that they can hold it 1 hour for each month of age e.g. 6 months/6 hours
  • only use your go potty phrase during the specified potty times, otherwise every time you let them out and use your potty phrase your dog will start to be trained to go potty that many times a day
  • If you only have one door, then you can choose one specific direction to go potty and one direction to go play, so the dog knows the intent by the direction you are taking her
  • the dog will adapt to your reactions when potty training. If you maintain consistency and go outside with your dog, then she will never know there was a difference regarding the weather

• When Accident happen:
  • If you do not catch your dog in the act, you cannot discipline your dog
  • Don’t clean it up in front of your dog
  • If you do catch your dog in the act, you need to make a decisive move of taking them outside right away, and being positive outside with verbal reinforcement
  • This shows negative inside and positive outside

• This routine needs to be done 30-45 days consistently

• to take it to the next level – going potty on command – it will take 60-90 days

Homework

• Teaching your dog to give you a sign when it’s time to go potty.

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