POTTY TRAINING
While there are many tried and true methods to potty training your new pup, I have been inspired by frequently asked questions to offer my own set of tips and knowledge.
Potty training starts with a good Mama dog. For the first 3 weeks, she diligently stimulates the puppies to both urinate and defecate and consumes the waste. Yes I know it's gross. At 3 weeks I add a designated potty spot that is wood shavings. Mom will coach the puppies to do their business in the shavings. At this time, the mother dog is visiting the litter less and they are learning on their own where potty goes. Fortunately Aussies are very clean dogs and because they learned to be clean from the start they continue to want to stay clean. The main objective at this point is to keep their space the right size... too big a space and they won't be motivated to use the shavings... too small a space and they can't help but get dirty.
This same space issue transpires the entire way through the potty training process. Most of the time a failure occurs because the family is giving the puppy too much space to start with. From the puppies perspective, running into a seldom used room of the house to potty is being clean.
As the litter gets older we start to add going outside to potty. Once they are 5 weeks they have access to outside potty area during daylight hours and reasonable weather. At night they have access to a potty box with the wood shavings. By this time the litter is rarely having an accident outside of a designated potty area.
While there are many tried and true methods to potty training your new pup, I have been inspired by frequently asked questions to offer my own set of tips and knowledge.
Potty training starts with a good Mama dog. For the first 3 weeks, she diligently stimulates the puppies to both urinate and defecate and consumes the waste. Yes I know it's gross. At 3 weeks I add a designated potty spot that is wood shavings. Mom will coach the puppies to do their business in the shavings. At this time, the mother dog is visiting the litter less and they are learning on their own where potty goes. Fortunately Aussies are very clean dogs and because they learned to be clean from the start they continue to want to stay clean. The main objective at this point is to keep their space the right size... too big a space and they won't be motivated to use the shavings... too small a space and they can't help but get dirty.
This same space issue transpires the entire way through the potty training process. Most of the time a failure occurs because the family is giving the puppy too much space to start with. From the puppies perspective, running into a seldom used room of the house to potty is being clean.
As the litter gets older we start to add going outside to potty. Once they are 5 weeks they have access to outside potty area during daylight hours and reasonable weather. At night they have access to a potty box with the wood shavings. By this time the litter is rarely having an accident outside of a designated potty area.
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On the left we have the indoor outdoor access for pups once 5 weeks old that has a play yard and potty space. Pictured on the right a great example of the pups in the indoor gym for play time do to inclement weather. While everyone was playing the merle pup in the far right corner, left the festivities to "take care of business" in the potty box. The pups pictured here are not quite 5 weeks old. |
So they are potty trained right?? Well yes and no. They are potty trained for my environment, but not necessarily for yours. You will need to keep their space small to begin with or keep them on a leash in the house so they are with you (a leash also qualifies as a small space) and make frequent trips outside until they understand your house and what's expected of them.
Typically after a nap, after meals and before a play session are good times to take them out. You can also put a potty box in a garage or in an enclosed porch for inclement weather.
I have said before I am not much of a crate fan, but they do qualify as a small space. I much prefer the exercise pen method pictured here.
Typically after a nap, after meals and before a play session are good times to take them out. You can also put a potty box in a garage or in an enclosed porch for inclement weather.
I have said before I am not much of a crate fan, but they do qualify as a small space. I much prefer the exercise pen method pictured here.
For me this is an ideal set up for raising up puppy. There is enough room for the pup to walk, lay , sleep and eat and potty in the back. What I don't like about using the ever popular crate is that extended time of a puppy trying to "hold it" can really play havoc on their system and cause urinary tract infections. While on that subject, UTI's are pretty common in puppies, particularly females. You really should keep their privates hair trimmed up and try not to let them squat in tall grass, or swim in ponds until they are a little older.