How to potty train a puppy when you are not home

When you are away from home more than 6 hours at a time, and can not put your puppy outside during your absence, it can be a real problem trying to housebreak the puppy. Leaving him in a crate often means that he will get desperate and "go" in the crate, which defeats the purpose of the crate.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• newspaper
• an enclosed pen area
• a puppy
• patience

1. First you should make an enclosed area within your home that is puppy proof. You can do this by using a room already there, such as the bathroom or mud room, or you can enclose a small area on a porch or a spare room. The room should be large enough to lay out a newspaper area about four feet square, leaving at least another four foot square area free of newspaper. Place the water dish and food in the corner of the area that does NOT have the newspaper.

2. Soak one piece of newspaper in the area that the puppy already urinated in, either outside or inside. This paper will be the top sheet of the paper that you lay out in the enclosrd area.

3. Layer at least five sheets of newspaper in the corner you have chosen, placing the pre-scented paper on the top.

4. When you are at home, allow the puppy free run of the household, but leave access to the paper area at all times. when you notice that he is going to the paper every time, you will know that he is "paprr trained".

Tips & Warnings

• Once the dog is "paper trained" you can begin to move the paper closer and closer to the outside door where you will eventually want him to ask to go outside.
• Always leave the top "scenting" paper on top, but continue to move the paper area closer to the outside entrance.
• Soon your dog will be "going to the door" to go potty. At that point, begin to take him on outside to do his business.
• This technique for paper training is also a great thing to do pemanently for a small dog or a dog that lives in a situation which might require many trips up and down stairs.
• Paper training is fine but you MUST also teach the dog to go potty outside, on a leash. In today's urban society this is a must.
• ALWAYS PICK UP AFTER YOUR DOG.

Resources

• dog training articles
• dog training book

[dogservicenet]

on 5/30/2008 One solution to help potty train your dog is The Pet Loo. It's a lifelong cost effective solution, where unlike wee wee pads, it does not pollute our Earth. The Pet Loo has perforated synthetic grass to give your dog the feeling of going on real grass. The perforations create a urine drainage system to allow the urine to flow through a slightly slanted tray, which creates gravity, and therefore pushes the urine thrugh a small hole and into a catch bucket. The catch bucket is then removed at the end of the day by using the handly to pull it out and then the urine gets flushed down the toilet.

It's recommended to clean The Pet Loo daily by pouring warm water over the grass to flush any of the excess urine.

For more information, please visit: www.dogservicenetwork.com/thepetloo/general_info.html

[showpup]

on 3/24/2008 Great article. I would have never thought of the 'scented' paper.

[SharonW]

on 2/5/2008 Thanks for the advice. I wouldn't want my puppy to leave any mess at a friend's house.