Everyone loves dogs, and there are few joys that match the feeling of bringing one home on that first day. But many would-be pet owners forget that the early days of puppy training can be a challenge. We would never want to deter you from taking home an adorable pooch, so we’ve put together Our Guide to Housetraining a New Puppy — and to ensure it’s as stress-free as possible for you and your new pal. 

Our Guide to Housetraining a New Puppy

Crate Training

Crates are an important part of the house breaking toolbox because it allows you to harness your dog’s natural preference to be a den dweller. In the wild, dogs seek small, safe, and dark spots to live, and a crate actually feeds into their natural desire to seek out such a spot to sleep.

A dog will naturally want to keep their sleeping and living space clean and if you bring your puppy home and introduce them to a clean space, they will want to keep it that way — but only if you show them how.

If your dog has a natural aversion to crates or has some trauma from its time at the shelter, you’ll need to extend this process and have a bit more patience as you help them adopt to their crate. Any puppy that might have experienced a crate used as punishment or has been pent up in a crate for inappropriately long chunks of time may need to be gently reconditioned to see the crate as a safe and secure space.

While crates are a great training tool, you need to make sure that your puppy isn’t expected to stay in their crate for longer than they can hold a bladder movement. If you are gone all day at work, you need to either arrange for someone to take your dog out in the middle of the day, or provide a spot in their crate for them to use all-natural puppy pee pads.

Pee Pads

The benefits of using puppy pee pads during training cannot be overstated. They make the whole process considerably easier especially for pet owners who cannot be home throughout the day.

Convincing your puppy to perform their business outside is not always an easy task, especially in areas with heavy rain or snow. In fact, most experts will tell you that when potty training your puppy, simply getting them outside is half the battle.

If you don’t provide an alternative, puppies will likely think carpets and furniture are the ideal place to do business. On the other hand, providing an all-natural pee pad that looks and feels to puppies like the true outdoors will make cleaning up after your dog incredibly easy and quick. When your puppy uses a pad, you can get it cleaned up in minutes, without the need for scrubbing or deodorizing.

Apartment Living

Puppy potty pads made of real grass are also ideal for those living in apartments or condos. Often, it’s not possible for pet owners to take their pets outside at any and all hours. In the middle of the night, it’s often easier to train your pet to use a pee pad.

Many such pee pads are made from 100% all-natural grass for dogs and are extremely affordable, because with re-useable pee-pads, there is no recurring cost. Also having a reusable, all-natural pee pad means you’re limiting your carbon footprint!

While there are many more things to keep in mind when housetraining your new pet, making sure they appreciate their crate and ensuring they have a comfortable place to relieve themselves are the first two major steps.