How To Toilet Train Your Puppy
Although they might be at their cutest, puppy ownership can be stressful business at times, especially during house training. But don’t let this get you down or put you off – house training forms the building blocks of your relationship with your pup and, done properly, will help you form a proper bond with your pet.
So, to help you during these frantic months, this month the team at Jaycliffe Pets will provide some useful information on how to house train your new puppy.
When to start training
Typically, experts suggest that your pup’s house training can begin when she’s around 12-16 weeks old. The problem with starting before this is simply that she might not have enough control of her bodily functions in order to respond properly to training. As such, if you get your pup at around 8 weeks old, you may have some waiting to do before you can begin the routine.
It’s also important to note that, if your puppy arrives after the 12-week mark, there’s a chance that she’s been going to the toilet in her cage. If this is the case, she might take a little longer to train.
Learning the signs
Once you have started training your puppy, it’s vital that you learn the signs that she wants to go as early as possible. As a rule of thumb, this is going to be around every two hours, considering their small bladders and high metabolisms. However, normally you can simply tell by reading their behaviour. Take your puppy outside if you notice any of the following behaviour:
- If your puppy is looking restless or anxious
- If your puppy is sniffing around, especially in areas like corners
- If they start to circle
The importance of establishing a routine
In order for your pup to properly understand her training, you need to organise it in such a way that it feels familiar. To do this, it’s important that when you take them outside, you must always take them to the same place. This way, they can begin to associate that action with that particular area, and it will become routine.
The times you take your puppy out to do her business is important too. That is, ideally you want to take her out first thing in the morning, after any meal, regularly while playing and before bed. If you stick to these times, there’s a higher chance that each trip outside will be a successful one.
Jaycliffe Pets provide a home-from-home for your pets whilst you are away. We offer both day care services and long-term stays for your pets, and will ensure they get all the necessary exercise, comfort and their accustomed diet during their stay. Our Rotherham-based kennels, cattery and grooming services are run by true animal lovers and pet care experts who live on site to allow around the clock care. For enquiries and further information, get in touch with our friendly team today.