30/08/2024
A puppy can only reliably hold his bladder and bowels from about 6-7 months old. As with human babies, they don’t know when its coming until it does. Until then he needs to be on a schedule:
1. After every meal
2. After a nap
3. Last thing before bed
4. He will awaken at night so somewhere in the middle of the night
5. First thing every morning
6. I used to take my pup out every 60 minutes in the day and 2x at night till he was 6 months...hard work!
At a young age they develop substrate preference so what ever you teach them to eliminate on, will become the chosen substrate of choice...hence I teach my pups to eliminate on grass and not newspapers or puppy pads.
Always have a treat ready when you see him eliminate outside and give it to him with praise ASAP. If he has an accident inside, do not scold him. Ignore it. When he is out of sight then clean it with an enzymatic cleaner.
Don't ever limit water intake during this time - I hear this often and just want to cry😪
This applies to adult dogs as well that need house training. All my rescue dogs needed house training as the environmental was new so almost the same routine was followed for about 3 months to reinforce the behaviour in the right spots.
This takes time. Only patience and persistence will win this game.🙂
Author: Koven Moodley - Smart Pet Behaviour
