Housebreaking Your Dog or Puppy
Housetraining your dog may sound difficult but honestly, it isn’t that hard to do. The only time it becomes disastrous is if you are inconsistent. You need to treat your new dog as you would a child, with patience and compassion. Stay calm! It is essential that you remember to reward your dog for going to the bathroom outside as well as for completing any other tasks you are training him to do.
Schedules Are Important
It’s important that you create a schedule for bringing your dog outside. The schedule should work and be convenient for the both of you. If you wake up for work at 6AM, bring your dog outside at that time. After he has relieved himself, bring him back into the house. When you return from work, the dog should go outdoors immediately. Think about it! You probably use the restroom during the day but the dog can’t. This is a good time to play with him too. Remember, he’ll need to go out right before you go to sleep. This will help to prevent the dog from waking you up to go to the bathroom during the night. Your dog should get used to this schedule rather quickly as long as you are consistent.
Pay Attention to Signals
You need to learn to recognize what your dog does to signal that he needs to go to the bathroom. Most dogs will circle, sniff or squat. If you see your dog doing these things while he’s in the house, you need to rush to put him outside. Some dogs will be able to run outside in time or at least, they’ll realize that they will need to do this when they need to go out. You should have a command such as “Go Make” or “Potty” when you bring the dog out to do his business. This will help him to learn where his bathroom is quickly.
Accidents Do Happen
If you catch your dog going to the bathroom in the house, simply tell him, “No” and bring him outside. It is not only wrong but detrimental to the dog’s stability to not punish him in any violent way. Pushing the dog’s nose into his mess, slapping him, yelling loudly at him, or hitting him will not teach him anything but violence. It will not benefit the dog’s training in any way. A dog generally won’t understand why you are upset with him. Remember that you make mistakes too; you weren’t born potty-trained!
Consistency Counts
Rewards are important training tools. When he goes to the bathroom outside, you should give him a delectable treat. If he has an accident indoors, show him where he should have gone instead. After the first few weeks, once your dog is used to going outside to relieve himself, reward him with praise and lavish him with petting. Tell him that he’s a good dog for going outside. Your dog thrives on your praise and wants to please you. More often than not, dogs have accidents because their owners fail to get them outside in time. You need to recognize when you are wrong and make changes to ensure that your new dog gets outdoors on schedule.
Crate-training
Your dog’s crate should be a safe haven for him. Most dogs consider that space as their personal bedroom. You should never use a kennel or crate as punishment for your dog. For the most part, dogs actually like their crates. They provide a feeling of being in a den, comfy and cozy. Dogs don’t like to go to the bathroom where they sleep, so this is an effective way of training your dog to go to the bathroom outside. When you put your dog in his kennel before bed, give him a little treat and a soft toy for company. Don’t forget to let him out in the morning to go to the bathroom. You shouldn’t keep your canine companion in the crate for long periods of time. Exercise and socialization are just as important as housebreaking. With patience, love, consistency and understanding, your dog will be housetrained in no time!