How to Potty Train a German Shepherd Puppy

Adopting an adorable puppy is like gifting yourself and your family with a bundle of happiness. However, all the smiles and cuddles may give place to expressions of discomfort on seeing the puppy peeing or defecating on places like your bed, mat, or kitchen. House-training or potty-training your puppy is considered to be one of the most important lessons which would save a lot of embarrassment, annoyance, and hardship for both the puppy and the owner.

A puppy that is properly potty-trained gives a lot of relief to his owner but the initial steps and lessons have to be incurred by the owner himself. A dog is a creature of habit and hence it is a must to imbibe the lessons naturally, consistently, and tenaciously from early puppyhood. Before starting the house-training process, the owner is advised to keep certain factors in his mind. It is better if the potty training starts from the very second month of the puppy’s life, but do not expect the puppy to understand and do as you command at that age. Read on the following steps and processes which would let you train your puppy on eliminating and defecating:

1. The first step towards potty-training your little puppy is to pay attention and watch out for indications and signals given out by the puppy like sniffing, squatting, and whining. It is important to be nearby your puppy almost all the time and it is important to keep checking its movement, gestures, and sounds made before it eliminates or defecates. In case you understand the urge to poop or pee, gently lift it in your arms and take it outside for elimination.
2. Make sure to be patient and persistent while it is doing it’s defecating and be nearby the puppy. Don’t forget to treat them with a reward as soon as he defecates and eliminates outside. Remember that a puppy has a relatively small bladder and hence don’t expect it to hold its potty or pee when it feels the pressure. It is important to take the puppy outside every two hours to build up the sense in him that any kind of elimination should be done outside the house and the crate.
3. Another important thing to remember is that the puppy generally needs to pee or potty after he takes his food, so be ready to take him outside within 10 minutes after he finishes his meal. Even in case he does not poo or potty readily as you take it outside, be patient and deny moving inside the house till he eliminates outside. In doing so, treat him with a reward and pet him to make him feel that his eliminating or defecating outside is appreciated. From the very beginning, mark a particular territory outside your house where he can go poop or potty, and be consistent in taking him to that specific place every time he needs to defecate or urinate.
4. The next most important thing to maintain is consistency in using particular commanding terms while taking him outside for potty training like ‘go potty’, ‘go poop’, ‘poop outside’, or any other relevant two-letter words, which has to be repeated every time you intend to take your puppy outside for pee or potty-train. Moreover, it is important to keep your home free from any stains or smell of potty or pee and also to make use of a potty training pad which has a particular scent in it to make the puppy poop in it. Treat him every time he poops or pees outside to motivate him to continue the habit for good.

Besides these simple rules, also take care of what your puppy eats and drinks, make sure he does not over-eat or over-drink, and also that he consumes healthy stuff and not any trash lying in the household. Member that punishing the puppy on eliminating and defecating inside the house will not do you or the puppy any good apart from making him more confused and depressed. Being attentive, consistent, patient, and compassionate is very important to teach your puppy about proper potty and pee habits.