The most effective method of house training is prevention of unacceptable behavior while at the same time rewarding appropriate behavior.  The best way to do this is to watch your puppy and learn the signals that indicate he or she is looking for “somewhere to go” (usually by walking around & sniffing & wagging the tail).  This allows you to catch the puppy as it is looking for a spot to urinate and send it outside thus showing it where it should be urinating and allowing you to reward the appropriate behavior.

If you catch your puppy “in the act,” start by reprimanding her verbally.  A loud “NO!” is usually sufficient to let the dog know it has misbehaved (IMPORTANT NOTE: if your puppy urinates when being told “No,” when you pick him up or when you greet him as you come in the front door, this is NOT an act of defiance or misbehavior.  This is known as submissive urination and is your dog’s way of acknowledging your superiority.  Punishing submissive urination will make the problem WORSE.  Simply ignore this and continue as if the submissive urination had not happened.).  Then take the puppy outside and leave it there until it urinates.  When it does, give it huge amounts of praise. Do not punish an accident that has already happened.  If you cannot react within 3 seconds (some sources say within 1 second), the puppy will not connect the punishment with the act and will not understand why it is being punished.  For instance, rubbing a puppy’s nose in a 3-hour-old accident doesn’t tell them what they did wrong or why they’ve been punished.  However, catching a puppy that is looking for a place to urinate, sending it outside, and praising it when it urinates in the grass is very effective and I recommend it.  Remember: REWARD THE POSITIVE and CATCH AND REDIRECT THE NEGATIVE.

Frequency of defecation:

            Puppies 7-8 weeks will defecate 3-5 times per day

            Puppies 6 months of age & older will defecate 1-2 times per day

Frequency of urination:

            Puppies 7-8 weeks will urinate every 2-3 hours

            Puppies 10-12 weeks will urinate every 6-8 hours

            Puppies 16 weeks will urinate every 8 hours

            Puppies over 6 months should be able to wait up to 12 hours

Remember that eating, sleeping and playing all stimulate the urge to urinate or defecate.  Make sure you take your puppy outside right after or within 10 minutes of any of these activities.  I recommend that a puppy should be taken outside every 2 hours or so whether they go or not.  This helps to start forming acceptable bathroom habits early in your pet’s life and can reduce or eliminate later problems in training as well as speeding your puppy’s learning process. 

If you have any questions or concerns, call the Council Bluffs Veterinary clinic at 323-2147.   We are open 8-6 Monday through Friday, 8-3 on Saturdays.

Good luck and congratulations on your new family member!