Potty Training In All Its Glory

There's nothing like coming home after a long day at work to find that your furry friend invented a new game called “find the poop”. Going to the bathroom inside one of the most common problem for dog owners. Fortunately it's one of the easier doggie issues to fix. First things first it's important to know that I DO NOT condone potty pads. Since I am a dog trainer I prefer to train my dogs to potty outside and I personally feel like it is a little off putting to have a conversation with someone while your dog makes direct eye contact while pooping right in front of you. Also its is also important to understand you are dealing with an animal that has no concept of indoor and outdoor. The ground is the ground to your furry friend and it doesn't matter where it goes unless you teach the dog the difference.

First things first, let's talk about the times your dog goes in the house. Do not punish your dog, it literally doesn't know any better. Simply pick up the poop or soak up the pee, have the dog follow you outside and throw it in the yard, then sit with your dog for about five minutes and go inside. If your dog poops and pees while it is outside then reward it with enthusiastic praise and a nice treat. Now remember consistency is key at this point. Establishing that outside is where you potty and rewarding it for doing so is the first step in potty training. Then comes the discouraging part, For the first three weeks after you establish that your canine companion goes potty outside, you should take it out every hour to ensure that it understands where to use the bathroom, It is also very effective to affiliate a command with taking your dog outside. Things like “Out?” or “Need to go Potty?” have proven to be the most successful for me in the past. Then after incorporating a consistent routine you should see less and less potty indoors and more potty outdoors. Don't forget to clean up your dogs poop!