Housetraining

There are no shortcuts or quick fixes to housetraining your puppy.  The most effective way to housetrain your pup is to prevent accidents from occurring.  Start by taking your puppy outside every hour.  This takes more effort in the beginning, but is the fastest way to succeed.  Repetition of behavior becomes habit.

Most housetraining accidents occur because the owner simply isn't paying attention to the puppy.  Would you leave a 6 month old child to wander around your house unsupervised?  You puppy should be treated with the same care.  Make sure that your pup is supervised at all times when he's not in a confined area, such as a crate.

Crate training helps to teach your dog how to control its bladder.  Instinctively, dogs will not soil their den (which is their crate).  Keeping them on a regular schedule in the crate helps them improve their bladder control.  Young puppies should not be kept in the crate for very long before being taken out to the right place to eliminate.  Once bladder control is stronger, more freedom in the home can be allowed.

Learn to watch your pup's body language and signals he sends out.  Puppies often sniff around before they "take care of business".  They are searching for the olfactory neon sign that says "Go Here!".  All dogs instinctively eliminate where others have gone.  Think of this as when you look for the toilet in a foreign country.  If you don't speak the language, you look for a "toilet" sign.  Puppies use their noses because they can't ask us where it's appropriate to go.

When you notice your puppy sniffing around, quickly put the pup on a leash and lead him outside to the appropriate area.  You may wait around for 10-20 minutes before he goes.  Be patient!  Remember, you want your puppy to have every opportunity to learn and succeed.  If he still hasn't gone after 20 minutes, lead him back inside to his crate.  Confine him in the crate for five minutes.  Take him out again and wait for up to 10 minutes.  Repeat this process until he eliminates.  After he's successfully eliminated, give calm praise, treats, and reward with play time and some free time inside.

If you've discovered that your dog or puppy has had an accident, do not punish him!  Punishment is counterproductive, and he will learn to wait to eliminate until you are not around.  Use a good neutralizing product, like Natures Miracle to clean the area.  Take care to clean the accident when your pup can't see you; this helps prevent drawing attention to the spot.  Think about what was happening right before your puppy had an accident.  Were you watching him?

Try to keep your daily schedule as regular as possible.  Your puppy should follow a regular schedule, and taken out to the same area after each of the following activities:

• Getting up from resting
• Waking up
• Playing
• Taking a drink of water
• Eating
• Training
• Active sniffing around

If your dog or puppy has had consistent problems with accidents in the home for over a week, be sure to take your dog to a vet to rule out any medical problems.