Get some help with your cute puppy!  Check out these creative Puppy Training Tips and Tricks!
I received the following question from frugal friend Danielle…
“Frugal Girls… Help! We recently got a puppy, and as cute as he may be… he sure is difficult to house break! Any tips on how to remove the urine smell from accidents? Also… any puppy training tips or tricks would be great! I have 2 labs that were a snap to train, but this is a shorkie… and he’s just a bit stubborn.” đ
I shared this question right here and on The Frugal Girls Facebook Page, and here are just a few of the awesome ideas that were sharedâŚ
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Puppy Training Tips
Sheila said: “The smarter they are… the tougher they are to train. I do hope you are crate training. That will keep you from having the urine smell. As soon as you get up in the morning, open the crate and take the pup outside to the same area every time. Say the same thing, such as “go Potty,” then praise pup and give a treat… something small.”
My Tip: We had great success using potty training pads when training our puppy. Â We would place the pads by the front door to get him used to going to the door when he needed to go. Â Then we transitioned him to going outside from there.
Puppy Potty Training Pads
Brie said: “Leash training: take the puppyâs FAVORITE toy. Stand with leash, have puppy sit. Toss the toy just out of range, and donât move. If the puppy goes for the toy, actually step BACK. Puppy learns fast to stay while you do this.
Praise and give treats when s/he does! When this is done, start walking toward the toy. If the puppy pulls, walk back to the starting point.
Repeat as necessary until puppy can walk on a slack leash to get the toy, then give lots of praise & treats.
Very quickly, you will have a slack leash and a dog that doesnât pull. All positive, no choke collar required.” 
Dog ID Tag Sale
Ila said: “With a long haired dog grooming costs quickly add up, so doing things like bathing, and if you feel comfortable with it, haircuts can help money-wise. But only if you feel safe, otherwise you can cause more problems! I personally do my puppies summer haircuts and nail trimming. Most of all make sure you do walks and activities to well socialize your dog, because even small dogs can cause damage and have problems if not well socialized or exercised.”
Kasee said: “Three things for house breaking:
1) Take a leash and wherever you are in the house, tie the puppy to you. That way you will always know what heâs doing and wonât come across any unexpected accidents.
2) Set your alarm clock for about every 3 hours or so (at least until they sleep thru the night). Make going outside a big deal, and offer treats when you come back in.
3) Invest in an indoor kennel. I found one on Craigslist a few years back. Brand new for about $40. Best money I ever spent when it came to my dog. Dogâs wonât use the bathroom in their beds, and if you have to leave him, youâll know heâs safe.”
Rebecca said: “Puppies have a very short memory and when you spank them after finding a mess, they have no idea what youâre spanking them for. I set a timer and take our puppies out every 30 minutes to start with. Also, take him out as soon as he wakes up from naps, and immediately before and after eating. The trick is to prevent accidents⌠if heâs never given an opportunity to have an accident, then the training will go much faster.”
Puppy Training Tips: Use an Extra Wide Gate with Small Pet Pass Through
Sandra said: “Every time I put my dogs out to go to the bathroom, I give them a small treat when they come back in. I never hit them, but use a squirt bottle when they do wrong. My dogs hate water.”
Kirsten said: “The smaller the dog, the tougher it is to house train. I work with a rescue group and always tell this to the new adopter. Some small dogs are great at house training and others just never get the hang of it. The rule of thumb is one hour of holding for every month of age the first year â but to a small dog this may be only 1/2 hour.
Frequent trips out, potty in the same place, praise for pottying, and limiting liquids before bed all help. If push comes to shove consider an indoor potty â some dogs are just fickle and donât want to go out.”
My Tip: I liked to use treats to praise my dog for going potty outside or inside when using a potty training pad.
Puppy Training Treats
Katie said: “The most important piece of advice I have: consistency. Make sure EVERYONE in the house is doing the exact same thing. Also, let your other dogs âhelpâ with the training. When my dog was a puppy and we were over at my friendâs house, she did VERY well, because the other dogs âhelpedâ show her that going potty inside wasnât good. They also helped with all the other things she needed to learn that I couldnât teach her. Sometimes the best help doesnât come from other people or trainers, but other, more experienced, dogs.”
Doggie Doorbell for Potty Training
Heather said: “Crating will be a big help in winning the stubborn war with the pup. Times when you are actively watching him or playing with him, put him in his crate. Dogs do not like to pee where they sleep.
Normally they will not pee in there unless they are left for long periods of time. Make sure you are taking him out often enough no less then every 2 hours.
As for the urine smell, lemon juice should help, Make sure to clean and deodorize any places heâs gone, because he can smell it even when you canât and heâll keep going back to mark those spots.”
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Joanne said: “Natureâs Miracle is fabulous for getting out pet stains. You can pour it full strength right on the carpet and blot up. I also add a little to the laundry (loads with pet sleeping blankets). For puppy potty training I put a Christmas jingle bell on a cord on the doorknob (front or back door). When it was time to take my puppies out (every 2 hours day and night for the first couple of days), I would ring the bell and say âletâs go potty.â Within 10 days they would ring the bell by themselves to go out, and they havenât had an accident since.”
Lexi said: “Natureâs Miracle is the all around best way to get rid of the urine smell, not only for your nose, but for your puppyâs nose. If puppy can smell when he has urinated before, he will pee there again. Only an enzymatic cleaner will completely remove the scent for a dogâs nose.Â
Also, please get the book The Other End of the Leash, by Patricia McConnell. Your library may have it. One of the best books for any dog owner to read! Good luck!”
Puppy Training Tips: Use a Waterproof Bench Seat Cover
Sarah said: “For getting the urine smell out of carpet, I soaked the area as much up as possible, used club soda to clean it, and finally sprayed it with Natureâs Miracle Odor Remover. A bit pricy, but it works!”
Brittany said: “Make sure you get a small wet-vac to suck up any urine (we got one for $10 or $15 at Loweâs). Even if you have something to take out the smell, it will come back if you just blot up the urine. You canât let it sink down into the carpet! Also, vinegar is a cheap way to get the smell out â we just put it on a rag and rub it over the carpet. It also repels the dog because they donât like the smell of the vinegar, but we canât smell it!”
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Do you have any Puppy Training Tips or tricks for training a new puppy??
Or ways to save $$ and cut costs with a pooch?
Leave a comment & share!
Anne says
Lots of good advice, but never take anything to heart because every dog/puppy is different. My husband and I have had at least 6 puppies over the years, and some were just easier than others. One of our easiest was a miniature schnauzer. We’ve had larger breeds, too: standard poodle and standard schnauzers. One standard schnauzer was difficult, while his half brother was quite easy. Now we have a Norwich terrier, and we sometimes wonder if he’ll ever be housebroken! He’s definitely improving, but he’s 10 months old, and still having issues. We do ALL the things that are recommended! The people who say it’s only a matter of consistency, using a crate, you name it, just haven’t had THAT dog yet!! I understand because I would have given all the same advice, thinking the owner was doing something wrong. What I’m learning now is there are some dogs that take longer than average. It’s frustrating, but don’t get upset with the dog. Be diligent and try to figure out what works best for your particular puppy. We’ve found that we needed to take ours out way more often than we thought (sometimes every 20 minutes). Otherwise, he was in his crate or a small, confined area. Gradually he was allowed into the kitchen area as well, and that’s when he still kept having accidents. So, we had to rethink things. Was that too much freedom or were we not getting him back outside soon enough? He’s very smart, but I’m thinking now that he’s been slow to mature physically. I can finally see that he’s catching on, but I know he’s not there yet. I have bells hanging from the door (he will use them), I take him out often and go with him to make sure he pees (he knows what “hurry up” means). He gets lots of praise and a treat when he goes. I have gaits up to keep him confined. I take his water up by 6:00 pm. I try to make sure he gets plenty of exercise. AND he’s absolutely adorable!! I will get him housebroken eventually, but for those of you who are frustrated, please know some puppies are a lot harder than others! And for the lucky people who haven’t experienced this, know that somewhere there is a puppy that will humble you! đ
Annicka says
Actually, the smarter a dog is, the faster they learn so long as you’re teaching them properly. Smart dogs are actually fairly easy to train.
Giant schnauzer mom says
Each and every puppy is different… In our case crating made the situation worse and our puppy not only stopped letting us know she started peeing the bed; yes her bed where she sleeps. We found hanging bells on the door were the most useful and watching her body language. Btw vinegar does not get rid of the pheromones before destroying you floor… Natures miracle ftw!
MIssy MItchell says
Hi, I have a 5 month old Standard Manchester Terrier named Mack.
He came to us from CA on a plane in a plastic good sized cage. He is now 15 pounds.
I have a med. size wire cage that he can see out on all sides. He soils his cage every time I put him in there to leave,. During the day, the cage door is open, he eats in there and even lays down and is not nervous or panicky. But when I lock the door and leave him in there with his cong and chew bones, he quickly finds out I’m gone, and he can’t get out. Starts to panic, howls, barks, jumps, shreds newspapers pees and poops. This has gone on from the first day I got him home. I don’t leave him in there long. Started him out 1 hour at a time.I need to help him over come this issue. Thinking about the calming sprays to try. Any Advice? I leave a radio on for him too. He’s a sweet loving boy. We take him out often and he is mostly housebroken. Its just the locked cage that gets him upset. Separation anxiety. he sleeps with us so he is only in the cage when we leave the house.
Carol says
Get the DVD “Crate Games” by Susan Garrett. Play the games with him starting with number one. Build value for his crate by playing games with him and using it incrimentally when you are HOME and in the room with him. An hour is too ling for a dog with separation anxiety. Start with a few seconds at a time with you in the room and gradually build up to leaving him in there while you move briefly to another room, but you are still at home. He needs to learn that his crate is his safety zone. At this point that particular crate might be “poisoned” by his anxiety. I would suggest borrowing one, preferably with enclosed sides, until he overcomes his anxiety. Or buy one on Craig’s List. Make sure it is not too big. He should be able to stand and turn around and nothing else. If he made his own den it would be very small, and used for sleeping and safety.
Laura says
I have potty trained two puppies, one was 1 month old and the other was 4 months. Both are chihuahuas. For me is was about consistency. I would take them outside every 1-2 hours, pain yes, but it worked. Everyone always told me how hard chihuahuas were to train. We had accidents,but they got the idea and eventually would go stand by the door to go outside. They even come find me to let me know they have to go. Just keep with it