House Training Your New Puppy

The early days with a new puppy are exciting, but difficulties due to house soiling and chewing can arise. Here are a few tips to help with house training your new companion.

1) Remember little accidents are to be expected during the house training process. Your puppy needs time to learn what is expected of him, and he is still young so may find it difficult to control his bladder and bowels.

Some puppies suffer from diarrhoea around the time of re-homing due to stress and changes in diet. Any puppy with diarrhoea should be seen by a vet as soon as possible. If diarrhoea is treated promptly your puppy will be more comfortable and will be able to control himself well enough to learn to "hold on" in the house. Do not expect a puppy with runny faeces to become house trained very easily!

NEVER punish your puppy if he has an accident-it may relieve your frustration but will just make the puppy more anxious and likely to have more accidents.

2) Put newspaper near to the puppies sleeping area, dogs do not generally urinate/defecate in their den area so your puppy should move out of his bed and onto the paper. An indoor kennel can be very helpful during this time since puppies are within a specific area and any mess can be contained.

When the puppy relieves himself on the paper, he should be praised and given a small reward. As the association between paper and toileting is made, the paper can be moved gradually closer to the door and then outside. It is advisable, as well as using newspaper, to put your puppy outside as soon as he wakes up and after eating since these are the times he is most likely to need the toilet.

At other times, you should be able to tell when he wants to go to the toilet as dogs will become restless, sniff the ground or circle round and then start to squat. When you see your puppy doing any of these things, calmly interrupt them and either lift them outside or encourage them to follow you outside.

As far as possible your puppy should be encouraged to go outside for urination and to pass motions. Newspaper should be available for your puppy to use if you cannot observe him and help him outdoors.

Do not make a big fuss, stay calm and remember to praise the dog if they go outside successfully and ignore the accident if they don't make it in time.

3) When puppies have accidents indoors, you should use a biological washing powder solution to clean up. Other cleaners, such as bleach and disinfectant do not break down the deposits and the smell left behind will encourage the dog to use the same spot for toileting again.

4) Remember that it can take time to house train your puppy but do speak to your vet if you are having problems.