Let me take you back to December 13th, 2020, which was a great day in my son Jack’s and my life.
That was the day we brought Magnum home. We drove about 3 hours from Simi Valley through the San Bernardino Mountains to Mountain Center to pick him up.
Magnum, who was 7 weeks old and 11 pounds, couldn’t have been cuter and slept most of the way home. We ended up stopping about halfway home so Magnum could go to the bathroom.
As soon I put him on the ground, I gave him his first command. I told him to “hurry up” and as soon as he peed, I told him “good hurry up.”
I then told him again to “hurry up.”
Then as soon as he went poop, I said the same thing, “good hurry up.”
When we got back to the car, Magnum was given a piece of kibble and told how good he was.
When we got home, we went right to a spot we had picked out for him to go the bathroom and told him to “hurry up” and gave him a chance to pee and poop before we brought him into his new home.
Before puppy gets home, it’s very important to have an area picked out where he is going to go to the bathroom. As soon as you get puppy home for the first time, go right to that spot, and encourage him to "hurry up." And when he goes to the bathroom, tell him how good he is and give him a treat as soon as you get inside.
Once home, keep a very close eye on puppy and take him out frequently to that same spot. Encourage puppy to “hurry up” each time out, and reward with praise right then and there, and a treat when you get back inside. There will be some accidents at first, but the closer an eye you keep on puppy, the quicker potty training will be successful.
Also, you need an exact plan when you see him starting to go in the house. No need to scream at puppy, but:
1-tell puppy “no”
2- Pick puppy up quickly and get puppy right outside to his spot
3-put him down, tell him to “hurry up” and when he goes tell him “good hurry up.”
4-when all business is done, go in and give puppy a treat.
Treats should only consist of puppy’s kibble for the first few weeks.
Magnum turned 2 a few months ago and I still tell him “good hurry up” every time he goes to the bathroom, and he gets a cookie when we get back home. Now Magnum is no dummy, so I know I have been beaten for a few cookies over the past couple of years for potty trips that could have waited. But, Magnum clearly understands the “hurry up” command and understands exactly what is being asked of him.
Why should you teach your pup an actual command to go to the bathroom?
There are a few reasons:
1 - For potty training purposes, you are encouraging and rewarding your pup for going to the bathroom outside, immediately. In some cases, before you even arrive home.
2 - Anytime you are in a strange area (friend’s house, camping, etc.) you can instruct your puppy to “hurry up” in a certain area and puppy will know, this the place I need to go.
3 - When the weather is awful and you want puppy really to get his business done quickly, you can tell puppy to “hurry up” and puppy will know it’s time to go.
4 - Puppy will know the difference between taking a walk and just going out to go to the bathroom
I realize some people want to train puppies to go to the bathroom inside on newspaper or a pad, but I do not believe your pup should ever be encouraged to go the bathroom in the house. I believe in teaching your pup to go to the bathroom outside from the first day and this is a good way to do it!
- Neal Goldberg
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