There are a lot of different commands you can teach your dog. Some are useful, like “stay”, and some are potentially life saving, like “come”. There are a number of other commands that may not be as important, but they are very convenient. My very favorite is to teach my dog to pee on command.

Why would I want to do that? I used to compete in obedience and agility competitions, and if my dog urinated in the ring, we were heavily penalized. I taught my dog to pee on command, and before we would go into the competition ring, I’d take him for a walk, tellhim to pee, and I’d be confident he would not cost us points by doing it at the wrong time.

There are also some other times it is useful. For example, late at night, when you’re tired, the last thing you want to do is wait for your dog to eventually empty his bladder. If your dog can pee on command, you will be back inside and in your bed very quickly.

You may be visiting your vet, and your vet may need a urine sample. No problem here, take your dog outside and commans it to pee, and come back in with a freshly voided sample for testing. It is really a very useful behavior for your dog to learn.

Although your dog may not always pee immediately when told to, he will go to the toilet quicker than if he had not been trained.

You can train your dog to urinate when you ask him to at the same time as you are toilet training him. It’s easier for him to learn at the same time as he learns where his toileting area is when you’re potty training a puppy. However, older dogs are also capable of learning to pee on command.

Take your dog outside to his toileting area, and as he urinates, give him whatever command you’ve chosen - it could be “toilet” or “pee” or even “tinkle”. It will not matter as long as you’re consistent and you use the same command each and every time.

When your dog urinates, give it lots of praise and cuddles. Because of this, when dog s learning where it’s ok to pee, he’s also linking it with your command.

You must give your dog this same command every time it pees, and reward him when he gets it right. This means you’ll have to do it while you’re out walking, or at the beach. You could get some odd looks from some people, but don not let a chance go by to reinforce what your command means.

Commands like “sit” or “drop” are very quick to teach using food, however training your dog to pee on command can be a slow process. It will take time, repetition and a lot of patience, and in some cases, dogs do not ever “get it”. Dogs are clever though, and in most cases, they eventually learn. When your dog does figure it out. providing your dog has something in it's bladder, it will be very willing to do as you ask. Taking your dog to the toilet the very last thing at night will be much more convenient.

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Getting a puppy isn’t just fun and games, there is a certain amount of responsibility in maintaining them with perhaps none more frustrating than potty training puppies. It's not like you can tell them to use the bathroom whenever they feel it's time to go, even if you were successful, the best of luck to get them to flush the toilet after they finish.

You don't need to worrr though because there are specific steps you can take to make sure that your puppies do their business when and where you want them to and it you don't need to use hypnosis. You might even be surprised as to how easy potty training a puppy is. Just how easy? Well easy enough to summarize in three steps:

Three Steps in Potty Training a Puppy

1. Set up the mpuppes meals to promote the call of nature - There's a specific amount of time that a puppies digestive system needs to go through its cycle and get from meal to waste. This varies from puppy to puppy so monitor the amount of time it takes your puppy to relieve itself after a full meal. It may take a number of monitoring sessions to decide the general amount of time but once you get it then go on to step number two.

2. Will you potty train inside or out - Make a decision about whether you want your puppy to do its business in doors or out of doors. One thing to keep in mind is what is important and convenient for you because you can go either way. Whether you are potty training puppies indoors or outdoors you would still have to clean up after it.

3. Paper or plastic - If you're going to train your puppies to do its business indoors then you need a liberal amount of newspaper and scent spray which is available in most pet stores.

a. Put down layers of newspapers whenever your puppy needs to relieve itself lay and spray a small amount of odour spray on it.

b. Keep the puppy in the newspaper covered area and wait until it does its business. Right after it does let it smell the scent sprayed on the newspaper.

c. Repeat Step-B until your puppy gets familiar to the newspaper or the scent it will search for either of the two the next time it needs to do its business.

One thing you can do when you are training the puppy to do its business out of doors is just take it out for a walk. After a while, your pup will eventually find a spot and assume the position. Don't forget to clean up after your puppy does it's business. Sooner or later when the puppy gets used to this system it will show signs of wanting to go outside when it feels the urge to commune with nature.

And there you have it three sure fire easy steps for potty training puppies. There's no real expense; you don't have to be a rocket scientist, not even expensive devices - just a bit of patience.

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Your children have probably been begging “When can we get a puppy?” Owning a dog is a big responsibility and it can be a perfect venue in which to teach your children. However, there are a few things to consider before adopting a dog into your family. You and your family will have to come up with a game plan in advance and agree to what your new furry family member can and cannot do in your home.

Your home must be dog-proofed before you bring the dog home.  A great way to do this is to get on your hands and knees and look for danger such as dangling electrical cords that would be great to chew; pick up toys and other small objects off the floor that could be harmful if swallowed; remove chemicals, paper bags, plastic items and even plants away from the prying jaws of a puppy. Also, until your new puppy is house trained, you should temporarily remove rugs. You wouldn’t want him to think that this is a good place to pee!

If you are looking for an excellent guide to potty train your new puppy, visit Potty Training A Puppy.

Purchase a baby gate to stop your dog from entering forbidden areas of your home. As well, it could be used to section off a place just for him. This will help with housetraining. In addition, dogs (and particularly puppies) are curious creatures that love to look around. To stop your pooch from gnawing on your clothing or shoes, you should ensure that he can’t get at them. Close your bedroom door or closet door.

Because dogs like to chew, buy some appropriate chew toys and rawhide bones for that gnawing instinct. Puppies teethe and having something safe to chew on will keep them from chewing on things in your home. As well, buy lots of toys to keep him amused. A dog that is bored may be destructive! Rubber balls, tug ropes, push dog toys, and even squeaker toys are favorites of many canines. And just like with human children, you want to buy pet toys that are age-appropriate for them. In addition, you buy plenty of toys so they can be rotated to prevent boredom in your dog.

You should have rules in place before you bring your puppy home. Can he get on the furniture? Can he go into your bedroom? Where do you plan for him to sleep? You will want to know that in advance so that you can put his dog bed there. Are you flexible enough to change your plans as needed? Occasionally, dogs will pick a favorite spot in the home and if it is your bedroom, you will either have to teach him to sleep somewhere else, or allow him to sleep on his dog bed in that room. As with people, dogs have their own unique personality traits. You need to be able to adjust.

As well, you should should have a plan for your dog’s obedience training. A well-behaved dog is a great member of the family.  In addition, you will get so much more out of the doggie-human relationship if you invest in dog obedience training. Do your research and decide if you can tackle the job yourself or if you want to find a training school to help.

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You also need to plan for the times when you are away from the home? What about a veterinarian? Would you employ a dog sitter or have him boarded in a kennel if you needed to travel? Will your dog have a good sized back yard in which to run? What about exercise? Do you plan to walk him and let him socialize with other dogs? These are all essential considerations that must be thought about before you adopt a dog.

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