How can i house train my 2-month-old puppy

I am not sure what training method I should use to house train my two-month-old puppy. I live in an apartment and it is a 60 meter walk to the road. I considered indoor litter box but I am afraid she will consume the litter crystals. Any solution to this problem will be helpful.

—Ted Lynch
Hi Ted,

You can choose to house train your dog in the manner that suits you the most. House training requires you to first decide which type of training you want - should the dog be trained to go outside, inside or both. Making this decision right at the start is key to an effective house training.  

If you have access to a garden or a yard, or a quiet road then it would be easy for you to train her to relieve herself outside. Once completely trained, you will have to plan for regular outings for her, be it sun or rain. If you choose an indoor training, then you will need to identify a space for her to be able to use as toilet. Typically, working people who may not be available all the time prefer this option and use one of their bathrooms or balcony for this. 

You can also choose to train the dog to use both indoors and outdoors. However, please bear in mind that if she has the flexibility of using this indoor toilet whenever she wants, she may not always relieve herself outside when you take her. You have to accept this. 

Coming to the potty training itself, as your pup is two-months-old, she may want to relieve herself more often and it is not possible for you to house train her by taking her out every time.  Also, training indoors gives the pup consistent access to the toileting area and will be house trained much easily.  

You will have to start inside and then slowly move outside for the sake of training. Stick to the usual newspaper/cloth mat method where in you first train her to toilet on paper or mat or training pads in a specific area. Once this is mastered, and when she matures, move these outside and make frequent visits to this location to keep the momentum on. As she grows older, she would have a better bladder control and the frequency of visits will also reduce.

During training, don’t fret over accidents. Stay calm, assertive and consistent.
 
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