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Puppies have accidents; that is normal. In the early days of training they are unavoidable, even if you keep a watchful eye on them. Before your puppy can control his bodily functions, there are chances that soiling accidents will occur inside your home. Because improper disciplinary actions can cause bad habits, it is important to learn early on how to handle these situations correctly.
Keep in mind, puppies are not like human beings and that is why you need to understand that as a first-time puppy owner, you may make mistakes in handling accidents. Long-term cause and effect thinking is not in a puppy's nature. That is why it is a waste of time to punish a puppy for something that occurred minutes or hours ago. Actually, punishing a puppy in this way will only frighten and confuse him, which will put a strain on the relationship between you and your puppy. Trainers often say that the best way to deal with this situation is to keep your puppy crated until they have been trained to go outside to relieve themselves.
Taking action, without overreacting
No matter how messy the accident is, punishments should be within reason and not severe. Extreme but effective punishments should also not be followed. Sometimes harsh punishments may work but they often are inhumane and absurd such as ocking a puppy in a dark, enclosed space, beating the puppy, or rubbing the nose of a puppy into his "mess;". They are not the right ways to raise a puppy because they are acts of cruelty. These acts will make your puppy grow up mistrusting and fearing you.
As soon as you see that your puppy is doing his business inside the house or about to, that is the time for an appropriate reprimand. By reprimanding your puppy in a firm and loud voice, you will stop the puppy from doing his business. Simply say "No" or "Stop!"
Also, by startling him with a loud noise, it will cause him to immediately stop what he is doing. Another way is to gently grab around the scruff of his neck and give him a gentle shake. This will cause him to stop what he is doing and turn his attention toward you. Then, take him outside quickly and let him finish up and once done, reward him with positive feedback such as giving him verbal praise or a small treat.
By keeping an eye on your puppy, you can avoid accidents. It is important to always have a watchful eye for signs that your puppy needs to go outside. Looking uncomfortable, sniffing the floor, whining, scratching at the door; are signs that that your puppy needs to eliminate.
Most importantly, do not blame the puppy immediately when an accident happens. Keep in mind; it is your responsibility to keep a watchful eye on your puppy but when you can't do this, you need to put your puppy in his crate. Be sure that your puppy is not in the room before you begin cleaning up the mess. If you do, this may cause your puppy to see that you have cleaned up the mess and that there is no reason for him or her to stop the behavior.
Wiping up the evidence
Because a puppy has a strong sense of smell and will return to the spot where he eliminated, it is important to thoroughly clean up after an accident. Soap, water or chemical based products or detergents will not remove urine stains and odours. It is best to use a bio-enzymatic product that will completely eliminate the urine or faecal smells. Using a specific urine stain and odour remover such as urineFREE removes urine stains and odours permanently so that the puppy is not reminded of the former place of business.
To conclude, how to help prevent puppy 'accidents' is not difficult; however, it does require patience and a plan.