¶House-training your puppy
House-training can be really hard work and requires a lot of patience. Don’t get angry when your puppy pees indoors. That will only make the puppy afraid of you and try to avoid peeing when you’re around.
During the first few months, puppies need to pee often, for example after sleeping or waking up. It’s a good idea to go outside right away and take a short walk so your puppy can pee. Be prepared for a lot of trips outside during the night as well. A puppy usually can’t make it through a full night without peeing until it’s at least about 6 months old.
Some articles say you should push the puppy’s nose into its pee, but you should absolutely never do this. It’s extremely unpleasant for the puppy, and it has no idea why you’re doing it – it will keep peeing indoors anyway.
Also remember that right after your puppy has eaten is a good time to let it outside so it can poop.
The more often you take your puppy out, the quicker it will learn that it’s supposed to do its business outdoors and not indoors.
¶Taking your puppy out many times a day
Your puppy might get a bit restless when it needs to pee. It might whine and look around for a suitable place to go. If you notice this, act quickly: slide one hand under its rear, pick it up, and carry it straight outside.
¶Going in the same place
A puppy will often look for the same spot where it last peed. As a new dog owner, it’s helpful to keep track of that place when you think your puppy might need to go. It’s very common for puppies to be much slower to pee outside than inside, because they don’t recognize the surroundings as well and want to explore. Be patient and don’t give up. Praise your puppy calmly and gently when it pees outside; this can help you build a good habit.
¶Newspapers
If you live in an apartment or can’t get outside quickly, it can be useful to teach your puppy to pee on newspaper. After a few weeks your puppy will be able to hold it a bit longer, and then you’ll have time to get outside instead of it going indoors. If your puppy doesn’t manage to pee outside, bring a sheet of newspaper with you – it will likely pee on it. But only do this a few times; don’t let it become a long-term habit.
