Housebreaking

HOUSEBREAKING:

A CONSISTENT SCHEDULE IS THE KEY

The minute you arrive home with your puppy take him outside to a spot so he can eliminate (use the same spot each time). Do this before bringing him in the house.

Literally keep on eye on your puppy at all times indoors and outdoors when you first bring him home. You may have to do this for a couple of weeks or months until he is housebroken.

When you are not able to watch him, confine him to a crate.

Until your puppy is housebroken, confine him to a crate at night. Do not give in to crying and whining! He will soon learn to accept being crated. At night, take him out one last time as late as you can and wake up as early as possible to let him out in the morning. Until he is housebroken, be sure his crate is not too big or he may be tempted to eliminate in a corner of the crate. Don’t provide water after 6 pm.

Take a 2 or 3 month old puppy outside to eliminate every 3 or 4 hours. The more consistently you follow a schedule the better.

Key times to take him out are first thing in the morning, after waking up from a nap, 15 to 20 minutes after eating and after playtime. Do not play with your puppy before he has eliminated.

Watch for your puppy’s signals that he needs to eliminate; the most common are sniffing, circling or going to the door. Take him out the same door each time and to the same elimination space outdoors.

Allow plenty of time for elimination. Use a key phrase to signal elimination such as “Do your business!” Some puppies need 20 minutes or more. Walking your puppy on a lead can help stimulate a bowel movement.

When your puppy eliminates reward him immediately with a treat, affection or playtime.

Maintain a regular feeding schedule and do not leave food down for more than 20 minutes.

Only reprimand your puppy if you catch him in the act of soiling in the house. Thoroughly clean and disinfect the soiled area to remove any odor.

HOUSEBREAKING: WHEN OWNERS WORK

Eight to 12 week old puppies do not have the colon and bladder control to go more than 3 or 4 hours without eliminating.

Following are suggestions for working owners:

Install a doggy door which goes out to a secure fenced area or arrange for someone to let your puppy out every 4 hours.

If the above arrangement is not possible, set up an elimination area in a confined area or room in your home. Thick pads of newspaper may be used for this purpose.

At the age of 8 or 9 months a puppy has more bladder and bowel control and at this time the indoor elimination area can be progressively made smaller until it is eliminated altogether.

When you are using the inside elimination area as part of training, remove this area when you are at home and can supervise the puppy. Everything must be done to encourage elimination outside.

As your puppy progresses, teach him to eliminate while on a leash and on different types of surfaces. This will help avoid problems if you and your dog are in unfamiliar surroundings or another house.