Housebreaking

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The first step in potty training is to establish a schedule for potty time and feeding time. A puppy should be fed 3 times per day before they turn 6 months old and afterwards twice a day. Always make sure that you take your puppy for a walk after they eat. If you have someone who is home it's always best to take your puppy outside every 2 hours thereafter until their next mealtime. If you are pee pad training then you want to encourage her to go on the pad. Pet them and give them a lot of positive reinforcement. If they miss their mark that’s okay, practice makes perfect. Sometimes it’s ok to leave the pad with the urine on top of it out a little longer so that your puppy can smell that this is where they went last time. Some pet parents do a combination of pee pads and walks because of work, that’s great too! If you notice your puppy is attacking the pee pads it can mean she is ready for outside only or they are bored and need to burn off more energy. I like to start puppies on pee pads first and then at about 8 weeks introduce them to outside. Don't take them to parks or around other dogs until at least two weeks after their vaccines for safety reasons. Usually by 12 weeks they go outside with occasional accident, however by 16-18 weeks your beloved furbaby should be completely potty trained. It’s a good idea to put their bed in a crate and give them a little playpen section to relax and play in. Take them out to play with them in the house. However, just keep and eye out for excessive sniffing or turning, that usually means it’s time to go. You then want to take them outside or on the peepad, depending on your training choice.