Housebreaking Your Puppy
Housebreaking your puppy does require a level of consistency & it is hard work. Your main goal is to work hard for a shorter period of time. Here’s how:
1) Use a Crate: Forget the make-shift crates like the playpens. Use a traditional crate. Forget the make-shift playpens, etc…. In our experience, we get the quickest, clearest & fairest & fastest results to housebreaking by using a crate. This method of housebreaking your puppy will probably VASTLY increase the speed to which you will not need to use a crate.
2) Forget the Bell on the door: The often becomes a way to place the responsibility on your brand new puppy. The bell can work, but the time spent on the false alarms can be better spent on sticking to a schedule.
3) Forget the wee-wee pads: If you plan on potty training your dog to go outside; forget the wee-wee pads. As with our Long Island dog training programs, we like to immediately show the dog NOW what we expect of them later. To us, this is fair & easier for your puppy.
4) Every two (2) to 3 hours: Every two to 3 hours take your dog outside to the SAME area to eliminate.
5) You Do NOT Need a Cookie: You do not need to bring a treat out to train your dog to go to the bathroom. Nor do you need give them treat upon return into the house. YOU can treat your dog (we do ours), BUT in our opinion & experience it is not really helping your dog with respect to housebreaking or potty training. It may even delay it!
6) Your puppy doesn’t eliminate: If your puppy doesn’t eliminate AFTER meals, before bed, and first thing in the morning, it is back in the crate. Repeat in 15 minutes or so.
7) Out of Crate: Anytime your puppy comes out the crate, you should give him or her an opportunity to eliminate outside.
8) Timeline: Don’t expect too much, too fast. Usually canines are full potty-trained between 8 to eighteen (18) months. Typically, 11,12,13 moths old – so EXPECT accidents, but try to keep them to a minimum.
9) ONLY Supervised: The quickest way you can set your puppy & household up for failure is by giving your puppy free reign & NO supervision. Your puppy should ONLY be out the crate when you can visually supervise him or her. This may help to prevent wire & furniture chewing and any other destructive behavior in addition to potty training.
10) Interrupting less-than-desirable behavior: does not require a treat at the end of it. Example: When housebreaking your puppy & you take him or her away from chewing on a rug or chair, you do not need to give a food reward. This is a common mistake made by many puppy owners.
The above guideline are pretty easy to understand, following them is going to be the challenge. Remember, nobody can housebreak your puppy better than you; your pup needs to be housebroken in the home which they reside & the schedule that you have.
The aforementioned is a guide which if followed should GREATLY increase your results. That said, we do offer virtual puppy workshops where the recommendations will be more specific to your home, schedule and structure.
