Pitbulls are a joy to have around the house, but like with any dog breed, they need proper training to avoid excessive messing around. And while there are a lot of things you will be looking to train your puppy for, the biggest question will always be, how to potty train a Pitbull puppy?
To help your dog achieve mastery of how to potty train A pitbull puppy training, you will need to put in the work and maintain patience and consistency across a potentially long stretch of time.
But if you want to keep your sweet little Pitbull pup inside your house, this is a necessary process unless you want your home to turn into mayhem.
How to Potty Train A Pitbull Puppy; FAQs and Tips
You surely have a number of questions to ask about how to potty train A pitbull puppy, such as how long will it take; what do I need to do; how to know when to stop. The answers to these questions are quite simple, and here we’ll do our best to give you a comprehensive idea to help you get your doggo house-ready in no time.
Important Information Before Starting with Potty Training
Before going about potty training your Pitbull puppy, you should know first understand how they think. For a Pitbull, and especially a puppy, they will simply go potty wherever and whenever they feel the need to. The only thing that may stop a puppy from relieving themselves is if they’re confined in their sleeping or eating area.
They prefer to keep that area clean. Conversely, if they go potty in a certain place more than once, and can smell their previous ‘work’ in that area, they will think of it as the pooping spot, or pooptown, if you will.
The main idea here is to reward them when they go potty in the right place, and reprimand them when they go in the wrong one, but only in a gentle way, so as to not have any adverse effects on their long-term growth.
The Best Age for Potty Training a Pitbull Puppy
Surely it’s better, and actually easier, to train a Pitbull puppy to go potty outside rather than it is to train an adult Pitbull. But what is the suitable age where you should start this training?
Experts recommend waiting till your pups are 12 to 16 weeks old, although some believe that 8 to 10 weeks are enough. The idea is for the puppy to have matured enough to have some sort of control over their bladder, which is crucial in the learning process.
The Average Time it Takes to Potty Train a Pitbull Puppy
Experts say that it takes about 4 to 6 months of consistent training for a Pitbull puppy to learn to go to the potty by themselves. Of course, it depends on the individual puppy, as well as your effectiveness in training. But you shouldn’t be worried if it takes even longer than that, otherwise, you can consult a professional to help you get things sorted out.
So how do you know when your dog is considered to be potty trained? Well, it somewhat depends on you. A dog is considered to be potty trained once they pass a certain amount of time without pooping or urinating in the house. This time period is something for you to decide as to what feels satisfactory to you. If you have any future incidents, you should treat them as you would in normal training.
Signs that Your Pitbull Puppy Wants to Go Potty
You will need to learn about the body language of your Pitbull puppy and understand what makes them want to go potty. There are many signs by which you can tell your puppy needs to relieve themselves, these include:
- A sudden change of activity, where your puppy abruptly stops playing or moving around.
- Circling around in their spot.
- Sniffing around, and sniffing or licking their groin or rear.
- Whining while displaying any of the previous signs.
How to Potty Train A Pitbull Puppy; Getting Your Pitbull Puppy to Potty Outside
There are two main strategies to get your Pitbull puppy potty trained, and they both depend on rewards and punishments. The difference between them is in the manner you get your puppy to go potty, but building the habit afterward utilizes the same steps.
Method 1:
- Set a spot to be the potty area, you could pick a spot in your backyard, for example.
- Go with your dog to that area and give them time to familiarize themselves with the spot and perhaps sniff around a bit.
- Keep your dog in a small area where they cannot move away, you can put them on a leash, for example. It’s preferred if this spot is their eating or sleeping area as they would not want to go potty there.
- Monitor your dog for any signs of needing to relieve themselves such as mentioned above, and take them immediately to the potty spot once you see those signs.
Method 2:
- Set and follow an eating schedule and don’t let your puppy eat in between meals.
- Take your puppy to the designated spot
- First thing in the morning.
- A few minutes after a meal.
- After waking from a nap.
- Last thing at night.
- And before you leave them alone in the house.
Afterward, the two methods are the same, and the next steps are as follows:
- Remain with your puppy in the designated area until they poop or urinate.
- Reward them for being such a good boy.
- Keep an eye on your dog and punish them only if you catch them in the act. Otherwise, just let it be. You can punish them by a firm “no”, or ignoring them for a few minutes.
- Quickly clean up after your dog and make sure you remove any odors by using enzyme-based products instead of ammonia-based ones.
- Make sure your dog is able to reach the potty area on their own, you may need to install a doggy door.
Sometimes you will get frustrated about having many accidents with your pitbull puppy, this could happen if your puppy still needs more training or there is a medical problem that you don’t know about. Consulting your veterinarian would be an ideal choice to rule out any medical problem.
Always remember, you need to be consistent and positive during the whole process, your puppy will learn how to potty train outdoors sooner or later so make the experience gets as many memories as possible, your puppy will grow up someday and you will wish to be back to these times again.
How to potty train a pitbull puppy is not the only thing you will need to read about, check 5 Basic Puppy Training Commands You Should Know and 4 Basic Tips to Do Positive Reinforcement Dog Training Right as a starter to get an idea about what you will have with your puppy throughout your journey together.
Raising a puppy is a lifetime experience make sure to get the most out of it!