Housebreaking Your Puppy

Your puppy will need to be kept in a safe place when you are away from home or are sleeping. Sometimes a small room with a baby-gate or other barrier (not a closed door) will work for this purpose. However, since you are trying to teach your dog control, this needs to be a place where your dog will not urinate or defecate. A crate large enough so that your dog can lie down comfortably and can stand erect works usually well for this purpose also.

Learn to recognize the signs that your puppy exhibits when he/she needs to go to the bathroom. If you see your puppy starting to have an accident, say "No, go outside" and either pick the puppy up and take him/her outside or use a leash to take him/her out. Do not punish your puppy. Punishment won't work for housebreaking and may cause complications you don't want.

Once outside, take your puppy to the place you wish your puppy to relieve him/herself and use a cue phrase, such as "Go potty". Do not use this cue phrase inside or in places you do not wish your pup to urinate or defecate.

When your puppy urinates and/or defecates in the proper place, praise him/her sincerely. Offer treats that your puppy likes as soon as he/she goes to the bathroom. If your puppy wants to play outside after relieving him/herself, this can be allowed. If he/she prefers to go back inside immediately, he/she should be allowed to do so.

Having an accident in the house will tend to confuse your puppy. If you find an accident that you did not see happen, you should never attempt to punish your puppy. You should attempt to either supervise or confine your puppy at all times until housebreaking is complete.

When you are at home and not sleeping, take your puppy outside as often as once per hour. When you put your puppy outside, you should accompany him/her so that you can observe when he/she relieves him/herself and when this does not happen. As time progresses, you will be better able to judge when and how often your puppy needs to go out.

Scheduling your puppy's feeding times will make housetraining easier. As you get to know your puppy better, you will be able to determine when he/she is likely to have to defecate, based on his/her feeding schedule. If you are not sticking to a feeding schedule, it will be more difficult for you to determine your puppies defecation habits in relation to his/her feedings.

Feeding a high-quality dog food will make housebreaking easier because these diets tend to produce a more consistent bowel movement. Making certain your puppy is free of intestinal parasites which may cause loose bowels or diarrhea is also recommended.

Generally, your puppy will not be mature enough to achieve full bladder and bowel control until at least 16 weeks of age. Some puppies may take longer, so be patient.

Housebreaking is possible for almost all puppies, but like people, dogs learn at different rates. Be patient with your puppy and persistent. Attempt to minimize accidents by following the steps outlined above and providing the proper supervision. Make sure all members of your household are following the same rules with your puppy.

Other considerations:

Before using any other cleaning agents on your puppy's accidents, treat the spot deeply and thoroughly with a bacterial enzyme odor eliminator product, such as Nature's Miracle. If you don't get rid of the scent, it will draw your puppy's instincts to use the spot again. Using other cleaning products before the the bacterial enzyme product can cause it to be unable to work.

While your puppy may be able to go eight hours without urinating or defecating at night or while you are away from home, it is not reasonable to expect this at other times. When your puppy is sleeping, his/her bladder and bowels are quieter. (Your puppy is likely sleeping a lot while you are away, as well as at night.) However, when you wake up or return home, your puppy's body has to "catch up". Taking your puppy outside frequently when you are present and not sleeping is a necessity if you wish to properly housebreak your puppy.

Smaller dogs may be more difficult to housebreak because of their size in relation to the size of your home. Your home simply seems much larger to a smaller dog than it does to a large dog and he/she may feel that urinating or defecating off in a corner of the house is far enough away from the rest of his/her activities. For this reason, expanding your small dog's freedom in your home slowly may be beneficial.