Welcome home new puppy! Everything is cute until your carpet and furniture are covered in stains, right?  No need to fear.  Dr. Sniff is here to help! As you know, our mission is to eliminate the stink between man’s best friend and man.  Here are some essentials for potty training and keeping your home clean. 

Start with a Schedule 

Schedule = success! You must be consistent with potty training.  Us pups are very easily entertained and distracted.  We learn best through consistency and repetition.  Help us potty train by sticking to a schedule for playtime, meals, and going outside.  Some of the best times to take us outside during potty training are right when you wake up, right before bed, after eating, after playtime, after naps, after crate time.  

Crate Train

I know it is sometimes difficult to leave us cute things in a crate.  However, when trained properly we actually LOVE spending time in our crate.  Think of it as our den.  It is safe, quiet, and our own personal space in the house. Crate size is important.  We should be able to comfortably lie down, stand up, and turn around.  Make sure the crate isn’t so large that we can choose one of the corners to be our potty.  

Puppy Pads?

I recommend only using puppy pads if you live in a city where outdoor space is limited or where the weather is cold and snowy.  Try to only use puppy pads as a helpful tool when needed.    

Cleaning is Key 

During potty training, pups will have accidents.  You did too when you were potty training.  However, there are cleaning techniques that prevent the accident from continually occurring in the same area.  It is essential to find an enzymatic cleaner to eliminate odor from the accident area.  If a pup can smell their scent on a rug or fabric, they will continue to have accidents in that spot.  Clean crate accidents with enzymatic cleaner as well.  

All Dr. Sniff products have a Patented OdorSynthesis Technology that completely eliminate malodors. So, if accidents turn extra messy I have you covered!

Praise Your Pup 

We love a routine.  Choose a word that indicates its potty time.  A verbal cue such as “outside” or “walk” followed by taking us outside helps us learn. Positive reinforcement is more effective than negative.  We will not understand our mistake if our nose is rubbed in our accident or we are otherwise punished.  High pitched verbal cues work best for positive reinforcement. 

Potty training is a process.  Be patient with your pups.  The best thing to do is stick to a routine.  The more familiar it becomes, the easier it becomes for pups to not have accidents.