Potty Training

Potty Training, is a creating a feeding/potty routine. Once you understand a puppy/dogs natural behavior it will make a lot of sense and will be easy to remember. You will have more undertanding when an accident does happen.

1- Natural Behaviors

Puppies do not want to potty where they sleep. They do not want to use the bathroom on people. It is natural to potty outside. A pocketpoo puppy does want to stay with their owners all the time. However, if they are in the beginning stages of potty training and they don't yet understand the appropriate place to potty, they may try to go where you can't see them.

3- Thinking ahead

How do you want your puppy to grow up and potty?

Are they going to be going to pee pads or maybe a potty patch? Do you have a fenced yard? Will you be walking your dog on a leash several times a day. Plan ahead, decide before you get your pup so you are prepared to train them from the start. A good feeding/potty routine is the key to success.

All potty training will involve a pee pad/newspaper or potty patch to begin. You will either stop there or proceed and incorporate with going outside. Next I feel it is important to know their routine here so you understand and keep that in mind with your training.

4- Pocketpoo's

Before leaving here they will be well on their way to being potty trained. But it will start all over again once they arrive home with their new family, new rules, new environment. Although you should immediately start your routine, remember they are babies and scared. Give them a little extra time for eating and pottying. Lots of love and a place of their own where they can safely observe all their new experiences safely. Safely away from other dogs/cats and children. Whether that place is in your lap or a doggie bed, safely under the coffee table.

They are like children, they feel safe within a routine. When they feel safe they are open to learning, eating and playing.

2- Against nature

You may be getting advice from people or judging yourself from past experiences. If you or someone you know has got a puppy in the past that just pottied everywhere. In the bed, in their doggie bed and was absolutely uncontrollable. I can tell you now, there are no bad puppies. The owners are the ones that need to be trained. Most breeders choose what they think is easy for them and place puppies in cages.

95% of people do not know how to crate train. I will not teach it either. But I will tell you the only way to crate train is to be at home all the time. Then if your home all the time, whats the since. No reason to buy a puppy then lock them up. Any person I have seen try and crate train ends up with a mess and the poor baby never integrates into the family. Often and sadly enough ends up in a crate in a laundry room to live their lives alone until perhaps one day the owner will re-home them. Every owner the baby has will have problems until they seek out real advise from someone knowledgable. It is against nature to teach them its ok to poo where they sleep by putting them in a cage. Once they are taught to go against nature, it is impossible for most people to re-teach them the instincts they were born with. Also, I always ask people- If you came here to look at a puppy, what would you think if they were all in cages? If I don't have cages for my dogs, why can't one person, with one dog, go without them. We want to love them and snuggle and have them greeting us at the door with waggy tails. No one wants to come home to a messy cage and a dirty dog. Our dogs aren't chores, they are our babies. We want to look forward to being with them. SO let's start learning a better way NOW..

5- Feeding/Potty schedule

Upon waking in the morning (early), your puppy is like any other creature and needs to relieve themselves. Keep in mind that the faster they move, the faster they will potty. You may just be in a slow walk, but they will be running to keep up with you. They want to be by people all the time.

After you come back in or away from pee pad area they need breakfast. Give them approx a 1/4 cup. They will not usually eat that much. But every week their feeding needs change as they grow so just pull it up when they are done eating. Soon enough they will be potty trained and you can keep food down at all times. Don't worry I've never known one to over eat.

Keep their food dish where you are, usually the kitchen while you are making coffee or breakfast. They want to be with you and will avoid eating to follow you around. The first few days you may even need to stay by the bowl and feed from your hand. If that is necessary, you hand feed by the bowl so they know that is their feeding place.

At first, they are like little bunnies, they can't hold anything for very long. Within 30 minutes of eating they will need to potty. Keep your eyes peeled, they should be in your sight, following you around so you'll know to take them to the pee pad, if that is what you are using. If going outside to potty you can just take them out within 30 minutes.

When going outside, try to keep them in the same potty area, atleast until they have had all their parvo vaccines. You can read more under Parvo.

If you are on your way to work. I suggest having a play gym. Playgyms are light weight, easy to move from room to room or even take with you on a picnic or kids ball game. Get the ones with a zipper bottom so they can't dig out. But you can take them places to prevent them from touching the ground (to prevent parvo, stay off ground until all 4 parvo vaccines) The playgym has a zipper door. It has room for a doggie bed and toys on one side and pee pad and food on the other.

I recommend leaving food and plenty of fresh water if you are going to be gone during the day. Make sure no other animals can get in with them. Keep them in the room that everyone gathers in. Usually people gather in the living room. This way they don't feel isolated. Have plenty of light and maybe the tv on cartoons.

Yes they will watch tv..

When you come home, pretend that the playgym never existed. Go back to your routine. Take your puppy out to potty if that is the way you are teaching.

Feed them an early dinner 4:30 - 6 pm if possible.

little bodies, especially little puppies need small meals often. We consider two full meals and 2 snacks. Snacks can be snacks like treats or small amt of food. But like i said, they don't over eat.. Right now you are wanting to take advantage of their small digestive system, using the knowledge that they have to potty within 30 minutes of eating to teach them the appropriate place to potty.

Even if you are teaching them to potty outside, and they were even doing it here, you need to keep a pee pad by the door. Or they will use the rug usually kept in front of the door. REASONING- Even when they learn to go outside they don't know how to tell you. They don't have their voice yet or their unique way of letting you know.

If they are going on the pee pad by the door, congradulations. They are trying to get outside, be mindful when they go near it so you can quickly take them outside if that is what you are wanting them to learn.

Make sure to keep all interior doors closed when not in use. They want to stay by you but often will go into another room to potty if given the chance, their way of not pottying where they live/sleep. Can't say no after the fact, they will not understand. Best not to say no, but show them the correct behavior by paying attention and keeping them in site, which isn't hard to do when they love you this much.

bedtime here is usually 9:30. They'll get a burst of energy before bed, then they are just passed out.

So give them their snack inbetween dinner and bed. From dinner to waking is a long haul for a tiny puppy and need something to hold them over. You can use this time to learn tricks using treats.

Here's one of the biggest concerns. Will my puppy get hurt or potty if sleeping in the bed with me, or my child.

Well Depends on the age and maturity of your child. But certainly they can be by the bed.

Puppies/Dogs do not want to poo or pee where they sleep. That is only a problem if a puppy was raised in a cage. Here they are not. I suggest either sleeping with your puppy, perhaps a nice doggie bed on the inside of the bed, between couples or if bed is pushed against the wall, on the inside. Never allow playing on the bed, bed is for sleep. If they play is when getting hurt can be a problem. Putting a doggie bed with a pee pad works too. Or even having their playgym by the bed at bedtime.

If the puppy isn't in the bed with you, they will whine at first. But if they are right beside the bed, simply put your houseshoes by them and throw your hand off the side of the bed, for them to jump on and lick. They will go to sleep and stop whining. If in a completely different room they will be very stressed. They just want to be with you. No harm in spoiling them, and you get a live little cuddley bear to sleep with. They do not want to potty in the bed, they will usually wake you if they have to go by whining. Simply put them on pee pad and go back to bed.