Potty training a puppy is an essential process of getting your pup to be house-ready. A house-ready doggo is one that behaves themselves properly inside the household, this means no ruining furniture, no biting family members, and no pooping inside the house.
This last one, while not as dangerous as biting, certainly is very important to maintaining a clean and enjoyable home, and not harboring any hard feelings towards your dog for relieving themselves in some very unfortunate places. You’ll probably find yourself wondering how long does it take to potty train a puppy, seeking an answer before you finally make the decision to bring home that cute puppy.
The process requires patience and consistency, you need to keep repeating the training procedures in the same manner to ensure consistent reactions that your dog can follow. Patience comes in because the process can stretch for quite long periods of time, which can be emotionally draining for new dog owners. But, through a series of habit building exercises and positive reinforcement, you will soon reap the rewards of house training your puppy.
Yet, the big question remains, how long to potty train a puppy?
The general answer, according to dog owners’ previous experiences and the opinions of experts in the matter is somewhere in between 4 months and 6 months. Training sessions should be daily, and on average will take about 20 minutes per day. Don’t do the math though, because you’ll find that this process takes tons of hours, which may discourage you from the whole idea. We understand that this seems like such a long time where you have to maintain consistent training efforts, and be ready to clean up poop in your house, but don’t despair, with diligence and consistency, you can cut this time down.
So, how can you reduce the amount of time it takes to potty train a puppy?
The answer is two things: starting early, and following the right steps. Starting as early as 12 weeks is considered as the standard by many experts. This is the time where puppies are young enough to learn new habits quickly, yet mature enough to be able to control their bladders, which is crucial in learning to go potty. As for following the right steps, by setting a designated spot for your puppy to go potty, and taking them there in the morning, before sleep, and after each meal, you can build that habit by positive reinforcement, and avoid them pooping in the house by gently reprimanding them when they go potty in the wrong place. Remember, consistency is key here and will do a lot in speeding up the process.
english bulldog puppies playing
So, you ask, “If I do everything right, and remain consistent and patient with my training. How long should it take to potty train a puppy?”
The answer to that question still remains in a grey area. As we’ve said, it should take an average of 4 to 6 months, but you can do better than that, right? To speed up the process, you can follow these simple steps.
- If you haven’t already picked your pup, choose one from a reputable breeder so you get a dog with no negative predispositions.
- Spend a lot of time with your dog and be heavily invested, you can even take time off to be present as much as you can.
- If you can’t be there, a good alternative could be crate training or confinement training.
- Prompt positive rewards can help your dog associate the potty spot with relieving themselves.
If you follow these steps and remain consistent in your efforts, you can get your puppy potty trained in just two weeks. Who cares about average results, we’re looking to overachieve here, right?
Potty training is just a part of getting your pup to be house ready. So if you’re wondering how long to house train a puppy, you need to look at other training regimes.
- Potty training your puppy can take around two weeks if you do it right, or 4-6 months on average.
- Training your puppy not to bite family members can take about 3-4 weeks. To do so, simply play with your puppy, and if he bites you, say “ouch!”, or “no”, or something of the sort in a firm voice, and stop play time for a little while.
- The five basic commands – sit, stay, down, come, leave it – should take no more than a few days or a week.
Doing the math here, it should take your puppy at least six weeks to be house-trained with the basic necessities. This will ensure a safe and enjoyable time with your puppy for the whole family.
If you have any problems with training your dog, if things take too long, or if you feel a threat of any sort, it’s best that you consult a professional.
Happy dog training, canine lovers!