Once you get to know your puppy, you’ll be able to watch for signs she needs to relieve herself. As soon as you see her displaying the signs, take her outside. When you’re house training a puppy, it’s very important that you be available to meet her needs at all times of the day. If you leave her alone in the apartment all day it might take a very long time for her to understand what she’s supposed to do when she needs to go to the bathroom. If you can’t be with her all day long, have a friend stay with her.
Be sure to follow your city’s ordinances regarding disposing of dog waste. Pick up after your puppy using a plastic bag. Dog urine isn’t generally good for flowers, so try to find a public spot that isn’t being tended by a careful gardener. You might find yourself the subject of a sign warning dog owners to stay away - a common sight near city apartment buildings!
In order for positive reinforcement to work effectively as a training strategy, consistency is key. That means that every single time your puppy relieves herself outside, you should praise her. This is especially important in the first few months, when she’s still learning correct behavior.
Your puppy is ready to spend time in the rest of the apartment after she has learned to signal to you that she needs to go outside, either by moving toward the door or looking at it. You’ll also know she’s ready when she has very few accidents in the apartment.
You can also use a sod box as a place for your puppy to eliminate. Fill a shallow plastic container with sod or dog litter, and place it on top of newspapers. [4] X Trustworthy Source The Humane Society of the United States National organization devoted to the promotion of animal welfare Go to source When you clean up after an accident your puppy has had, you can place the soiled paper towels or rags in the designated area so that your puppy associates the smell of urine with her bathroom spot.
Puppies can sleep for about 4 hours before they need to relieve themselves. Very young puppies might wake up barking, though, so you should line the crate with towels just in case your puppy has an accident in the night. If you hear your puppy barking in the crate, take her outside to relieve herself and place her back in the crate. Be sure you reward her when she relieves herself.
Never yell at your puppy or spank her when you see her having an accident. You will teach your puppy to be afraid of you, and it won’t help her learn what to do when she needs to relieve herself. If you find a mess in your apartment after the deed has been done, don’t ever rub your puppy’s nose in it or try to discipline her. It doesn’t work; it just confuses the puppy. Simply clean up the mess and take the puppy outside more often to continue her training.
