Here are some of our tips for successful potty training for your new Montage puppy.
First things first, you want to develop good habits early, from day one, so you will benefit from the relationship you have with your puppy.
Prior to bringing your puppy home, ask us and take notes as to what has been the puppy’s normal routine for feeding and potty time. Once home and adjusted you can gradually change the schedule to better suit your own timetable if necessary.
We find that predictable patterns anticipating the puppy’s needs will help prevent accidents. Try and organize yourself to take the puppy out prior to the scheduled time. Most puppies need to go out: immediately once they wake up, right after a meal, an hour after that, and especially when they are young after a big play session and of course immediately prior to bed. This is not all inclusive but does provide a guideline. Try to learn what is normal for your puppy. Another rule of thumb is that while a puppy is young it can only hold it for their age + 1 Example: 2 months + 1 = holding it for up to 3 hours at most.
Our Golden Rule: Start Good Habits early. A simple, but not necessarily easy lesson, is to teach your puppy to “potty” on leash. For the first 5 or 6 months of their life take them out to do their business on a leash. Start as soon as the puppy comes home with you by clipping him or her on a lease each time you take him out to do his business with you close by. Not only does this encourage the puppy to seek out an area of the yard of your choosing, but it teaches her/him it is good to peep/poop while on a leash close to you. This isn’t necessarily an easy thing to teach and can be rather time consuming especially when they are learning their new environement. For anyone with a fenced yard, just turning the puppy out to do his business is much easier than standing around waiting for a leashed puppy to do his business but it might not be as rewarding in the long run.
Take the puppy on leash to the exact spot in the yard you want him/her to continue using make it an easy to remember word like “potty” or “business”. Use the same word every time in the future to prompt him to start doing his business. Wait until the puppy starts to eliminate and then quietly repeat your new cue over and over while he/she pees/poops. For the first couple of weeks you can a treat after the puppy is done with his potty. Play time can follow each time as well as a fun reward (but only during waking hours). Repetition is the key to making this work effectively.
Further benefits of teaching your puppy to potty on a leash will help when you do not have an option of letting him run away to poop example: roadside stops while traveling. He will soon be comfortable doing his business with you by his side in most situations.
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