"Alternative Potty Training Methods"


The two methods below for housebreaking your puppy are used by many people with a lot of success.

Inside the House Paper Method:

To use this method, you put down papers or pretreated puppy potty pads, encouraging your dog to use these areas for going to the bathroom. The pads are scented with a chemical that attracts the puppy to use them. Whenever you see them starting into their "pre-potty pattern", you gently pick them up without talking and carry them over to the papers/pad and then praise them when they go to the bathroom.

When all goes well and they are using the papers consistently, the papers are either moved closer to the door and/or another set is placed outside. The transition is made from concentrating the toilet habits to one spot inside the home to another spot outside the home. Finally the papers inside are eliminated. The only problem with this method is that for a period of time it encourages the animal to eliminate inside the home. Housebreaking may take longer when this method is used. They’re going to be excited when you get them outside or to the papers, but stay there with them a while and when they finish the job reward them with simple praise like "Good Dog"

A variation of the Paper Method:

With this method you place your puppy in a small to medium-sized room or space such as a kitchen, laundry room, large bathroom or hallway with non-porous floor. This is used a lot during really rainy seasons, when you are gone a lot and some people actually have their dog always use a potty pad in the house. It's a matter of personal preference.

What you do is set up the crate on one end, the food and water a few feet away, and several feet away place your pretreated puppy potty pads or some newspaper (approx. 2'x3' to 3'x3') using a 6 to 7 layer thickness. Confine your puppy to this room or area using a 3 ft. high, safety-approved child's gate rather than shutting off the opening by a solid door. Your puppy will feel less isolated if they can see out beyond their immediate place of confinement. Puppy proof the area by removing any dangerous objects or substances. Every time they eliminate, pick up the newspapers and dispose of them and put fresh ones down. Soon they go potty only on the paper and it is away from their crate and play area.