Regular Eating Habits Help Puppy Potty Training

Some people tend to believe that their dog should always have food and water available. This way, the dog can get his drink or food whenever he feels like it. There are a few reasons why this is not a good idea. To start with, puppies should never have an unlimited supply of food and water all day long. Puppies have a hard enough time as it is trying to learn how to be potty trained for their master and they certainly cannot understand the concept of restraining themselves from drinking or eating so that they do not have any accidents.
 
When a dog or a puppy eats or drinks, there is only a short amount of time between finishing and needing to go to the bathroom. An adult dog that is trained may be able to hold it for an hour or so, but we cannot expect puppies to do that.  If the puppy is allowed to have food and water while unsupervised, such as while you are at work, there will be accidents. And the last thing you want to do is to scold a puppy that couldn’t help it, especially when you set the puppy up for failure.

Positive reinforcement is what works best with dogs, especially puppies. They want to do good for you and you do not want to clean up a mess every day. You want to set your puppy up for success by having him on a regular eating schedule.
 
You will want to give your puppy a breakfast, a lunch and a dinner. Sometimes, for growing puppies, they might need a little snack on their dog food towards bed time as well. Your puppy will also need water with his meals as well. During hot days, your puppy will need additional drinks of water.
 
Try your best to set scheduled times to feed your puppy. This will give him a routine that he can count on and it will ensure that you do not forget a meal for your pup. Also, a scheduled meal time means that you will have more control over when the puppy goes to the bathroom and does his business.
 
After your puppy has eaten his food and had his fill of water allow him to play or hang out for about five minutes, but keep a close eye on your puppy. When those five minutes is up or when the puppy starts to appear as though he needs to go, take the puppy outside or to the pee pad for potty time. If you want your puppy to eventually go outside for potty time, it is best to start him off that way instead of trying to transition him later.

Depending on how quickly the food and water is moving through the puppy’s system, which usually only takes about five to ten minutes, you may have to wait outside with your puppy. Once your puppy does his business, make sure that you are giving him positive reinforcement with verbal praise, a kind voice, and a loving pat on the back. Go directly back inside.

As your puppy grows into an adult dog, you still want to keep the regular eating schedule but it will take about fifteen to twenty minutes before your dog has to relieve himself.