Housebreaking a Puppy

How to Housebreak a Puppy

Housebreaking a puppy is one of the most common concerns of dog owners. Targeted dog training is necessary at a young age in order to prevent dogs and puppies from eliminating in undesirable areas. Although being a dog owner does not make you a dog trainer, there are steps you can take to housebreak your own dog.

Confine Your Dog to a Small Area

First, it’s important to recognize that most dogs don’t like eliminating in the immediate area they lie in. By confining your dog to a small area, you can make sure she doesn’t eliminate until you take her outside to do so. Also, proper training for this behavior involves giving your puppy her meals at the same time everyday. Remember to take her out to the same bathroom area using the same door each time at regular intervals.

Take Her to Potty Outside

In the beginning, take your puppy outside to go potty every 30 minutes. If you take her out and she doesn’t go within five minutes, bring her back in and confine her in her crate or another very restricted area. Keep taking her outside every 30 minutes until she eliminates. Every time she goes potty within five minutes of being outside, praise her and give her another five minutes to make sure she is completely empty.

Reward With Monitored Free Time

Going potty outside is rewarded by giving your puppy 10 to 20 minutes of monitored free time in the house. After seven days of no accidents, you can slowly start lengthening her free time inside. If your dog is still eliminating in the house after completing these steps, seek professional training from a certified dog trainer for further assistance.

Watch Her Closely

Any time your puppy is in the house, watch her closely so you can interrupt her if you see her getting restless, sniffing about or even just moving away from the group. Don’t yell or charge over to her. You want to interrupt, not frighten her. Scaring her will only make dog obedience training more difficult. Calmly take her outside to go.

Avoid Punishment

If your puppy has an accident in the house, don’t punish or scold her. Calmly take your puppy out to her bathroom area and clean the accident with an odor neutralizer. Your animal trainer or a pet service professional at your local pet supply store can recommend an effective neutralizer. Most puppies have accidents indoors because they’re allowed too much freedom in the house too quickly.

Your careful and persistent training will soon provide you with a well-behaved puppy who knows to go outside to eliminate so keep up the good work!

Animal Behavior College