Dog Potty Training - What You Need to Know to Get it Right By Ray L. Jackson

Dog potty training is similar to human potty training in that you need to have a lot of patience. This is something that is a very important milestone in your dog's life, just like a child's, and also just like with a child, it can't be expected to be accomplished in one try. That said, it IS easier to train your dog to relieve himself in one special spot than you might think. After all, cats can do it, and their brains are smaller than those of most dogs, so it should be a snap for your pup to learn.The main thing with dog potty training is to be sure that your dog knows that he is supposed to relieve himself in one place and one place only when he is in the house. If you take him outside, that's a whole other story. If you have a doggy door and a fenced back yard, you can actually just teach him to go outside whenever he feels nature's call. This gives him a lot more freedom and you don't have to monitor what he is doing as much.However, if you're in an apartment, or if you don't have a fenced in yard, or if your dog is small and you're worried about him getting taken away by a hawk or owl (it's been known to happen), then you want him to learn to go inside in a designated area. You'll usually put newspapers down in this area, to absorb whatever he deposits on them. Whenever the dog relieves himself anywhere but on the paper, you pick him up (without yelling or hitting) and put him on the paper. Do this consistently, every time you see him going someplace unacceptable, and he will eventually get the hint.When you see him go in the right place on his own for the first time, lavish him with praise. Do this consistently for a little while and the right behavior will be re-enforced and he will always go correctly on his own. Then, your dog potty training will be accomplished!