HOUSE TRAINING
This is no doubt the single most important skill your puppy will ever learn. Also most people who follow these tips say that house training typically only takes a few days.
First off it needs to be stated that routine is VERY key in successfully house training your puppy. Dogs thrive on a consistent routine. Good routines = Good Habits!
Lets start in the beginning, food. Puppies should be offered food at regular intervals and water all day long. From the time you pick up until he is 6mo old try and feed him three times a day (as soon as you wake up, noon, and night) with your last feeding being a few hours before bed. From 6mo to one year give him two meals a day (morning and night) and from one year on you can feed him once a day whenever is most convenient for you.
He will need to pee approximately 2 hours after he drinks and poop 3-4 hrs after he eats. He will also have to go potty after he has been playing, sleeping, or chewing. Plan on taking him out at regular intervals (every few hours) over the course of the first few days, until he starts to gets the hang of the bell. Good routines = Good Habits!
If you are feeding on schedule then you will have a good idea when your puppy will need to potty.
Ok now the nuts and bolts of how. There are many ways to train your dog not to potty inside but the fastest way we have found is bell training. There are tons of video on You Tube about how to do this but we find by-in-large they way overthink and over train it (for a border collie).
The biggest problem with house training your puppy is that he has no way to tell you he needs to go outside. The bell fixes that problem. You can buy house training bells on Etsy or Amazon or just make a set yourself out of any type of bell that you can hear throughout the house.
Now hang the bells on or near your door. You can hang them from the handle but we find they swing and get in the way of the door getting squished and becoming useless. So ours are hung next to the door on the wall.
As you go outside have the puppy ring the bells with his nose then take him to the same spot in the yard. Now wait. Don’t talk to or play with him until after he does his business. This is because we want him to learn to go out and do his business straight away. If he pees but you think he also needs to poop offer a simple good boy then go back to ignoring him. Big potty (poop) gets big praise and a treat. Potty (pee) also gets big praise and treats just be sure not to distract him from big potty with praise from little potty.
If you want to put the act of going to the bathroom on a command then say the command after he is done eliminating while you are praising and treating, not during the act.
It is important to only talk to and reward him after he is entirely done as you don’t want him to loose focus halfway though.
Also if something is going on outside (kids playing, gardner, sprinklers etc.) try and stop it, as this will be distracting to the puppy. Again you don’t want him to forget why you went out there in the first place.
ACCIDENTS
Accidents will still happen he’s a puppy after all. JUST SO YOU KNOW IF HE HAS AN ACCIDENT IT IS YOUR FAULT NOT HIS! You are the one who wants him to go outside he doesn’t care or know any different he just needs to go. If he potties inside past a few days of bell training evaluate your routine. Maybe he needs to go out more often or you were not watching him well enough.
SIDE YARD
Now if he has decided that right outside the backdoor is where he would like to potty but you have a different spot in mind. Just take a few fresh piles to the area you would like him to use and keep the area you don’t want him to use clear and hosed down to help alleviate the smell. Dogs will potty where the smell is most prevalent.
WHEN YOU’RE AWAY FROM HOME DURING THE DAY
Dogs do not like to potty where they sleep. This is why we recommend keeping them in a crate at night as it teaches them to “hold it.” However it is not fair to leave him in a crate for long periods of the day as well. Yes we all have to work, grocery shop, etc. so if you have to leave him at home alone during the day we recommend leaving him in the yard. He is already in the crate for 8 hours at night so confining him for long periods during the day as well verges on cruelty. Sometimes crating him during the day because the weather is extreme is understandable but if you find yourself needing to crate him regularly for long periods of time or you live in an apartment you will need to look into a dog walker or doggy day care so he gets adequate exercise during the day and in turn sleeps good though the night.
APARTMENT LIFE AND/OR PEE PADS
Puppies should not be pottied in common dog areas until after they are fully vaccinated! So here are some options for apartment life that we do and don’t recommend.
We do not use nor do we ever recommend the use of pee pads. If you use these your dog will associate them with rugs and will always think that a rug is an acceptable place to potty. Again this is YOUR fault not theirs. Border collie puppies are capable of holding it and bell training at a young age so there is no need for pee pads.
We still recommend the use of bell training (see above) regardless of whether you have a yard or not.
If you live in an apartment and have a balcony then order a “Dog Potty Grass” system from Amazon. You can use the artificial turf it comes with or you can buy a chunk of real sod at Lowes or Home Depot every week or two. If you keep the sod watered it will live longer.
If you live in an apartment and don’t have a balcony then it would be best to leave your puppy with us until after he has received his third vaccination. As you won’t be able to potty them outside and teaching them to potty inside is not a good idea. After the third shot you can take your puppy home and bell train (see above) as normal.
This is no doubt the single most important skill your puppy will ever learn. Also most people who follow these tips say that house training typically only takes a few days.
First off it needs to be stated that routine is VERY key in successfully house training your puppy. Dogs thrive on a consistent routine. Good routines = Good Habits!
Lets start in the beginning, food. Puppies should be offered food at regular intervals and water all day long. From the time you pick up until he is 6mo old try and feed him three times a day (as soon as you wake up, noon, and night) with your last feeding being a few hours before bed. From 6mo to one year give him two meals a day (morning and night) and from one year on you can feed him once a day whenever is most convenient for you.
He will need to pee approximately 2 hours after he drinks and poop 3-4 hrs after he eats. He will also have to go potty after he has been playing, sleeping, or chewing. Plan on taking him out at regular intervals (every few hours) over the course of the first few days, until he starts to gets the hang of the bell. Good routines = Good Habits!
If you are feeding on schedule then you will have a good idea when your puppy will need to potty.
Ok now the nuts and bolts of how. There are many ways to train your dog not to potty inside but the fastest way we have found is bell training. There are tons of video on You Tube about how to do this but we find by-in-large they way overthink and over train it (for a border collie).
The biggest problem with house training your puppy is that he has no way to tell you he needs to go outside. The bell fixes that problem. You can buy house training bells on Etsy or Amazon or just make a set yourself out of any type of bell that you can hear throughout the house.
Now hang the bells on or near your door. You can hang them from the handle but we find they swing and get in the way of the door getting squished and becoming useless. So ours are hung next to the door on the wall.
As you go outside have the puppy ring the bells with his nose then take him to the same spot in the yard. Now wait. Don’t talk to or play with him until after he does his business. This is because we want him to learn to go out and do his business straight away. If he pees but you think he also needs to poop offer a simple good boy then go back to ignoring him. Big potty (poop) gets big praise and a treat. Potty (pee) also gets big praise and treats just be sure not to distract him from big potty with praise from little potty.
If you want to put the act of going to the bathroom on a command then say the command after he is done eliminating while you are praising and treating, not during the act.
It is important to only talk to and reward him after he is entirely done as you don’t want him to loose focus halfway though.
Also if something is going on outside (kids playing, gardner, sprinklers etc.) try and stop it, as this will be distracting to the puppy. Again you don’t want him to forget why you went out there in the first place.
ACCIDENTS
Accidents will still happen he’s a puppy after all. JUST SO YOU KNOW IF HE HAS AN ACCIDENT IT IS YOUR FAULT NOT HIS! You are the one who wants him to go outside he doesn’t care or know any different he just needs to go. If he potties inside past a few days of bell training evaluate your routine. Maybe he needs to go out more often or you were not watching him well enough.
- If you see him going potty tell him “NO” snag him up ring the bells as you go outside quickly. It will likely take him a few minutes to potty and when he does offer LOTS of praise
- If he goes potty and you find it go get him show him tell him “NO” ring the bells and take him out. Leaving him outside for a bit.
SIDE YARD
Now if he has decided that right outside the backdoor is where he would like to potty but you have a different spot in mind. Just take a few fresh piles to the area you would like him to use and keep the area you don’t want him to use clear and hosed down to help alleviate the smell. Dogs will potty where the smell is most prevalent.
WHEN YOU’RE AWAY FROM HOME DURING THE DAY
Dogs do not like to potty where they sleep. This is why we recommend keeping them in a crate at night as it teaches them to “hold it.” However it is not fair to leave him in a crate for long periods of the day as well. Yes we all have to work, grocery shop, etc. so if you have to leave him at home alone during the day we recommend leaving him in the yard. He is already in the crate for 8 hours at night so confining him for long periods during the day as well verges on cruelty. Sometimes crating him during the day because the weather is extreme is understandable but if you find yourself needing to crate him regularly for long periods of time or you live in an apartment you will need to look into a dog walker or doggy day care so he gets adequate exercise during the day and in turn sleeps good though the night.
APARTMENT LIFE AND/OR PEE PADS
Puppies should not be pottied in common dog areas until after they are fully vaccinated! So here are some options for apartment life that we do and don’t recommend.
We do not use nor do we ever recommend the use of pee pads. If you use these your dog will associate them with rugs and will always think that a rug is an acceptable place to potty. Again this is YOUR fault not theirs. Border collie puppies are capable of holding it and bell training at a young age so there is no need for pee pads.
We still recommend the use of bell training (see above) regardless of whether you have a yard or not.
If you live in an apartment and have a balcony then order a “Dog Potty Grass” system from Amazon. You can use the artificial turf it comes with or you can buy a chunk of real sod at Lowes or Home Depot every week or two. If you keep the sod watered it will live longer.
If you live in an apartment and don’t have a balcony then it would be best to leave your puppy with us until after he has received his third vaccination. As you won’t be able to potty them outside and teaching them to potty inside is not a good idea. After the third shot you can take your puppy home and bell train (see above) as normal.
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