Vizsla is not a common breed but is becoming popular with time. They are medium to large-sized, extremely active, and affectionate. Potty training a vizsla puppy is straightforward as they are not very hard to potty train. However, they will potty train themselves. The owner needs to know what he is doing and follow a simple strategy to achieve success.
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Here is how to potty train a vizsla puppy step by step.
1- put your vizsla on a schedule:
First of all, put your vizsla on a schedule. Having a strict routine of everything like eating, drinking, sleeping, waking up, and playing is so important.
By having a schedule, you will be able to notice your puppy’s habits and routine. You will notice that after how much time eating or drinking, he needs a toilet break.
By knowing about your puppy’s habits and routine, you will be able to take him to the potty spot in time. This is the key to successful potty training. Every successful trip to the potty spot is one step forward, and every accident in the wrong place is one step back in your training.
you can create a schedule for your puppy like this:
2- Confine the vizsla with a playpen or baby gates:
You must confine your vizsla using a playpen, baby gates, or other things. Confine the puppy in an area where the floor is easy to clean.
Confinement is important. Let your puppy inside the house when he knows how to behave. Especially, vizslas are so energetic so you have to limit the access to the house.
Moreover, if your puppy goes inside before he is potty trained, he might pee on the things that are not easy to clean, like carpet or couch. The leftover urine smell will invite your puppy to pee there repeatedly.
Read more: What will attract a puppy to pee?
3- Fix a potty spot, command, and get the supplies ready:
You should fix one potty place. If your vizsla is going outside, there should be one spot where he should go every time. By setting one area and one potty command, your puppy will understand the process quickly.
Fix a potty spot outside (in the yard). Vizslas are highly active, and they don’t make good apartment dogs. So, you don’t need to get puppy pads for them.
Multiple potty spots and multiple potty commands will confuse the puppy, and he may take more time to be trained.
Fix and write the potty command. Get your supplies ready.
4- Notice and write down your vizsla’s habits and schedule:
Use a notebook or a planner to write down your puppy’s schedule.
5- Take your vizsla puppy to the potty spot on a leash:
Take your vizsla to the potty spot by yourself. This is the actual training. Be with him for the next many weeks until he learns to go by himself.
Vizslas are very active dogs. They will start running when they get a chance. Therefore, leash training is super important. Make sure your vizsla’s puppy is always on a leash when he is out for potty.
Take your vizsla puppy to the potty spot at these times:
- 5-30 minutes after eating or drinking (you must have noticed your puppy’s habits and written them on the schedule)
- Right after the play session or training session
- Whenever he shows the cues
- Right after he wakes up
- Right before bed
- When you think that he won’t be able to hold his bladder any longer.
6- Give treats for doing it right:
When your puppy does the deed in the right spot, make sure to reward him with treats and praises. Get a variety of training treats to keep your puppy motivated.
Puppies and dogs respond very well to positive reinforcement.
7- Avoid the potty accidents:
Avoiding potty accidents is the key to success. You must keep a hawk-eye on your puppy and as soon as it’s time, take him to the potty spot. Let him finish and appreciate the excellent work.
But if your puppy had an accident in the wrong place, take your potty accident tracker and write down the time and place of the accident, what he was doing before peeing or pooping, and was time for him to go and you were lazy?
8- Clean up with an enzyme cleaner:
Clean up the dog mess with an enzyme cleaner, breaking it down completely. A regular household cleaner will not clear the urine smell, which is terrible for potty training. The puppy may go there again and again.
You can use a UV flashlight to figure out if the urine stain is completely gone or not.
9- Track the progress:
Potty training a puppy is not a linear process. Some days your canine will perform excellently, and some days will go wrong. You can say it’s like a 3 step forward, one step back, four-step ahead, and then one step back.
The overall learning curve will go up.
Are vizslas easy to potty train?
Vizslas are typically easy to potty train because of their excellent intelligence and affection. Their robust body also contributes to their outstanding performance.
However, vizslas need a lot of exercise. If they are not given enough activity, they may not perform well in their training. The owner must know the essential traits of this dog breed to successfully potty train them.
High energy levels may cause their potty training to be difficult if not handled properly.
When to start potty training a vizsla puppy?
You can start potty training a vizsla puppy at around 12 weeks old. Older vizslas can also be potty trained using the same process. However, you should not begin training him very early and expect him to do the deed properly within a few weeks.
You can learn more about when to start potty training a puppy here.
How long does it take to potty train a vizsla?
You can expect your vizsla to be potty trained within 1-3 months only if you used the right strategy to train your puppy. Say, if you started potty training your vizsla when he was three months old, you could expect him to be fully potty trained by the time he is 6-7 months old.
Improper potty training will only increase this time.
Essential potty training supplies:
Here are a few things you must keep ready before starting to potty train your vizsla.
- A playpen and a crate to confine him and crate train him.
- A leash to keep him in a place.
- Enzyme cleaners and paper towel
- Training treats
- Pooper scooper and poop bags
- UV flashlight
Conclusion:
Vizslas are usually easy to potty train. First, you must put him on a schedule and track his routine. Then take him to a fixed potty spot and say the fixed potty command like “go potty.” Then treat him for doing the deed in the right place. Track accidents and do a better job next time.
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