Possibly the most common mistake in potty training

I always emphasize how important it is to develop a schedule for your puppy. Eating at regular intervals, sleeping at approximately the same time every day...sticking to a schedule until your puppy acclimates to his new home and matures enough to control his body processes makes all other training all that much easier. But it is extremely hard, if not impossible, for young pups to keep urinating and defecating on a schedule.

You will be best served if you accept the fact from the start that peeing and pooping for young puppies is never on a regular schedule. You can take your puppy outside, see him pee, take him inside and have an accident within two minutes. Getting mad does nothing except cause both of you stress. Understanding that your puppy can't 'hold it' very well and changing YOUR behavior to compensate will make all the difference.

Some points to note:

• If you have recently lost an older dog, or have older dogs in the household, remember you can't expect your puppy to have the same control of their bladder of bowel movements as older dogs do. An older dog can go eight hours without eliminating...as impossible for a puppy to accomplish as it is for a newborn infant.
• The puppy doesn't have any 'intent' when it has an accident after they just came into the house. They aren't punishing you for not paying attention to them. They simply forgot to completely empty their bladder or go poop when they last went out.
• The age when a puppy starts being able to "hold it" longer varies greatly between individuals. However, if you don't start seeing improvement over time after they are 10 to 12 weeks, you may need to be more proactive. Crate training during the day can be very helpful in helping your puppy to be better at delaying elimination.
• Having a puppy is not a passive activity. Look for signs that the puppy needs to go potty. Sniffing vigorously. Wandering around in tight circles or hurriedly with nose down. Slight puffing out of their anal opening...these are all signs that the puppy has to either pee or poop.
• Whenever the puppy wakes up...in the morning or from a nap, take them out immediately to see if they need to pee or poop.
• After they are fed, take them out to pee or poop.

I don't know how many times people have complained to me about how bad their puppy is at potty training,  then I find out that there are six hours or more between times they take the puppy out. Even if the puppy is in a crate and doesn't want to dirty it, a puppy can't wait that long. So the result is that you 'teach' the puppy to urinate in his crate (creating all kinds of other problems) and create unnecessary stress for you and your puppy. 

So what should you do? When I decide to get a puppy, I prepare myself for taking him out at least once an hour and whenever I see any behavior that may indicate he has to go again. Even it we just went out a minute ago. When I see that he doesn't need to go out that often, I stretch that out to every two hours, and so forth, gradually lengthening the time between when they have to go out. All the while, I always look for the other indicators that he has to make an unscheduled visit outside, (and don't forget after they wake up and after they eat trips outside).

At night, I always put the puppy in a crate and turn out the lights. This signals that it is time to sleep and not to be active or to pee. For young puppies (8 to 10 weeks), I set my alarm for six hours or less and take them outside. For older puppies, if they seem to be able to handle it, I set the alarm for 8 hours. Any time they whine, I take them out. If they don't go, I put them back in the crate.

Realize in advance that this schedule will create a fair share of 'false alarms' where the puppy neither has to pee nor poop. In any case, if they don't do either, don't allow them to play...they need to know these are not playtime visits. Remind yourself that these 'false alarms' are all part of the training that will establish a good poop / pee reflex in your puppy and to teach them where and when it is right to go potty.

If this is all too labor intensive for you, or you have a job and can't be around every two hours, here is an option. During the day, put the puppy in an easily cleanable, safe, enclosed area. A pen in the garage or in your bathroom with the door closed will work.  MAKE SURE THAT THE PUPPY CAN'T REACH ANY THING HARMFUL! Puppies, like toddlers, can open cabinets and reach cleaning supplies. Puppies also may be able to break out of a pen if you forget to close a latch completely, so make sure you have locked all dangerous items away. I would also move anything breakable or 'shredable' away as well.

In this safe, combined area, make sure you clearly delineate an area where it is ok to pee and an area that should be the clean, comfortable 'den.that the puppy should keep clean. I like to put a dog igloo in my puppy pen and put a comfortable dog bed in the igloo, and a water dish and plenty of newspaper outside the igloo on one side of the pen. If you need to put your pup in the bathroom, I suggest a puppy bed in a cardboard box (on its side like a little cave), again with water and newspapers away from the bed.  You might want to use puppy pads instead of newspaper, however my experience has been that puppies (except for the very young) tend to shred those much more often then they do normal newspapers, so word to the wise.

In either case, make sure plenty of age and individually appropriate toys are available. When you come home, take the puppy outside immediately and let them pee and/or poop. Then clean and disinfect the area where they eliminated inside (hopefully on the newspaper).  

If you avoid making the common mistake of having your pup wait too long to go...things should go much smoother on your journey to complete potty training.

Rule #3 Choosing a Puppy means making a HUGE commitment!

No one loves puppies as much as I do, but I know I am in that rare minority of people who appreciate the opportunity to clean up poop as often as possible to keep my canine babies healthy and happy. My neighbors have gotten used to seeing me walking dogs in the middle of the night, and my family knows that when there are puppies in the house, I will be getting up to feed them every 8 hours.

That might seem obsessive, but the truth is, it is not. Taking care of puppies is like taking care of any newborn. If you don't stick to a schedule, if you don't keep their glucose levels from dipping, you can expect behavioral and possibly physical problems. So, if you are deciding to get a puppy, you have to commit to making the pup's schedule your priority for several months. If you don't make this commitment, you aren't doing your puppy or yourself any favors, and both of you will suffer.

Another thing to consider is the entire family and environment you will be bringing the puppy into. I intentionally looked for an adult dog for the first dog we got my kids. My youngest was petrified of all animals and we knew we had to nip that problem in the bud before that fear became permanent. As cute and small as puppies may be, they can have needle sharp teeth and nails, and need to be taught not to chew on kids or kids' toys. They also have to be taught not to jump up. Can you imagine what would have happened if a puppy jumped up and nipped at my daughter's face? Also, as much as I love puppies and my kids I love myself as well, and I didn't think I deserved having to potty train a child and a puppy at the same time.

I got a wonderful 3 year old adult dog, fully leash and potty trained. She never chewed on a stuffed animal or sock, and daughter and dog became close friends, and my daughter's fear was gone forever.

If you still want a new puppy, and circumstances make it so you can't make the kind of commitment right now that a puppy requires, consider starting with an older dog. There are breeds that are very puppy-like in how they look and act. Papillions, Pomeranians and Shetland Sheepdogs are some of my favorites. Some of my friends like Cavalier King Charles Spaniels or the ever-popular Chihuahuas. There are wonderful small mixed dogs at most shelters, and many of these may already be leash and potty trained.

So remember Rule #3 when you think about getting a puppy...you owe it to yourself.

Rule #2: Start with a Complete Check-up

A thorough check-up is always less expensive and troublesome than a complete overhaul. So why do so many people who always have a car completely checked-out before they buy it not think about doing the same for a puppy?

There are some very good reasons to do this. First, a complete check-up can pick up issues your puppy may have that will require more care or a different training regimen. A puppy may be partially deaf or blind and not knowing this may cause you to misjudge your puppy's behavior. Vision and hearing impaired animals, like their human counterparts, may be more easily startled if something approaches unexpectedly, especially from the puppy's blind spot. Also, you may have interpreted your puppy's inability to be trained as defiance or lack of intelligence or motivation.

This goes beyond major challenges such as deafness, and includes possible physical limitations on diet or activity. Understanding a physical challenge will allow you to use training techniques that will be more effective. In the case where you as a puppy parent are unable or unwilling to deal with a special case puppy, it is best that you know as soon as possible so the puppy can be placed in a home where his / her issues will be best dealt with, and both of you will be happier.

Another reason why an initial complete check-up is so important is to determine baseline. By establishing a puppy's temperature and other vital signs, as well as noting gait and morphology, your vet will be better able to detect when something in the future is amiss.

Even the best breeders and rescue organizations may not have the time or ability to fully check out every puppy they sell. For your puppy's sake and yours, start with that complete check-up.

Rule #1: Get yourself a good vet you can work with.

Training infants of any kind takes extreme amounts of patience and concentration. So, to do a good job of it, it's best to remove any unnecessary distractions as quickly as possible. One of the most distracting things I often have to deal with when I get new puppies is the infamous "D" word, diarrhea.

There are a plethora of reasons why your puppy can get the runs. If you got your puppy from a reputable breeder, humane society or rescue group, chances are that their veterinary professionals will know or can narrow down the causes for your puppy's plight. But I strongly advise against you trying to find the cause yourself. This gets back to what I feel should be everyone's Rule#1 before getting a puppy, 'Find a good vet you can work with.'

I stress that it is a vet you can work with. All doctors have their own style. You need to find one that suits your needs and likes. I like to hear everything down to the nth degree of technical detail. Others want someone who will spare the details, but will talk to your dog with a kind, reassuring voice. You need to do this BEFORE you get your puppy. Rushing to find one while your puppy is running around shooting hot, wet poop everywhere is a big mistake. It will only delay you getting the situation under control and most likely add to your stress level.

Meeting the vet ahead of time also can help you answer some questions you might have about breed, gender and age of puppy to get. This may be simpler than it seems. You would be surprised how many vets will be practicing within 10 miles of your home. Ask your friends. Ask your co-workers. Press them to tell you what they like about their vets and what they don't like. Find a couple of prospects to visit, and go meet them.

I'm a realist. Lots of people won't go the last mile and meet the vet, much as they won't meet a doctor or dentist for themselves before they need them. But even if you don't meet them in person, asking around will find you a vet you will be more at ease with. And if you don't go to meet them, at least call or email and find out if they are taking new patients and what their hours, charges and payment terms are.