I just brought home a 6 week old boxer mix. We got him from the town shelter. They said he was a stray. My question is how can I pottytrain him so he doesn’t keep crapping in the house?
Routine is the most important aspect of training. From the beginning, feed 4 times per day, at the same times, and put the bowl up in 5 minutes, or when finished.
A puppy will need to go just minutes after eating, so whisk him outside, and stay with him until he ‘goes’..Give him lots of praise when he does his job, play a few minutes, and come back in..
If you can spread down a bag of sand, from a garden center, it will give him a good place to go, so you can kind of aim him there, and not just all over your yard..
He should only need to go poop after eating, and perhaps at bedtime..
However, he will need water down at all times, and need to pee frequently..so, outside every other hour for that..and keep a close eye on him..He will need to go during active play, and every time he wakes from a nap..If you watch him, you will see him acting restless, and sniffing the floor, etc when he needs to go..at first, peeing may be just a matter of pausing, and uh-oh, there it is..He won’t even be aware…So its important to never scold him for peeing…this is what makes traumatized pups that refuse to pee outside, or try to hide it in the house..as they get scolded for it, and it becomes a traumatic event..
Keep the product, Petastic, on hand, for instant cleaning of pee spots…or ask your pet supply which enzyme cleaner they recommend..
Puppies physiology only allows them to hold pee for about 1 hour per month of age…so expecting any more is unrealistic..a good reason for a playpen or crate at night.. He may hold it through the night, but is likely to need to pee at least once during the night..You can remove the water a couple of hours before bedtime..
By following a routine, and being ever watchful for the first few days, you can have him petty well trained in just a couple of weeks..or less
I house-train all of my pups before they ever leave my home, and I do it an entire litter at a time..it normally takes about 4-5 days, with very few accidents, before they are asking to be let out..
If you hang a little bell on the door, or a desk bell on the floor, and show him you are ringing the bell each time you take him out, he is likely to begin ringing the bell when he needs to go..Just be very vigilant, and yet stay relaxed..an accident doesn’t mean failure..
Remember, it takes forever to potty train a human baby, and it is so nice that puppies can learn it so much faster, but they are still allowed to be babies, and don’t deserve to be stressed about the training…
If you have important areas to keep clean, just keep him away from those areas until he is a bit older..
I recommend using a soft step-in type harness for the walking and leash training, as it is less frightening and stressful..eventually, as trust is developed, you can switch to a collar..but a soft harness takes the fear away from the beginning…Walking stimulates the bowels to move, more so than just putting the dog out..