How To
Housebreak Your Dog
First, don't think that you are being mean to your dog by training
him or her. Dogs are pack animals by nature. They need to belong to
a pack. When your dog became part of your household your dog became
part of your pack.
That makes you the Alpha Dog - the Leader of your pack.
Your dog wants you to be the leader. Your dog wants to know that
there is a strong Alpha Dog giving orders and keeping the pack in
line.
The very first thing you need to do as the leader of your pack is to
housebreak your dog. In the wild, dogs (wolves) are trained early
not to do their business in the pack's den, and it is vital that you
train your dog not to do its business in your den (your house).
Most dog experts agree that the best age to housebreak a puppy is
between 8 and 12 weeks old.
If you are housebreaking a puppy, one of the best ways is to use a
crate. Believe it or not, puppies like crate training. For a dog a
crate is like its ancestral den and the confined space in a crate
gives your puppy a sense of security and safety.
NEVER use the crate to punish your puppy. The crate is NOT a jail.
Your puppy's crate is its happy and safe home. Never lock a young
puppy in a crate for more than 2 hours - three hours tops in an
emergency.
Puppies won't make a mess in their sleeping area unless you leave
them locked up for too long at a time, which is why the crate makes
such a good tool for housebreaking. Leave your puppy in its crate
for two hours and then take it out of its crate and lead it outside
to the area where you want it to do its mess.
As it does its mess say the words "Hurry Up" and then praise your
puppy, possibly even give your puppy a small treat on occasion. By
using the words "Hurry Up" as your puppy is doing its business you
train it to associate the words "Hurry Up" with doing its business.
Later, especially on cold, dark winter nights you'll appreciate the
fact that the words "Hurry Up" will shorten your "walk" time
considerably!
Always take your puppy out the same door and to the same area each
time. This will teach your puppy to scratch at the same door when it
needs to go out and it will make your future clean ups quicker and
easier.
Try to take your dog outside to do its business at the same time
each day. Dogs, like most humans, feel most comfortable when they
have a routine to follow.
Unless you catch your dog in the act of making a mess, do NOT scold
your dog for making a mess in the house. Rubbing your dog's nose in
a puddle of pee even a few minutes after the act does NOT teach your
dog not to pee in the house - it only CONFUSES your dog.
If you CATCH your dog IN THE ACT of making a mess in the house grab
the dog’s collar and yank on it, saying the word "NO!" in a DEEP and
STERN voice and then lead your dog to the outside area where you are
training it to go to the bathroom. When your dog does its business,
praise your dog (and don't forget to use the words "Hurry Up" as it
is doing its business).
If your puppy is running around the house free keep an eye on it and
learn to recognize the signs when it is about to make a mess. It
might start circling an area, or it might start sniffing its nose
close to the floor, or it may begin walking in a different way.
Almost all dogs give some kind of a signal before they are going to
mess. Learn to pick up on your dog's signal and then pull them by
the collar to the outdoor area where you want them to go.
You're going to have to be a little patient. Your puppy will have
accidents. Your puppy, after all, still has puppy-brains and it will
take a certain amount of time before the neurons begin to click in
that little brain and the light bulb suddenly lights up and your
puppy says "Oh, that's what you want me to do!"
Recommended Resource
Dog Potty
Training Secrets
Dog
Article courtesy of
I-Love-Dogs.com