How to Potty Train Maltese Dogs

Maltese are intelligent and joyful dogs who are eager to please their owners. Potty training, or more accurately, housebreaking a Maltese takes commitment and time. Understanding that a Maltese's elimination habits are formed early in life, it is crucial to train your puppy the correct behavior from the moment you get it. With a training regimen, consistency and a little patience, you can housebreak your Maltese puppy in a few short weeks.

Things You'll Need

  • Dog crate
  • Crate padding
  • Newspapers
  • Treats
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Instructions

    • 1

      Purchase a crate. The Maltese is a small toy dog and will never require a large crate, but ensure that the puppy fits into the crate snugly. If needed, partition off the back end of the crate with a cardboard box to minimize roaming room. As a rule, dogs are clean and do not want to sit in the mess they have made; minimizing available room in the crate will keep this instinct intact. Just in case mistakes are made, line the crate with shredded newspaper to make clean-up easy.

    • 2

      Put the puppy into the crate whenever you will not be actively watching it or playing with the puppy. Everytime the puppy is out of the crate, your eyes should be on it. Most puppies will sniff around and look for the ideal spot to relieve themselves; it is crucial that you pick up the puppy and take it outside at that moment.

    • 3

      Place the Maltese puppy on the exact spot you want it to relieve itself, whether it is on grass or a dedicated area in your yard. Use a cue word such as "potty" and continue saying it until the puppy relieves itself. Praise profusely for a job well done, and immediately reward the puppy by holding him or giving him a treat, and bring the dog back inside.

    • 4

      Feed your dog on the same schedule to keep the elimination schedule consistent. Puppies are fed more often than adult dogs, and puppies eliminate more often than adult dogs. The general rule for a puppy is to take it outside to potty whenever it finishes eating, it wakes up from sleeping and after playing with you (and before you place it back in the crate).

    • 5

      Wake up a few times in the night on a consistent schedule to take the puppy outside to the designated area. Puppies cannot go potty-free over an eight-hour night; depending on the puppy, you will have to wake up two to three times per night to take out the puppy until it is older (approximately four months old) when it is better trained and physically able to refrain from soiling its crate.