Potty & Puppy Training 8 weeks to 12 weeks of age

Puppy Potty Training

This is an important time for puppies to be placed with their new families and to experience a rich connection with people. During this time in their development, puppies are able to imprint on their “new humans,” if and when properly supported in this development.

Also during this phase, puppies are developing a substrate preference for elimination. This means, becoming familiar with the feeling of a substrate (pee pee pads, grass, artificial turf, newspaper, crate liner etc.) under their paws at the time of elimination.

Their preference for this substrate becomes stronger over time and will become a trigger for where to potty in the future.

Puppies will naturally potty train themselves, if they’re just given the right environment and opportunity to do so. It doesn’t have to be a painstaking experience.

So much is happening during this time. Many dog trainers establish a heavy focus for socialization during this phase, however, at Doglando, our priority is establishing criteria for the way we want the puppy to develop with us as humans. We use this phase as an opportunity to take their dependent nature and apply it to foster a deep connection with us.

In the “puppy development” part of this program, the connection between a puppy and our play professors is gained by creating positive experiences that lead to beneficial outcomes for inter-species engagement and interactions.

When puppies are nurtured in this way, they are very likely to develop in confidence, character and composure; and they can be easily guided through the next phase of their development and learning (which otherwise is considered a difficult phase).

In this program, puppies will learn to develop in Five key areas:

1. Potty Training:
   

   At Doglando, our primary potty training method for puppies of the ages 8 weeks to 20 weeks  is crate training. Our puppies learn to go in the crate and have a set schedule as to when they are taken outside to potty. Our play professors execute the no touch entry and exit for crate exercises for puppies to be introduced to impulse control and hand feeding. We do not however execute pad training or having them eliminate in their crates. 

2. Physical Handling : 
   

   Physical Handling – The two exercises that we focus on are settle and cradle. Like newborns and children, we build up on getting them accustomed on being handled in different positions of holding their bodies and without us realizing, they were given positive reinforcement with either feeding or a use of a pacifier. 

   With settle and cradle, we build them up by putting them in different positions until we get them in the end position and working on duration of that position. The puppies have a freedom of choice to move out of the position.

3. Touch: 
   

   Touch – Like all living beings, touch is crucial for us biologically and aides us to develop properly. With massage for our dogs, we use massage oil and deepen our fingers into the dogs’ muscles to loosen any tension and to also gain any information for soreness and health issues. Massage also builds trust and a strong relationship between our puppies and handlers. 

4. Name Recognition: 
   

   Our play professors practice to say our puppies name and anytime the puppy gives an indication of awareness of their name, they get reinforced by being handed with food.

5. Recalls:
   

   Recalls are where the puppy goes from where they are standing to the handler after being called. There are steps included on how to get to an off-leash recall especially from a farther distance. All puppies learn to come to their name for a recall after their execute name recognition.