When we brought our home, we were excited, overjoyed and completely in love!
New will relate to how quickly those feelings were mixed with frustration and annoyance. Max was a sweetheart as a , but he would anywhere and everywhere!
Our well-meaning but inexperienced left everyone feeling tired, but progress was slow.
After hiring a and conducting extensive research, our efforts at improved drastically and Max made amazing progress within a few weeks.
In this article, I reflect on our first-hand experience at a , giving tips that will give better control over the process.
At What Age Should a be Potty Trained
To begin with, it is important to understand that a , like any other , has a short attention span and limited control over its bodily functions.
It is a good idea to start as soon as your comes home, which is roughly at 7-10 weeks of age. This sets the right expectations early on and helps them start getting used to .
However, keep in mind that a cannot hold its overnight or for an extended period of time. As long as your expectations are reasonable and you demonstrate patience, your is trainable when it comes home.
Start by noticing behaviors that indicate that your needs to go or . Max would typically start sniffing the floor, going around in circles and whining. As soon as we saw any of these signs, we would rush our to its designated .
You may have to wait patiently for your beloved to start its business, but as soon as it begins, voice out your standard command. It could be ‘Go potty’ or ‘Time to ‘. After endless repetitions of ‘Go ‘ just when Max would start peeing, our started associating the command with the action.
As an , he doesn’t even need us to give the command. He now associates his with a .
Once your does go or potty, lavish it with lots of praise or offer it a quick treat. This kind of is far more effective than punishment.
How Do I Get my to Stop Peeing in the House?
The best way for new to ensure their doesn’t indoors is to take it outside every few hours. A can hold its for as many hours as its age in months. So your 3-month old needs to go every three hours.
This means rushing your to its or after naps, meals, water drinking and playtime. In addition, take it outside first thing in the morning, last thing in the night and until it reaches about six months of age, you may even need to take it out once in the middle of the night.
The process of needs to be consistent and repetitive.
How to Train a Labrador to Outside
Typically, a needs to ten to fifteen minutes after a meal and also when they wake up in the morning.
With regular mealtimes, we learned Max’s schedule. He would almost always go potty in the morning on waking up and after his evening meal. Identify your ‘s (and when it grows up, your ‘s) potty schedule. Take it to its or at those times consistently.
in the first few weeks are helpful for to identify their ‘s schedule.
If your goes outside but doesn’t when it usually does, take it out again every ten minutes till you succeed. Then lavish it with praise and offer it a treat to let your know how pleased you are.
In case of an occasional , avoid punishing or scolding your , otherwise the next time it may hide away and .
How Long do Puppies Hold their at Night?
A young ‘s control over its bodily functions increases with age and training. Having said that, the general rule of thumb is that your can hold its for as many hours as its age in months.
When pups play, eat and drink during the day, they need to more frequently. At night, they can hold their a little longer.
When your comes home initially, start by setting an alarm for 3 hours after its last before bed. If you are successful in getting your to outside, you can add 30 minutes to the time the next night.
If a takes place near their before you wake up, set your alarm for 30 minutes earlier the next night.
Should I Use a at Night?
If you live in an apartment or have mobility issues, it may not be feasible for you to rush your out every few hours or in the middle of the night.
In such cases, can be a blessing.
When we got Max initially, we were living in an apartment. We identified a within the house where we placed the . As part of his , we would take him to the every few hours until he figured out that this was his .
In the night, you may want to place the in the , but not too close to its bed or . A is sharp and it would be discomfited sleeping in very close proximity to its .
If you opt to use , continue to set your alarm and walk your to the . Issue the usual command and wait until it does .
A petting and a few words of praise may be better suited than displaying too much excitement, lest the thinks it is time to play!
Should I Carry my Out to ?
As your new grows into an , you would want it to learn to walk to its on its own.
But in the very initial days, when their bladder control is limited, a may even before it reaches the door. Especially, if you wake your up to at night.
In those early days, you may choose to carry your to the door or to its to ensure there is no en route. However, once your figures out the night schedule and what is expected of it, you may let it walk to its on its own.
Can I Take my Outside to Before Vaccinations?
typically receive their after it has received its first shot of vaccination.
Once it has had its first shot, you may take your out for walks and to outdoors.
In fact, since the first three months of a ‘s life are its best socialization period, it is vital to take your out to meet people, kids and other dogs.
If you plan to have your use your yard as its , take it on a and avoid leaving it unsupervised. This way you can watch what the is sniffing and you can stop it from eating anything wrong.
How Long Does it Take to a ?
The is an intelligent one. With consistent early and lots of , your will learn to and in its designated within four to six months.
If you are unable to offer consistent and because of your work schedule or other commitments, you may run into .
In such cases, hiring a or enlisting help from a family member can make things easier for both you and your .
If long absences prevent you from taking your out for , teach it to use a and reward it for peeing on the pad when you return home.
Finally, remember that your is just like a human child. It may be a , but it needs truckloads of patience, love and consistency from you.
is no child’s play, so equip yourself with lots of information and the right equipment and very soon, your will be an obedient, well-trained .