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How do I start out right with my new puppy?

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You will want to select a “potty spot” before bringing your dog home. This is where you will always take her for doing her business. It will make present and future potty trips faster and will make your yard easier to maintain.

When you get your puppy home for the first time, carry her from the car to the yard to the potty spot. Set her down until she goes. Then praise her and treat her. After she’s done, take her inside and let her explore her new home. After about an hour or two, take her back out to the potty spot. Plan on this routine being the focus of your life for a few week or months depending on the age of your puppy. She will have to go out every hour or two to prevent accidents.

Feed the puppy his supper in her crate. You want your puppy to feel like the crate is a safe haven so she will adapt to it quickly and make it her part of the house. After she’s done eating, leaver her in the crate for half an hour, then carry her outside to the potty spot until she goes. It may take awhile.

Always take the puppy to the potty spot as soon as you let her out of the crate. It’s also recommended that you carry her to the door, as puppies seem to have a urinary reflex when they step onto fresh carpet. You want the puppy to feel grass under her feet when she goes to the bathroom, not your carpet.

Bring her back in and play some more. Take her out one last time before putting her in her crate for bed. If she cries during the night, carry her outside to the potty spot. After she goes, carry her back in and put her back in the crate. If you play with her, she probably won’t go back to sleep.

Develop a schedule based on the first day, taking her out every few hours, as soon as she leaves her crate and as soon as she wakes up. The older she gets, the longer she’ll be able to hold it. Remember, you need to train yourself to take her out.

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