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Small Dog Week: Potty Training!

a pug stands on a wooden floor

Here are a few steps you can take to help your little loveable pup become a pro at potty training.

With little dogs, we’re tempted to carry them everywhere. Why not, after all? They’re perfectly purse-sized! While it’s fun to carry your pooch around, making it an all-the-time habit isn’t great for them. Like big dogs, they need to give you hints that they need to go outside. The signs could include waiting by the door, heavy sniffing around, scratching at the door and even little barks. If you’re following the every-two-hours potty break schedule but still carrying your pup, they’re not learning the routine as well and can’t learn to signal you when they’re ready to go out.

Next: keep your eyes on your pup! YOU need to be able to see them at all times until they are potty trained. If you don’t have your eyes on them they might go and potty where you can’t see them. This can teach them that “ as long as you don’t see me, I won't get in trouble”. If they do have an accident inside, we want to be able to get to them quickly and take them outside to show them the right place to go. Throw a party and make it a reward when they go outside and this will help with them know they are doing the right thing.

Another helpful way to get the potty training going is to limit water at the end of the night before bed. The smaller the dog, the smaller the bladder, and they just can’t hold it that long! Try picking up their water an hour before you are going to bed and give them one last potty break before you head to bed. Make sure you throw a party and make this last potty break fun, as this will help build a routine for them.

The most important things are to be consistent and reward good behavior. Little pups need to know the rules just like the big guys. If you continue to be consistent this will build confidence and have them on the right track to know when and where to potty.