How to House Train a Puppy When You Work All Day

House training a puppy is difficult even for a person home all day to watch the dog's behavior. But for those who work all day, it can take longer to reinforce the idea of where and when the puppy should eliminate. Up until a puppy is 3-months-old, he will not be able to hold it for any length of time. But after the puppy reaches about 12 weeks, there are a number of techniques that reinforce the idea of puppy training, even when the owner isn't home.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Baby gates
• Puppy training pads

1. Confine the puppy to one specific area. Crate training is confining the puppy to a small crate to keep the puppy from reliving himself in the same area where he sleeps. This can be effective for training a puppy when you will be away for a few hours, but crate training during the day will not be effective if you will be away for more than 8 hours. For those away from home all day, the puppy will have to eliminate while you are gone. Keep it simple when the puppy is alone by using baby gates to keep him in one area of a room or by closing the door and confining him to one room.

2. Set up a doggy door if you have a door to the outside. This can be a door to a balcony if that's all you have available. There are doggy doors that can be outfitted with sliding glass doors if that's the only door you have. If you live in an apartment or you don't want to create a doggy door, you will have to supply a way for the puppy to relieve herself indoors.

3. Supply puppy training pads to get even a very young puppy to urinate in one specific spot. These pads come with a synthetic fragrance that mimics the smell of other dogs having marked the spot. You can reinforce this by cleaning up any accidents with the training pad. This mixes the smell of the puppy's urine with the synthetic smell and creates an intriguing place for the puppy to urinate. This can very quickly teach puppies where it's appropriate to relieve themselves. To get him to defecate on the pads, pick up his feces and place it on the pad. Praise him for defecating there and give him a small doggy treat each time.

4. Take the puppy outside for a walk before leaving in the morning and as soon as you get home from work. Be ready with treats every time the puppy relieves herself outdoors.