Let’s be honest, house Training your Puppy is one of the biggest difficulties you’ll face when you bring your newest family member home. It requires time, consistency, and lots of patience. By the way, did we mention patience? It may take 4-6 months for your puppy to be properly house trained. It’s easy to get discouraged and even confused by your puppy’s behavior, but it’s important to not give up. All the hard work and effort you put into training will pay off. The following tips are the most helpful and commonly asked questions when it comes to training your fur baby.

-When should I begin housebreaking my puppy? As soon as you bring your puppy home! This is usually between 12-16 weeks of age. Don’t delay or else you’ll risk him developing the habit of relieving himself in the wrong places. He’ll have a difficult time understanding the training once you initiate it. It’s easier to build good habits than it is to break bad ones.

-Should I designate an area of my home for training? Absolutely! This is ideal as it will reduce confusion by allowing your puppy to know this is where to relieve himself, no where else. This area should be blocked off so your puppy doesn’t wander off and relieve himself in other undesignated areas of the house. Once your puppy has the hang of puppy pad training and/or going outside to relieve himself, you may gradually give him more freedom to roam your home.

-What should I use to clean up an accident? Keep a pet odor neutralizer handy. These cleaners are designed to eliminate pet odors on various surfaces. Using a common household cleaner will not eliminate the odor completely, possibly causing your puppy to continually go back and have accidents in the same spot.

-Why does my puppy pee when I come home and greet him? This is an involuntary behavior caused by excitement or submission that occurs when sensitive or insecure dogs have exciting or intimidating interactions with humans.

-Why isn’t my puppy relieving himself on his puppy pads? Puppy Pads are a huge help when it comes to potty training. The trick to using them correctly is consistency. You should designate a certain area of your house to put the pad consistently. Putting puppy pads in various areas of your house and not having a designated area causes confusion and leads to the misuse of pads. Keep in mind that it’s difficult for a puppy to distinguish the difference between the pad and rugs.