opForTips house Training your puppy ‘Get a puppy’, they said. ‘It will be fun’, they said. Pffft, whoever ‘they’ are clearly never had to deal with a little shark-toothed monster. We recently adopted a little mix breed (and I use the term “little” very loosely. He has grown way more than we ever expected!), and while it has been very rewarding, it is extremely trying at times. One of the biggest challenges that you will face, besides biting/chewing, which is a whole article on its own, is house training your puppy.
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e quickly learnt that when a puppy has to go, they HAVE TO GO. Whether it’s on the floor, the couch, the bed or even on you (they do not discriminate), they eliminate. Not to mention the little surprises that they leave for you. Nothing compares to getting up in the middle of the night to use the loo and your toes touchdown into a squishy little pile. There is nothing glamourous about house training. Nothing.
The reason for these little accidents is simple: your puppies’ bladder muscles are not yet fully developed. They physically cannot hold it. Puppies only fully develop control over their bladders at around 4-6 months of age. So, depending on the age of your puppy, it is unrealistic and unfair to expect him/her to be house trained before this time.
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In our case, we were incredibly lucky that Oliver got the hang of it really quickly, and he was fully house trained by around 10-12 weeks old. It was no easy feat, though. It took a lot of encouragement, patience and cleaning products, but we got there. It is also important to remember that every dog is different and develops at a different rate. If your puppy is taking a bit longer to grasp the concept, just keep calm, read the tips and keep on trying. It does get better.
SEPTEMBER 2021 | PETPRINTS
