The Keys to Quick Potty Training

The key to potty training dogs is repetition. Keep this in mind at all times:

When dogs are done playing, they have to go to the bathroom.
When dogs are done eating, they have to go to the bathroom.
When dogs are done sleeping, they have to go to the bathroom.

Basically, when your dog is finished doing anything he's going to want to go to the bathroom so be sure you take him to where you want him to go right away.

The Wee Wee Pads are a great way to help with potty training mainly because they're slightly scented so puppies know where to go. However, you have to remember your dog has only been alive for eight weeks and during those eight weeks he's encountered a different world at every stop which adds to the confusion. Being able to navigate your home in which he isn't too familiar with might take some time.

Smaller spaces are key. The bladder control of an eight week old puppy isn't long and the legs of an eight week old Bichon are pretty short so if those Wee Wee Pads are on the other side of the house when he has to go pee don't expect your new puppy to find them in time.

If your dog does have an accident on the carpet you will want to get a good stain and odor remover to get rid of the smell. If your dog smells the urine, just like on the puppy pads, he'll want to pee on the same spot. (Wee Wee Stain & Odor Remover by Four Paws is a good one but there are a ton of them available).

Dogs are very trainable animals so make sure you stick to a routine. Varying the routine at this age will make potty training a tenuous task. Some puppies pick it up in a couple of weeks and some take their whole lives to learn. The advice I gave my customers was stick to the routine early or be prepared to be potty training your puppy for years.

Hope this helps, John from fun4pets.com.