Puppy Owners live, not just in houses but flats too (which could create several)problems. I'm routinely quizzed about an effective of setting up a potty training area. Should it be located outside or inside? It is not as foolish as it may appear.A lot of people live in apartments but still have to have a place for their puppies to relieve themselves. If you think about it, virtually just about every cat owner possesses a cat litter tray in their house. Now I know that having a doggie toilet area in the house is not ideal but many individuals situations mean that this is the only method available. It's pretty obvious that the area has to be well ventilated.
A bathroom might be the best solution because it'll probably have a hard washable floor as well. You can get dog litter (similar to the cat stuff but you need more of it!). A few people use regular newspaper but there might be an unpleasant side effect here. The most suitable stuff is unprinted newsprint paper that has similar absorbent benefits without the side effects. Why should you not use normal newspaper? Basically, the puppy can connect potty time with newspaper (any newspaper) and unfortunately can see every newspaper as a possible toilet (even though it has just come through the front door). This can be highly embarrassing in someone else's house.When you get the best place sorted out you may start showing your puppy the importance of it.
The simplest way is always to get them to relate visiting that area with going to the toilet. You can do this by taking them to it when they show signs of needing to go. Look for circling or sniffing the floor, suddenly stopping playing and then walking away, spinning around in circle with their backs arched and (clear indicator) sniffing the scene of a past accident. You might believe you have cleaned it away but the pup will still be able to smell it and will try to go in precisely the same place.
You then carry them up to the doggie toilet and allow them do what they do. After this you praise them. Do this every time and they will soon understand that this is what you want. They'll not question why, they will simply relate going in the right place with praise (and maybe treats). This needs to be done in a calm way as you don't want to get them too excited. When they get too excited, they will get tense and then can't go. This of course, defeats the point of the exercise. You need to therefore, retain a calm appearance to help the dog relax enough to relieve itself.
Time intervals will vary tremendously according to the puppy's age. For instance, when they are aged up to say fourteen weeks, you could be looking at perhaps eight to ten breaks every day. This can scale down to maybe half of that once the pup is aged about thirty weeks.
When they are young, they aren't physically developed enough to hold themselves in for too long. For this reason they should be taken outdoors perhaps every two hours or so. You need to closely observe the period after eating or drinking because these are usually common "toilet times". Really though, they can only hold themselves for an hour or so for every month of age. Put simply they will not really last through the night.
It sounds strange but some dog owners maintain a written record of when the puppy "goes". This gives them a much better idea of the puppy's natural bodily rhythms. The main items to note are eating, sleeping and going to the toilet. Pet owners find it a lot easier to work out the relationship between the events, which certainly makes sense. It could also highlight a few medical problems when the puppy starts to break with these standard times.
Your next stage is when your puppy senses the need to go and understands that if they come to tell you (or perhaps go right to the potty area) they get praise. Usually, this involves scratching the door, barking or whining. In time they will probably head straight for their potty. You're suddenly making big progress. Keep the praise going, even when there are some mishaps.
If you shout at or scold the pup they will think you are cross about them going to the toilet, rather than going in the wrong place. A simple detail but a world of difference. In closing, there are three stages. One, establish the zone. Two, get the puppy to associate visiting the zone with going to the toilet. Three, get them to associate wanting to go to the toilet with going to the area to carry it out.
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