We understand the need for proper house training. If you either currently own, or are about to buy a dog or puppy, and do not wish to come home to repeated nasty surprises, this brief instructive guide will help you to become successful in house training your dog or puppy.

Before I begin, I want to stress the importance of consistency and discipline. Get the whole family involved and make sure everyone is teaching your dog exactly the same way. This is a very straight forward process and anyone can get great results.

 

Are you ready to start house training your dog? Here is a quick rundown of the steps you will need to follow.

 

1. Always watch your puppy for signs that he needs to eliminate. Things like sniffing around the floor are a sure sign that your puppy is looking for a good spot to go. As you go along you'll start to recognize the signs that your dog needs to go potty.

 

2. IMMEDIATELY take your dog outside as soon as you see that he needs to eliminate. Also designate a specific place in the yard for him to do his business, take him there and repeat a specific command like "Go Potty", until he eliminates. Do not take your dog to different areas of the yard to use the bathroom. One spot used repeatedly will make your trips outside go much faster. Your dog needs to understand that when he goes to the “bathroom spot”, he is to do nothing but eliminate and then move on.

 

3. As soon as he eliminates, give your dog lots of praise. Say the same thing in a soothing voice over and over. Phrases like “Good Boy” work great. This is positive enforcement and is extremely important to this whole process. We want the dog to understand that when he does what we want him to do, something pleasant will happen. If you are interested in giving your dog a treat, this is the time to reward him. If you are rewarding your dog with treats, do not give him a treat for anything else until you have him potty trained. You may attempt to train your dog to do tricks or something of that nature, but do not offer treats for good behavior while potty training your dog. The treats need to be solely for eliminating in the right spot at the right time.

 

4. Some people believe that we should also let our dog’s know that every time he does something we don't want him to do, something unpleasant happens. I disagree. If your dog has an accident in the house, do not rub his nose in it or yell at him. A dog does not understand what this means and it will only make your dog afraid of you. It is best to ignore bad behavior and do not pay your dog any attention at all when they do something bad. Why? If your dog thinks that he will get you to pay him some attention when he does something bad, he may do something bad just for the attention. I know this sounds a little nutty but it’s true. Use positive reinforcement and everything will eventually work out. It is ok to say “NO”, but do not scream at the dog. The dog should know that when you say “NO”, it means to stop.

 

If you have to go to work or leave for whatever reason and aren't able to supervise your dog, you need to keep him in a crate inside or an enclosed dog run outside. It is not a good idea to just leave your dog unsupervised outside while you're gone, as this can lead to other problems. I’d like to talk about the crate you choose for your dog. If you have a Miniature Poodle Puppy and buy a crate large enough to house an adult Springer Spaniel, you are going to have a mess every time you come home. Put your dog in a crate that will give them room to stand up and turn around. That is all the room you will want to allow while potty training. If a puppy has room to designate a corner for the bathroom, he will do so. Puppies do not want to lay down in their mess so only give them enough room to lie down, stand up and turn around. 

 

Something important to understand about your dog is that all dogs have a very short term memory. If you come into the kitchen and find a surprise on the floor, and the dog is in the next room, yelling at the dog or bringing him back to the pile is completely useless. The dog will not have a clue as to why you are scolding him. If you choose to say “No No” to your dog, it is critical that you administer the correction immediately after the dog does whatever you don't want him to do.

 

5. Set up a specific schedule for feeding and watering your dog and stick to it. Take him outside immediately afterwards and go to the designated spot. Keep repeating your "elimination command" until he goes and then praise him.

 

6.Accidents are going to happen. You might as well get used to that idea now.

 

If the dog eliminates in the crate or dog run while you're away don't give a correction, he won't know why you're doing it anyway. Just take him outside and follow the advice in steps 2 and 3 above. Then clean up the crate. A little vinegar in a bottle of warm water helps to eliminate odors.

 

I think I have covered everything. Just remember that you can do this, it just takes dedication and diligence on your part. Sure it's a bit of work, but the benefits far outweigh the trouble you'll have to go thru. You won't have to worry about your floors or furniture being ruined, your dog will know exactly what you expect of him and you'll both be happier as a result.