Potty Training Your Puppy (Siberian Husky)

From day 1 condition your mindset to your end goal- completely house trained.

1. SMALL CRATE

I have literally no idea how many times this has been the fix for people who've approached me needing help. Big Crate = accidents in crate.

Work with their natural tendency, they hate sitting in their own filth, so if they crate is big enough for them to have an accident in the crate and avoid laying in it- they will. Small crates can be very comfy for them. Matter a fact, the better they're being the more privilege's they can gain. For instance, if they've been good with their toy in their crate, then put a comfy reusable pad too. If they didn't ruin that, put another toy in it, and eventually a bed. A crate should be a safe and clean space they can relax in. NEVER a punishment and NEVER to be used abusively or incorrectly.

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2. Make a schedule 

When you make a schedule, make it compatible with yours. For instance, overnight at 8 weeks old puppies typically CAN hold it 4 hours. Sometimes they don't realize they can, which is why its important to show them that. For starts your breeder should have set the puppy on a potty schedule every 3-4 hours by time 8 weeks old. To pick that up, set a timer and every 3-4 hours take them out. If they had an accident in their cage, do NOT punish them or yell, they already feel awful. Which bring us to...

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3. Nasty Clean Freaks

Huskies HATE HATE HATE having to ever sit in their own filth (excluding mud and dirt lol) So make sure if their was an accident, don't make them feel worse about it. They already hated it. This is how you work with their natural tendencies to potty train them.

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4. In House Accidents

Thankfully at this point, if your puppy didn't already come to you CRATE trained, now you've made a routine to fix the issue. Next is- House training. The reason this can pose as a bigger challenge is the fact, after your puppy has an accident- they can leave it behind in your house. Which is why we will first address how to respond during the accident. 

Lets say your keeping your puppy supervised in the room, they have already went to the bathroom outside. Puppy is playing around and stops to start sniffing, you ignore that, and you see a squat begin- DROP what your doing, make a CORRECTION noise or word, drag outside and say "potty" while giving the puppy a chance to correct the mistake. This is the best scenario, your supervising, you caught the accident, you didn't have to punish, easy for everyone. Now we'll move onto the issues most people have, which is being busy and not catching them in the act.

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5. Supervise or DON'T TRY

 Many new owners don't realize they are teaching their puppy the minute they come home. So for you to begin house training your puppy, you must be WATCHING your puppy. Watch them to play, watch to correct, and watch to potty train. If you are NOT ABLE TO supervise than put them in a playpin if you only have half attention given. If your not watching a bit than crate. If you let things slide intentionally as your new puppy sees it- they will think its OK and will REPEAT. Best way to handle this if you are a busy person is, crate, or keep that puppy with you and pay attention. Use every opportunity to teach and to BOND. Bonding is a huge step in this training, because they will love you and be hurt if you are displeased with them.

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6. How To Correct AFTER The Fact

 Okay so you found an accident you missed, looks like a second ago or at most 20 minutes ago. Do you correct? YES! They know what their own feces is, bring them over to it, put their nose to it, do not repeat "NO", just One Big Announced NO, "THIS IS BAD" in your most disapproving voice. Then put them outside, say Potty and try to make them use the bathroom outside, if you get success than be super happy and congratulate them. 

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7. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

 As you apply these guidelines remember these are guidelines for a puppy that has came straight from a breeder, not from an unknown past or history. If a dog was abused or is an adult, it is very important to not apply these guidelines without consulting a trainer. You may emotionally damage them farther without consulting a trainer. 

 However yes, a good breeder should have already shaped these things into your puppy which should make your progress speedy. Bad breeders won't train any of this and it will be much harder, but with consistency and good effort you AND your pup will succeed.