How to Make Housebreaking your Puppy Easy

Housebreaking your puppy isn’t as hard as you may think. Puppies have certain inbred behavioral traits that you can take advantage of to make housebreaking less stressful. The biggest asset when trying to potty train your puppy is consistency. Without it, you may achieve a little success, only to backslide to square one after two weeks without an “accident.” Until a puppy is twelve weeks old, he’s not physically or mentally mature enough to start housebreaking.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Cater to your puppy’s natural sense of smell. A dog uses its nose to define the world around it more than it uses its eyes or ears. Where your puppy smells the residue of dog urine or dog feces, it will think this place is the right place to “do its business.” Until your puppy learns not to eliminate on carpeting, keep it on a hard floor with a washable surface and use a dog cleaner with enzymes to remove all traces of an accident.

2. Move “accidents” to a place outdoors where you want your puppy to go potty and his sense of smell will do the rest. Choose an area in your yard where you don’t scoop the poop for a few weeks. Your puppy will instinctively know why it’s there.

3. Carry your puppy outdoors as soon as he wakes up or just after he eats. There are two times when puppies just can’t “hold it” any longer. Eating encourages the digestive system to get going, and your puppy may have to move his bowels. When he wakes, his bladder is usually full. Don’t wait for him to follow you outside, scoop him up and carry him to his potty spot.

4. Praise success and ignore accidents. Years ago, dog trainers taught pet owners to scold and chastise their dog for an accident but the only thing it did was make the dogs nervous and prolong the housebreaking period. Dog’s want attention so give it to them…but only when they go potty successfully in the right spot.

5. Place your puppy in a crate to sleep or when you don’t want him running around the house. At twelve months of age, your puppy may stay in his crate up to six hours if you take away his food two hours prior and you make sure he goes potty just before he goes into the crate. A dog naturally does not want to soil its bed so you can use his sense of tidiness as a housebreaking tool.

6. Lay a Piddle Pad on the floor of an enclosed area if you have to leave your puppy alone for more than an hour before he’s potty trained. These pheromone-treated pads provide the scent your dog will recognize as the place he’s supposed to go. Other brands are just as effective.

Tips & Warnings

• Use treats to reward your dog for going potty in the correct place.
• Don't smack your dog for having an accident. You won't teach him and he may resent it and resent you, as well.

Resources

• Learn more about housebreaking techniques.

[xivyisazombiex]

on 9/30/2009 I have been thinking about getting a puppie i will keep your tips in mind.

[sciencerocker]

on 8/28/2009 Thanks for the tip. 5* + recommend.