Spotlight Poodles

Housetraining your new puppy will likely be your first priority after bringing him into your home. Before you receive your new pup you should have read and researched all the different methods or techniques, for example: paper training, litter training and crate training are popular options. After research and thought, only you will decide which method will work best for your individual situation.

While in our home your Poodle lives in CLEAN conditions, and Do Not relieve themselves in their beds, nor are they allowed to walk, sit or lie in their excrement. Dogs are naturally inclined to keep their living area clean, and we assist our matrons and puppies in following  this instinct by setting up the puppy pen to include a "Designated Potty Area". From as early as 2 weeks of age we observe puppies consistently leaving the "nest" for their potty breaks and "accidents" are very rare. 

Once a puppy is used to the idea that there is a "Designated Potty Area" it is relatively simple to train him to a new Designated Spot once at the new home. The key lesson here is that the puppies have not been allowed to grow accustomed to their own waste. This lays the foundation for effective, quick and reliable housetraining.

In my home the puppies are confined with a baby gate to one room, they are not given free-run of my home without constant close supervision. The puppy-room is made comfortable with a large, soft bed, chew toys and a dish of fresh water until 9:00 pm at which time it is removed until morning to decrease the need for middle of the night potty breaks.

At one end of the puppy-room is a door that leads outside to my fenced backyard. The puppies are taken out this door many times everyday for their potty breaks and quickly come to know exactly what to do once outside. In addition to frequent outdoor potty-breaks, I also leave a small area covered in newspaper in case nature calls between trips outside. From a very early age, the puppies demonstrate amazing reliablity using the newspapers and accidents off the paper are rare.

 This photo shows our Moose at about 5 weeks old using his "potty-papers".  As you can see, this little guy knows where to go, all his new owner has to do is continue with consistency and supervision.

When you bring your puppy home you will need to establish a new Potty Spot for him  as soon as possible. This area should have been decided upon well in advance of "homecoming day".

Whatever method of housetraining you choose, it is Critical that you be CONSISTENT.  The number one cause of housetraining failure is Too Much Freedom combined with Inadequate Supervision. I recommend crate training as away to confine young, untrained puppies any time someone cannot watch every single move the puppy makes. This confinement will serve to keep your carpets clean as well as keeping your puppy safe from accidents around the house and also prevents puppies from developing habits that will need to be broken later.  I never recommend letting a young puppy run and play anywhere he wants to, this only sets the puppy up to make a mistake.

I highly recommend a strict schedule for you and your new puppy for the first weeks or months. When a puppy has a regular schedule of daily events it is so much easier for him to learn what you expect from him. It is useful to schedule the same times each day for waking up, potty breaks, feeding, playtime, and napping. If you commit to a schedule for training purposes you will be amazed at how quickly you see results. Once you have the routine established you will know what his habits are and can adjust the schedule accordingly.

Often it is helpful to use one Very Specific area for Potty Time. For instance, if you take your puppy to the "backyard" to do his business, and he goes out for playtime in the same back yard as well, he may have some confusion as to whether you want him to play or potty when he is there. Having one corner of the yard to potty in or perhaps Potty Area in the back yard and playtime in the front yard would be more specific and cause less confusion for your puppy.

Once your pup understands where his potty area is, you will need to begin rewarding him for using it appropriately. When you see him "going":  Say,"Go Potty" and give him a small treat immediately after he finishes. Do not treat him until he is done.

Your SpotLight puppy comes from a clean, healthy environment, and every effort has been made to lay the groundwork for easy housetraining; the rest is up to you. 

If you need further instruction or assistance with this important matter, don't hesitate to ask.

There are many books, magazines and online articles regarding housetraining. Do your homework and prepare yourself to be Vigilant, Consistent and Patient.