Strategies for Housebreaking Your Puppy

Housebreaking your puppy can make or break the relationship you have with your dog. I have known many people who just never get past the housebreaking training. They get so frustrated after a few months of cleaning up dog poop, or steam cleaning their carpeting after accidents that they look for a new home for their puppy.

Take a look at Craig's List or the classified ads in the newspaper and you will see so many dogs from 6 months to 1 ½ years old that are being given away. The dog owners are fed up with the aggravation of a dog that cannot be housebroken. The fact is that all puppies can be housebroken if given the time and the patience.

There are many different housebreaking methods; most of them will do the trick. Go to the library, browsing the pet section. You will find a wide variety of dog training books which contain chapters on housebreaking your puppy.

The keys to housebreaking are to be consistent, and patient. You can't expect a puppy to be housebroken in a week. You have to consistently apply the training method you have chosen. Don't try to switch methods every few days, figuring another training method be more effective. This will only confuse your puppy while he is only trying to please you.

Physically, a puppy cannot be completely free of accidents in the house. His brain is not fully developed enough to control his bodily functions. This does not mean that the puppy is not learning, just that he cannot help himself at the moment. If you are persistent with the puppy's training, and follow through with your training method, your puppy will be completely trained between the ages of 3 to 5 months.

Female dogs are usually easier to train than males because they will urinate or defecate only once when brought outside. Male dogs, on the other hand, will urinate and defecate several times, marking their territory as a sign of dominance. A neutered male dog will also be easier to train because the urge to dominate is diminished. Keep this in mind when housebreaking your puppy.

Here are a few tips and strategies to housebreaking your puppy:

• Decide the housebreaking method that you feel will work out for your situation.
• Make a schedule to follow during the first few weeks of training: feeding, watering, and walking your puppy.
• Control the amount of food and treats you give your puppy. Irregular feeding can make housebreaking much harder.
• Make sure your pet has all the water he needs during the day, but limit water intake at night to avoid accidents. This is only temporary, until your puppy gets a little older, and can control himself. If your puppy appears thirst, certainly give him more water, but a limited amount during the night should be okay.
• Don't let your puppy wander around the house while being housebroken. Dogs don't like to mess in their sleeping area, so limiting your puppy's space will make housebreaking easier.
• If you see your puppy sniffing the floor, it probably means he has to go out. Distract him immediately and bring him outside.
• Take your puppy to the same spot every day to relieve himself. The scent of previous visits will urge him to go quickly.
• In the beginning, your puppy will need many trips outside. Gradually spread out the times that you bring him outside, making a regular schedule that fits your lifestyle.
• Catching the puppy in the act is one of the quickest ways for him to realize he is doing something wrong. Be firm with him, keep him with you while you are cleaning up the accident, and let him know you are displeased. The puppy will feel completely guilty, associating your displeasure with his actions.

These are methods I have used through the years to train my puppies. They are traditional ways to housebreak a puppy. Depending upon your circumstances, whether you are in the city, working all day, at home, or in the country will determine the housebreaking method that is best for you and your pup. Do your research and begin the training. Good luck with your new puppy!

If anyone has any housebreaking ideas or methods that have worked, please leave a comment to help others housebreak their puppies.

How to Housebreak Your Puppy in 15 Minutes Using the 5 Minute Rule

I brought my puppy to the vet the other day and saw this in the office. It's another method for housebreaking your puppy. It's similar to the one I wrote last month, but has a few different tips on keeping to a housebreaking schedule:

1. Take your puppy outside first thing in the morning for 5 minutes. (Be consistent, try to do this at the same time everyday.)

2. Bring the puppy back inside and feed him/her whatever he can eat in 5 minutes.

3. Take the food away and bring the puppy back outside for another 5 minutes.

4. Reward and praise your puppy for urinating or defecating outside.

5. Repeat this again in the afternoon and evening.

This method is a proven and recommended way to housetrain your pet. If you catch your puppy in the act of urinating in the house, you should immediately say NO in a loud voice, make a loud noise, or give the pet a quick squirt from a water bottle and take the dog outside immediately.

Your puppy will associate the negative reinforcement with urinating or defecating in the house. Any negative reaction after the accident has occurred will do no good to prevent future accidents. You have to catch your pet in the act of having an accident.

Rubbing your dog's nose in his/her accident or hitting the puppy is strongly discouraged. It may cause your pet to fear you. Stay positive and your pet will be housetrained in no time.

Puppy Training Begins before You Bring Your Pup Home

I've met a lot of pet owners through the years, and many of them feel that any type of training will break the spirit of their dog. Usually, these dogs have the run of the house and the owners under their control. They have no boundaries, sleep on furniture, eat from the table, intimidate guests, and basically, take over the household.

If you have a small dog, this may be seen as cute, but if your dog is medium sized or large, this type of situation can be a struggle. The lack of training and discipline leads to unhappy animals, and unhappy owners. Oftentimes, the dog has to be given to a shelter or rescue organization if the owner cannot regain control of the pet. No one wins in this situation.

Many times, a lot of the problems can be prevented before they even begin. Choosing the right puppy is the first step when thinking about training. This may seem strange, but not all dog types are suited for certain people. For instance, if you are a shy, quiet person, it is unlikely that an aggressive dog would be the right choice for you. On the other hand, if you are an active, outgoing person, you wouldn't want a small, nervous dog. So, it all begins with choosing the right match of puppy to human.

Do your research and keep training in mind. Compare all the different breeds and their qualities, to determine the best pup for you. If you are going to a shelter to find a puppy, take the time to become familiar with the personality of the dogs. Don't judge a book by its cover, look beyond the cuteness of the puppy. For instance, if you want a dog that will fetch (particularly hunting dogs), throw a ball and see if the dog will go after it automatically. My beagle will not chase a ball or a stick, no matter what I do, yet my collie will play fetch all day long. So be sure to look for the qualities you want in a dog right from the start. Also, try to determine if a dog is too aggressive by playing a little rough with him. It's okay if the puppy growls and tugs, but he should stop when you tell him "no" in a firm tone. If the pup won't stop, but gets progressively more excited, then he might be too aggressive to handle as he gets older.

These are just a few ideas to keep in mind when choosing a puppy. Training is very important. Keep it in mind even when choosing your puppy and you will both get off to a positive start. Remember, you will have your dog for years to come, and you want him to be your best friend.

Once you have brought your puppy home, the next step of training is housebreaking. I'll give some ideas that worked when I was housebreaking my dogs in my next blog.

What Your Puppy Should Know During the First Year

You've just brought your new puppy home, holding him in your arms as he licks your face with puppy kisses. The last thing on your mind at that moment is training. That's okay but as soon as your first greeting together is over, the training starts.

Does this seem too soon?

No way. You should start on the basics of positive-reinforcement training right away, if your want to give your pup a safe, positive, loving home. Always have dog treats on hand for rewarding good behavior. 

Here's a little chart outlining what your puppy should learn during his first year. This is not written in stone. Remember that all dogs learn at their own pace, so use this as just a guideline.

The golden rule of training your puppy is that patience is the key. If you get frustrated at any time, stop the training session. It's better to end on a happy note, so your puppy looks forward to his next lesson.

What Your Puppy Should Learn during the First Year

These guidelines are broken down by the age of your puppy. Don't get stressed if your puppy's training milestones are different from this outline. He'll progress in his own time because all he want to do is please you.

Two to Four Months Old

This is a time for introductions and behavior in your home. These are the social graces that your puppy needs to learn. If he master these basics, you'll have a relaxed and happy puppy wherever you go.

• Meet and greet people without jumping
• Introduce your puppy to the veterinarian and groomer
• Begin socializing him with other dogs
• Positive crate training
• Answer to his name
• Housebreaking
• Learn to walk without tugging. A harness or head halter helps a lot with tugging issues.

Five to Seven Months Old

This is the time to get into basic obedience training. Clicker training can help a lot with positive training and marking your puppy's success.

If you put if off training for too long, your puppy will develop bad habits that are hard to break. Your puppy is never too young to learn.

• Come when called from 10 to 15 feet away.
• Sit

• 

  Four months old learning 'sit'

  Zen – this is learning not to grab food out of anyone's hand or not taking it until you say it's okay. It's basically learning self-control, which continues as your puppy grows.
• Stay (working up from a few seconds to a few minutes)
• Down
• Continue with loose-leash walking

Eight to 11 months

Now that your puppy knows the basic commands, just continue reinforcing them. You can add extra distance and time to what he already knows.

• Come – gradually work up to a distance of 40 feet for the recall
• Sit, Down and Stay – combine all of these commands, adding extra time for all of them. You can tell your puppy to sit and stay, or down and stay. Walk a short distance away to start, then come right back. Work on this daily until your puppy will stay until you tell him to get up.
• Zen – continue working on your pup's self-control. You'll be glad you did as he gets older.

  

  Eight months practicing 'down and stay

Twelve Months Old and Beyond

If you've been consistent with your puppy's training, he should get a gold star at this point. He should know all the basic commands down pat.

You can also teach your puppy some tricks along the way. Many tricks are based on obedience commands. Take a look at YouTube for some trick ideas. It's full of well-renowned trainers that can help you teach your puppy some tricks.

Training is a lifetime commitment, but it's worth the effort. You and your puppy will have fun, frustration, triumphs and form a loving bond that never ends. Just when you think your dog knows everything you've worked on, he might regress. Just remember, your puppy isn't perfect and just like you, he can have a bad day. Use baby steps when training your puppy and enjoy those moments of success when they happen. Just make sure your puppy training is positive and fun.