When it comes to potty training your puppy, there is a heap of factors to take into consideration.  

The moment you bring your puppy home, start off on the right foot (or paw!) by taking him where you want him to do his business. Choose this spot wisely when puppy potty training. If it is in your back yard, make sure that you can see it from indoors. In the future you will want to be able to witness that he has actually gone to the bathroom, even if he is fully housetrained.

Dog runs and potty training considerations

Think carefully if you’re planning to build a dog run on the side of the house. We understand that nobody wants the dog’s toilet to be anywhere and everywhere in the yard but for house training purposes you need to know whether your puppy has actually emptied himself or not. If it’s important to you that his toilet be on the side of the house, which is not uncommon, you must witness your puppy toileting before you can bring him back indoors.

You cannot expect your puppy to empty himself just because you sent him outdoors or into the dog run. He may have so much fun exploring that he is distracted from your purpose.

A dog run needs to be cleaned daily for you and your family’s good health. Artificial turf is the best for easy cleanup although a bit pricey. Gravel of a suitable size that doesn’t get trapped between your dog’s toes works too. You will need to hose down the area once in awhile to wash away the urine and keep the smell down if there’s not enough rain. 

Potty training your dog in different seasons

In the winter, you may need to shovel the snow if your dog objects to toileting under such cold Calgary conditions as we are prone to. Short legged dogs like Dachshunds, Basset Hounds and of course the little dogs like Chihuahuas, Min Pins, Pugs and French Bulldogs appreciate the extra effort.

If you have a small dog, you can set up an X-pen with a gate in a good location on the grass and make this the place you take him every time he needs to go. It is not a good idea to let him run free when toileting during potty training is the purpose of your outdoor trip. He can definitely have freedom after his job is done. And if you intend to leave him at home while you run a quick errand, you will know that he will have an empty bladder for the next little while. He will learn, if you are consistent, that this little fence means bathroom.

If you are worried about your grass dying you can eventually move the X-pen to various locations on your lawn and a quick spray of water from the hose to dilute the urine will keep your grass healthy. Make sure the pen has a gate so Puppy can walk in on his own and you don’t have to pick him up.

An X-pen can also be used indoors for puppies too small to control their toileting behaviour yet. Line it with absorbent puppy pee pads. The ideal location is on vinyl flooring lined with pee pads which is easy to clean if there is an accident. One of our clients cleverly bought an end of the roll piece of flooring that matched their carpet so they could have the pen in their living room. This was not its forever location, only for potty training, but definitely worked for the time being. The X-pen is also a great solution for apartment dwellers whose puppy is in early training. 

What if I can’t supervise my dog every minute when he’s potty training?

When we talk about location, we also want to make sure that Puppy stays in our sight and cannot go somewhere to privately toilet. This might require blocking off certain areas of the home. A baby  gate is perfect for blocking off access down a hallway or up a stairs. In our own case, we had a wider expanse to cover so we used inexpensive 8-foot plastic garden trellises propped up by furniture. It wasn’t pretty but it was temporary. These ended up being repurposed in our yard once our pup was house trained.

No running wild in the ‘hood!

To conclude this subject of location, can we all agree to not allow our dogs to relieve themselves on anyone else’s private property? Your neighbour is not interested in having his front lawn used as a public washroom. No matter if you always pick up, as you should. Urine kills grass due to its high ammonia content.

Good pet owner etiquette and safety means you have a leash on your dog when walking him. Guide him to a boulevard or field if vegetation is his thing or in an emergency take him to any hard surface like pavement or dirt. We trained our Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs to have their morning pee in the back lane where they helped keep the weeds down (what a great side benefit!) 

And for our realtor friends and any establishment that puts sandwich boards out on the sidewalk, please don’t let your dog lift his leg and mark the sign. That’s just uncivilized. 

Need help with puppy potty training at your house? Book a spot today.