How to Housetrain a Dog From Start to Finish

I've had clients say to me: "My dog is almost housetrained." Almost housetrained means that the dog is still making mistakes in the house. I don't consider a dog housetrained until no more accidents happen. In this article I will discuss housetraining from start to finish.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Crate
• Baby gates
• Leash
• Collar

1. In order for your housetraining to be successful you need to make sure that everyone in the house is consistent. Most housetraining fails because the dog has an accident and it slows down the whole process. The secret to successful housetraining is never letting your dog have an accident.

2. Never giving your dog the opportunity to have an accident will require the help of a crate. Most dogs will not have an accident in the crate. The crate provides you with a place to put your dog when you cannot watch her.

3. Once you let your dog out of the crate, immediately bring your dog outside. Once outside you can stay with your dog to reward him when he has finished. This is important; you don't want to leave your dog out there by himself. You need to communicate to him that he went in the right place.

4. Pay attention to what you feed your dog. Some dogs are sensitive to certain foods and preservatives. This can make it difficult to impossible for your dog to learn the proper place to go.

5. When your dog is out of the crate it's important to keep a close eye on your dog. You have to catch your dog in the act if she goes. Catching your dog just a few minutes after she has gone is not good enough. The delay in time can confuse your dog.

6. Pay close attention to when your dog starts giving you signals to go outside, for example, some dogs pace, others will look at the door. You have to be observant enough to pick up on these signals and let your dog out. If you miss the signal your dog may get confused, which can delay the housetraining process.

7. Once your dog is giving you signals and has not made any mistakes in 20 to 30 days, you can consider your dog housetrained.

Tips & Warnings

• Be consistent.
• Work on your timing.
• Spend more time rewarding than punishing.
• Never punish when you are angry.
• Never train when you are stressed or tired.

Resources

• FREE Report: 7 Big Housetraining Mistakes And How To Avoid Them

[thedogshrink]

on 12/14/2008 Good points! You're the first one I've seen, besides me, to point out that the goal of house training is zero accidents. I've been telling my clients for years the first two rules of house training are first, the dog shouldn't have any accidents, and second, if the dog does have an accident, it's the owner's fault. One thing I'm wondering about: you didn't mention punishment in your article, but in the tips -- when would you EVER use punishment in house training?

[ArtZoneStudios]

on 12/14/2008 Good advice, and concise. Nicely written, too. The number one reason dogs are turned in to the pound is house training mistakes, yet it is not the dog's fault. My motto is,"...it's not the dog, it's the owner."

When we can get this message to everybody, the world will be a better place for us and for our dogs.

Thank you!

[shirleybill]

on 12/14/2008 Good advice