When is the Best Time to Start Potty Training Puppies?

If you want to have the most success at potty training your puppy, the best time to start training is as soon as you bring them home. Ideally, potty training for puppies should begin between 3-31/2 weeks when the puppies start to become mobile and using the bathroom without stimulation from their mother, however it is not a training that many breeders take the time to perform so most puppies will come to you not properly potty trained.

If the breeder you received your puppy from did start potty training at a young age, chances are that you will have a much easier time getting your puppy to use the potty where you want them to. When potty training begins at a young age, puppies develop an aversion to their own bodily fluids. They will not want to poop or pee in their own bed or living area, which helps in general to make potty training much easier.

You Got A Puppy, But Don't Know Much About Potty Training? Click Here to Learn from Dog Training Professional Now.

Generally however, many puppies will not begin to receive potty training at such an early age. Most people do not get their puppies until they are 6-8 weeks of age or older. If there has been absolutely no training performed and your puppy has just been allowed to potty where they want, they may not have developed an aversion to using the bathroom in their living area and may be quite difficult to train. If they have been at least somewhat trained, you will have a much easier time.

As soon as you bring your puppy home, you will need to immediately begin training. While you do not want to overwhelm your puppy or scare them with aggressive behavior if they use the bathroom in the wrong spot, from the moment your puppy comes through the door you should start teaching them when and where it is appropriate for them to go to the bathroom. There are two primary reasons for this.

One, it immediately beings to teach your puppy that there are certain locations that are designated as potty areas, and certain places that are not. A puppy needs to be reminded repetitively what behaviors you are wanting them to learn. Secondly, if you allow your puppy to just potty where they desire, they will begin to think that is acceptable behavior, and that they may go wherever they want. This of course, will lead to a number of different issues for you in the long run.

If you can nip this behavior in the bud and start teaching your puppy from the beginning that there is a time and a place for them to do their doodie, teaching them where not to go is much easier. For best results, you should stick with the same routine and training methods throughout their entire potty training program, so that they do not become confused. Dogs learn from repetition and their training methods need to remain constant. Once you decide exactly how you want to potty train your puppy, that is the method that you need to stick with.

Potty training your puppy can be a lengthy process depending on how trained your puppy was when you got it, and what bad behaviors it may have already developed. That is why it is so important to begin your training as soon as they come home. If you do so, you will likely have a much easier time training them and will have them trained much faster as well.

You Got A Puppy, But Don't Know Much About Potty Training? Click Here to Learn from Dog Training Professional Now.