Dimples has been a part of our family for almost a year now, and what a year it has been! If you have ever been through the puppy stage, you know that it is no joke! I have learned a lot about owning a puppy this year, and had no idea the amount of time and effort a puppy would require. The largest adjustment for us has been learning how to protect our home from puppy mistakes! 

It took our family a while to house train Dimples. With both my husband and I working full time, and attempting to potty train my son at the same time, it was a huge learning process for us! We had to quickly find ways to protect our beautiful home against puppy mistakes. Think plastic coverings on all furniture, puppy pads on the carpet, and dog diapers! It was an interesting few weeks! Whether you are a first time puppy-owner or you recently added a puppy to your family, I’m here to share our experience with Dimples and some of our best tips for the puppy stage. Keep reading for how we protected our home from puppy mistakes!

HARTZ MALE WRAPS

We have used Hartz® Dog Diapers and Male Wraps during every puppy stage, from house training to healing after Dimples surgery to be fixed, and even now to help with unintentional urination when he is overly excited. Hartz products are highly absorbent and created with FlashDry® Gel technology, that turns dog urine into gel for leak-proof protection, up to 6 hours! This was also great to have on hand during the puppy stage when we were house training and leaving our puppy at home for the first time.

Although Dimples is now fully house trained, he still will urinate unintentionally during play or when we come home and he's overly excited. Hartz® Male Wraps are such a  great solution when Dimples urinates from excitement! We love that they offer leak-proof protection while having a secure fit, and even have a Comfort Hold Strip that keeps the wrap secure without velcro sticking to his fur. They have two stylish and fun prints!

STAY CONSISTENT

Staying consistent is the most important part of protecting your home from puppy mistakes! We always do our best to make sure that our puppy feels secure in our home by keeping consistent with our actions on how we are house training when it comes to time spent at home, outdoor breaks, and play time! This allows our puppy to trust us and have a quicker learning time when it comes to protecting against puppy mistakes.

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

Don’t forget the treats! Positive reinforcement is an important factor when it comes to protecting against puppy mistakes. We always make sure to reward good behavior with lots of cuddles and treats, so Dimples knows that indicating when he needs to go out will be rewarded. We taught Dimples how to scratch at the door when he needs to urinate, and we make it a priority to take him out right away to protect from a mistake. Especially during the puppy days, this is very important!

I’m so glad that we have learned how to protect against puppy mistakes, so our family could better bond with Dimples! He has become such a huge part of our family and although it has been an adjustment having a puppy, I wouldn’t have it any other way! What are your tips for conquering the puppy stage? Share them in the comments below!