Potty Training For Your Adopted Dog

Adopting a dog is a fine thing to do and something you should be congratulated for.

However, transferring a dog from one environment to another involves some changes in their routine and rules. Homes and yards are different, surfaces are different, people are different and their routines are different. All of these will require some adjustments by your dog.

If your dog came from a shelter he may have been able to eliminate wherever he wanted. This might have caused him to forget about his previous potty training, if he had any. Being in a new house means being exposed to new odors, especially of other or previous pets, which may cause your dog to "mark territory".

So you really need to get to know your dog, and retrain him for his new environment. If he was well trained and has previous situation you should be able to retain him in a short period of time. Your first step will be establishing a new routine for your dog.

We all have routines, and your dog is no exception. Be sure and take him out first thing in the morning; he's been sleeping all night (hopefully) and will usually need to go outside in the early a.m. Feeding your dog early in the morning will usually produce the need to go again, especially if you're planning on leaving him alone for some period of time.

As soon as you return from being away for several hours, should take the dog out again. And be sure to take your dog before you go to bed every night, without fail. This will save you lots of aggravation, and avoid the need for you to get up in the middle of the night.

Reinforce his appropriate behavior by praising him as soon as he finishes, you can even give him a small treat. This way he will realize that you want him to go outside. This step is essential.

Many trainers emphasize the importance of selecting a bathroom spot for your dog, convenient for you. Put the leash on your dog, take him to the bathroom area, and don't interrupt them until he has finished. Another way to reinforce his use of this spot to take soiled cleanup materials from an accident in the house, and place them in his bathroom spot. This will allow him to recognize the spot by smelling, and hopefully associate that as the place to go potty.

I believe it's important to give your dog the command "Go potty" just before he goes and during the process. And be sure to praise him as soon as he is finished and wait until then to play with him.

It's also important to feed your dog at regular intervals, usually twice a day. This will also serve to make his potty training easier and more predictable.

In the early stages of potty training you need to watch your dog quite closely, constantly observing him for signs that he needs to go. Every dog is different, some sit by the door and whimper, others sniff around and search for a spot. As soon as you see him acting this way, take him to the bathroom spot. If he goes praise him and reward him with something he likes, maybe petting, or perhaps a treat.

You can't watch your dog it works best to keep him in a small area, so smile that he won't want to go potty there. You can use any small room blocked off with a baby gate or a tiny space, even a crate will work for short period of time. But when you let him out sure and take him directly to the bathroom spot.

Accidents will happen, but how you deal with them is very important. If you find your dog while he is eliminating in your home, clap your hands and take him straightaway to the bathroom spot; and be sure to praise him if he finishes in that location.

If you discover he has gone in the house unfortunately there's not much you can do about it. Punishing him after the fact is never a good idea, because he is unable to associate the punishment with the act. Anything you do after the fact will be ineffective and may harm your relationship with your dog. Just clean it up without comment.

With that said, cleaning it up is important, since dogs really seem to enjoy going potty in areas with fecal or urine smells. Just watch your dog when you take him for a walk.

To summarize, potty training is important to both you and your dog if done correctly will improve your relationship. Remember to establish a regular routine of eating and going potty, learn to observe your dog for signals that he needs to go, and praise him when he gets it right.

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