Housebreaking a puppy or dog of any age requires nearly the same process. Here are a few “Do’s and Dont’s” we talk about in class to help you at home.
DO: Put your dog in the crate if you are mentally or physically absent.
- If you are not watching the puppy, you take your eyes off the puppy (even if for minute) the pup must be in the crate. Make sure you have a crate that is the proper size for your dog.
- This rule greatly aids in housebreaking, but it can also deter other bad habits that might occur when you’re not looking
DO: Take the puppy outside frequently
- As a rule of thumb, puppies can usually hold their bladder 1 hour more than the number of months old. They usually need to go number 2 2 to 4 times a day – try to sync this up with your meal schedule.
- Take the pup out as much as possible for the first week so they really start getting the idea. Going out every hour is a good idea during this period.
- If you have to leave the puppy alone during the day either come home mid-day or ask someone to go over and take him out.
- Take the puppy out first thing in the morning and last thing at night. And give him a chance to walk around and do #1 and #2. Don’t be too rushed.
DO: Monitor water consumption
- Remove water 2-3 hours before bedtime.
- Give him a measured amount of water if you will be away for most of the day. When you get back allow him to have as much as he wants up until 2-3 hours before bedtime.
- Take the puppy out 2 times after his breakfast (15-30 minutes apart) to make sure he is empty before putting him in the crate.
DO: Look for signs from pup that he has to go out
- Sniffing the floor or restless pacing
- Freezing or circling
- Very subtle looks at the door as he walks by it. These might be VERY SUBTLE like an ear flick or a nod.
DO: Use the same verbal cue each time “Go Pee” or “Hurry Up” & Reward
- Once your dog associates the cue with eliminating, you can cue, “hurry up” and he will eliminate when and where you tell him.
- Make a big fuss and reward with a game or treat after he goes.
DON’T: Play or stand around forever waiting for him to go.
- Go out with one mission in mind – to pee or poo. If your dog doesn’t go after 5 minutes, come back in, keep a close eye on the pup and try again later (could be as little as 5 minutes). You can play and have fun, but wait until after he goes potty.
DON’T: Shower, get dressed, or eat breakfast before tending to to the puppy
- Throw on your robe and slippers and get the puppy out to pee. The puppy comes first.
DON’T : Scold the puppy for mistakes that are too late to fix.
- If you see the puppy in the process of eliminating, you can interrupt and take him outside to finish.
- If you didn’t see it until he finished, you can scold yourself for not watching the puppy:).
DON’T: Assume he ‘s trained because he hasn’t had an accident recently.
Not having an accident for a day, a week, or a month doesn’t necessarily mean your dog is housebroken – it could just be a lucky streak or you have been doing a really good job so far. Young dogs can have immature impulse controls so it’s possible they will have an accident even if they know they’re supposed to go outside. It can take up to a year to really have a bombproof dog provided you follow the right housebreaking steps. In fact, some people never truly housebreak their dog and always have to deal with little messes. It’s better to do the hard work up front and practice these do’s and dont’s for twice the amount of time you may think you need.
Good Luck,
Debi