Housebreaking Your Puppy And Dog

Prevention. This is the key to housebreaking your puppy or dog. Growing up, most of us watched mom or dad drag the family dog to the mess he made in the house, shove his nose in it, and yell "bad dog." Despite his punishment, the dog continued to seek out that same area and do his business. Why?

Dogs develop a preference for substances and locations. Whether concrete, grass, or carpet, once a dog chooses an area, he tends to stick with it. For example, if you train your puppy to eliminate on tiles in your yard similar to the tiles in your kitchen, the dog will most likely seek out those kitchen tiles when he feels the need. It is for this reason that paper-training your puppy is not a good idea because you are simply teaching your dog to eliminate in the house. Dogs are creatures of habit so it is your job to familiarize your puppy with a proper elimination area.

Meals and Water
An important thing to remember is input equals output. By controlling the times you feed your puppy, you are helping to control when he eliminates. A puppy's meals should be scheduled at the same time everyday and removed after 15-20 minutes. Puppies should eat two to three meals a day, depending on their age. During the day,water should be taken away about one hour before crating, and three hours before bedtime to prevent nighttime accidents. This also helps the puppy sleep longer.

Confinement and Control

Confinement is one of the most important ways you control your puppy's elimination habits. The following methods help alleviate some of the anxiety that comes from constantly worrying about your puppy. These methods benefit the puppy, the owner, and the new carpet. The puppy should always be on a leash or in a crate. Yes it's true! On a leash, in the house. Unless you can strictly watch everything your puppy does while off-leash, he must be on a leash at all times. This means while you walk around the house, do dishes, or watch TV in the family room.

Puppy Stations

You can ‘umbilical cord’ your puppy by keeping him on the leash as you move through the house, or use the ‘tie-down’ method where you station your puppy to a solid object, like a large piece of furniture, using a three to four foot leash. It should be a short leash so that your puppy is not free to roam, find a spot to go potty, and then nonchalantly return to his place next to you. With a little forethought, you can save yourself a lot of accidents. Set up ‘puppy stations’ around the house by attaching leashes to furniture in rooms where you tend to spend a lot of time.

Crate Training

When you cannot watch your puppy closely, you should crate him, or place him in a small, non-carpeted area, enclosed by a baby gate. No, this is not cruel and unusual punishment. Because dogs are den animals by nature, they are perfectly comfortable in a crate, as long as they are not ostracized. Crates should be placed in a high traffic area such as the kitchen or family room, and not placed behind a closed door where the dog cannot see you come and go. In the daytime, puppies should be crated for two to three hours at a time depending on their age. At night, the crate should be placed by your bed so that the dog feels comfortable and confident by his leader's side.

Potty on Command

Yes, it is possible. You can physically and mentally stimulate your dog to eliminate by creating a conditioned reflex. Dogs are creatures of habit, repetition is key. First,let the puppy know where you are taking him. Continually say "outside" as you escort him to the great outdoors. Always have the puppy on a leash, even in your back yard. If not, you may be the only one standing in the potty area! Take him to his designated potty area, an easy-to-reach spot you choose before you bring the puppy home, and wait until he begins to go potty before you say anything. This is crucial. If you tell the puppy to "go potty" before he has begun, he has no action to associate with your words. Once he begins to eliminate , begin the "potty chant." The entire time he eliminates, say the words,"potty, potty, good potty" over and over again.

What If He Has An Accident?

An accident is a big deal. It means that you are not properly
monitoring your puppy’s behavior. If you catch him in the act
of going in the house, do not say “NO” or “BAD DOG”. If you do, you are teaching the puppy that “going potty” is wrong,
not that it’s a location issue. In addition he may also come
to fear “going potty” in front of you. The correct thing to
say is “outside” while you hurry him to the appropriate
elimination area. Be instructional rather than punishing.

If at any other time you find an accident, do not reprimand
the dog. It is not his fault. There is No Punishment after
the fact. It is simply too late for your puppy to understand
that he has done anything wrong. Do not under any circumstances push his nose in it or hit him. This is dog
abuse. Let it go...and try to watch your dog more closely.
Finally, clean the spot with an odor neutralizer.

When Does a Puppy Need To Go?

A puppy needs to go after a nap, even a two-minute nap, after training, after playing, after chewing, after eating, after drinking, after waking, after any change of behavior. Knowing this, you can easily anticipate his potty times. Your puppy will need to go on average, every 10-20 minutes to every hour depending on your puppy's age, the time of day, and the amount of food and water he has ingested.

When Will He Tell Me .....?

Anytime the puppy makes any indication that he needs to potty such as heading for the door, sniffing, circling, getting antsy, or disinterested in play, use the magic word, "outside." By asking the puppy if he needs to go outside, and then taking him to the proper elimination area he will learn that these are ways to communicate with you. "Outside" becomes the cue. The next time you say it, his ears will perk, and he will have a look of longing on his face, letting you know, that "yes," he needs to potty.

Housebreaking is easy by using these simple
techniques.Prevention and teaching potty on command are the keys . If you should need further asistance, please call for
an appointment.