Potty Training

Kuna is coming along really well with his potty training. I don't know if credit is due to our vigilance, his instinct, or a combination of both. We'll go with the latter. ;)

What we've done may seem neurotic, but it's worked so far. We keep a strict schedule of when he eats, pees and poops. Then, over time, we can look back at that schedule and see "uh-oh! get Kuna outside because it's time for him to potty!"

We take him from his crate and carry him outside. I'm not a big advocate of carrying a puppy everywhere - I think it's important that they learn to walk with you, especially with a leash. But when it comes to going outside, I don't want him taking any spare moment on the trip to the yard to have an accident. We carry him to the grass, set him down and say "go potty" and sure enough, seconds later, he's "going potty".

Last night, we had some pretty good rain. It was pelting down on both of us when I took Kuna out for his nighttime pee and he just wasn't in the mood to go to the bathroom. I don't blame him - I didn't want to be out there either! So, I carried him inside, grabbed a pee-pad and put it on the bathroom floor.  I set him down and said "go potty" and voila! We have potty! This was a huge sign that we're on our way to having a dog that housebroken.

My advice to you: stick to a schedule and follow it to a tee. If you deviate, you may find that your dog has more accidents in the house! Carry your dog to the bathroom so he doesn't have an accident on the way there. Set him down, say your phrase for going to the bathroom and then praise upon successful elimination! :)

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