Litter Training
Litter training your new puppy is easy to achieve, if you have
the correct equipment for the task. Required items are a
doggie exercise pen, or baby gate for confinement, a doggie
litter box (Purina makes several sizes), Litter either Paper
Pellets, or Wood Pellets (DO NOT use Kitty Clumping Litter,
it will stick to their paws), Food and Water dishes, Puppy
Bed, Toys and Chewies.
Litter Training can be used as the exclusive method for
your puppy to go potty, or as an aid in outside potty training.
Assemble your exercise pen, on smooth flooring (NOT
Carpeting) with everything inside ready before you bring
your puppy home. Anytime you are not strictly supervising
your puppy they shoud be in thier pen. If the puppy "goes"
not in the litter box, put the poop in the box, "only one is
necessary", and keep the floor kept clean if there are any
other accidents. Your pet store sells an a "scented spray"
that will aid you in getting the puppy to urinate, spray litter
in the box. Most puppies will be exclusively use the liter box
whe in their pen within 3 day's. The exercise pen has a swing
door, if you let the puppy loose open the door to allow the
puppy to exit the pen through the door, and allow access to
their potty. If the puppy starts to display a "potty position"
without returning to the pen, put the puppy in the pen and
close the door. If you ultimately want your puppy to go
"outside" to go potty, this method is the same as "crate
training" but more humane. Take the puppy outside every
few hours during the day, and first thing in the morning,
otherwise if you are not watching the puppy, they should be
putin their pen. Small dogs can't wait as long as larger dogs
to go potty, and if locked in a crate for to long will eventually
"go" in the crate, this is the worst thing that could happen as
the puppy is learning it is OK to sleep where they poop. If
using the exercise pen and litter box, the puppy has all of its
needs in the pen, potty, bed, food, water, toys etc. By the age
of 6 months or sooner, you will notice that the puppy has not
went in the box through the night, and is waiting to go outside
to go potty, they would rather be farther away from their own
waste, if given a choice. We have trained lots of puppies in
this fashion, and could not recommend it enough. It is
extremely helpfull to "working parents" as you are able to
leave your puppy while you go to work and not have to worry
about the puppy chewing something up or going potty all over
the place. Litter training is a safe humane method to "Potty
Train" your new puppy.