How to House Train Your Dog in One Month

Any dog that is over 3 or 4 months of age is able to learn to hold it for a few hours in order to relieve themselves outside the house. Some dogs need to be crate trained in order to achieve this, and others do well without a crate. Often, a dog crate can be used to keep a dog confined during the night to reinforce the idea of waiting to relive himself when he is taken outside.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Take your dog outside at key points in his day as well as at other times that you think he may need to relieve himself. The key times are generally as soon as he wakes up in the morning, after eating a meal, after waking up from a nap and just before bedtime. Take the dog out a few times in between these times just to see if he needs to go. Eventually, you may not have to take him out as frequently as he learns what times of the day he will be taken out.

2. Reward him each time he relieves himself outside. Bring a bag of treats with you each time you take him out and reward him right away. Don't wait until you get home or until you have crossed the street. Verbal praise and an immediate food reward gives him the positive reinforcement he needs to understand what he did that earned him the treat.

3. Avoid negative reinforcement at home. If he has accidents inside, clean the area thoroughly to remove the smell. A lingering smell of urine can cause him to see it as a marked area and to urinate on the same spot again. Avoid yelling at the dog, as he may not understand what he's done wrong.

4. Reduce the number of times you take him out over the course of the month. The first week, you may need to take him out 10 times per day or more to avoid accidents inside the house. Each week, reduce the number of times that you go out as he begins to understand that to get the treat, he must wait and relive himself once you've taken him outside. By the end of the month, you may only have to take him out about four times per day to keep him from having accidents indoors.

5. Confine your dog to a sleeping crate at night if night accidents are a problem. Many dogs, especially puppies, like the safety of a den and sleep comfortably in a dog crate that has a towel or cushion in it. It keeps the dog confined to one small space that he will sleep in. Dogs have an instinct to relive themselves far from their sleeping area, and this prevents him from relieving himself inside it. This can help him to learn to hold it over longer periods, especially as he learns that he will be taken outside as soon as morning breaks.