Things You'll Need:
- Time
- Patience
- Love
-
Step 1
The first thing you will need to do to make sure your new puppy is housebroken is to set aside time. It’s a lot of work for 2 days, but the reward is a puppy you can trust in the house.
Consistency is the name of the game, here. I’ve been told it’s much like child-raising.
Start first thing in the morning. If you have a small puppy, it’s easy, just pick him up and take him out to where you want him to perform his toilet. Set him down, and use the same command every time: “Go potty” or whatever word you want to use.
As soon as he goes, throw him a BIG party! Act happy, praise him, tell him good dog, good boy, good potty! Clap your hands, smile, give him lots of pets and hugs, perhaps once in a while, a treat (but please, not every time). -
Step 2
Now look at the clock. For the rest of the day, try to be as consistent as possible and take her out every hour. A few minutes early or late won’t make much difference, but the point here is to anticipate the need for her to go, so you can reward her and give her lots of wins. Setting a once an hour schedule will help YOU to remember to take her out.
Every hour, take Pup out and as before, tell her “Go potty”. If she accidentally manages to do it on command, throw her a BIG party. I guarantee you, they will start to try to squeeze out a few drops just to please you and get their party! -
Step 3
Even after you’ve just been outside and gotten a win, you still have to be actively watching the pup every minute. If he shows signs of looking for a place to go indoors, quickly but calmly pick him up and go outdoors, with the verbal command of your choice.
If an accident happens, don’t yell, don’t rub their nose in it, don’t even bother to get upset. A pup’s attention span is 5 seconds. After that, they have no clue why you are yelling, it’s just scary to them, and actually sets their training back. -
Step 4
In 20+ years of dog raising, I have found that crate training plus a dog door makes the life of a pet owner much easier, but housebreaking a puppy can be done without either.
As a personal preference, I believe crates are wonderful things for when you simply cannot be watching your puppy. Dogs are clean animals and really do not want to mess in their crate, so they will try to hold it, and will let you know if they need to go out. If you want to take a shower, or eat dinner, and have no pen or safe area with papers in which to keep your pet, put her in her crate.
Keeping them in their crate overnight is also the best defense against backsliding on their housebreaking during the night, as well as keeping the pup safe and affording you peace of mind while you sleep. You may have to get up in the middle of the night once in a while, but even small dogs usually learn to hold it through the night.
I promise you that, if you follow these simple steps and really invest your time and attention for 2 solid days, your pup will be housebroken by the end of the weekend.
Comments
iamaeagerbeaver said
on 11/12/2009 A nice article - I'll try to apply it to my family's pups.
iamaeagerbeaver said
on 11/12/2009 A nice article - I'll try to apply it to my family's pups.
puppepawzz said
on 6/10/2009 You made it so simple, evan a cave dog could do it!! No messy pee pee pads papers or gimmicks. I thank you and my puppy thanks you. Definitely 5 stars.
dskolberg said
on 6/10/2009 It's great to get an article from someone who knows how to train. Can't wait to read more from you. 5stars
UnStarvedArtist said
on 6/8/2009 This is useful information and very well written. I love that it can be done in such a short time span. I'm look forward to reading more of your articles in the future. 5* for sure.