Author: Jim Banks
Housebreaking a puppy should be based on prevention rather than
punishment. A key to housebreaking a puppy or dog for that
matter is close supervision. In just a matter of seconds your
puppy can have an accident, so to help prevent that from
occurring you should watch for signs that your puppy needs to
potty. If your puppy starts to run in circles, sniffing at the
door or suddenly runs out of site, that he/she is trying to let
you know it's potty time.
Another way that helps in housebreaking a puppy is keeping his
diet consistent. High quality premium brand dry puppy food is a
better choice that canned food or table scrapes. If you need to
change his food for any reason try and do it gradually over a
period of 5-8 days, gradually increasing the amount of new food
each day. Remember, the more changes you make the more difficult
housebreaking your puppy will be.
During the day when your puppy can not be supervise I highly
recommend your puppy or young dog be kept in a crate or a small
confined area. If done properly crate training is a safe and
very effective way of housebreaking a puppy. In order for the
crate to be used in housebreaking a puppy it should not be used
for long periods of time or for punishment.
This my sound like common sense but puppies need to urinate
soon after they eat, drink water or sleep, those having
troubles housebreaking a puppy tend not to think about that.
Another thing that is over looked is the fact that most puppies
over 13 weeks of age will need to go 8 or 10 times a day.
So, keep a record of your puppies potty times for a few days.
The secret to housebreaking a puppy is figuring out the amount
of time between potty times and subtracting about 15 - 20
minutes. For housebreaking a puppy we call the "Safety Zone".
By doing this we can figure out how long our little puppy can
be trusted to hold out after his last potty break.
Another trick to housebreaking a puppy is not setting him up to
fail, what I mean by this not allowing him access to areas
carpeting, rugs, ect. Puppies like certain areas to do their
business, when you find one (or he does), make a note of it and
try and keep him away from it.
When your little angel does have an accident despite his best
intentions use a neutralizer with an enzyme based deodorizer to
clean the area.there are a number of pet safe products available
and should be added to your housebreaking kit.
One area that is overlooked is submissive peeing, it is
completely involuntary and scolding your puppy for it will do
more harm than good and should be avoided at all cost.
The last thing you need to do when housebreaking a puppy is to
use lots of praise. Find a trigger word both you and your puppy
can live with and use that in combination with praise and
rewards as soon as your puppy potties ( I use "go potty"). This
positive reinforcement lets your puppy know that you're pleased
with him and he'll try even harder to please you.
Those are just a few of the tips for housebreaking a puppy. I
hope this helps both you and your puppy.
About The Author: Jim is an avid pet owner, he and his wife
Jolie have rescued and worked many dogs over the years. Jim has
started a website site for dog owners called ThePoochPlace.com.
One of his favorite books on dog training can be found at:
http://www.jbvh.com/SitStayFetch.html
