House Training a Puppy

Before I begin Today’s post about house training a puppy, I’d like to take a moment to institute a new segment of my blog which I’m calling CUTEST ANIMALS EVER. This is the selected winner for today:




House Training Puppy

The process of housebreaking a puppy can be frustrating and difficult for both owner and puppy- BUT- here’s the catch: it doesn’t have to be. The truth of the matter is that if you are clear with your puppy about your expectations, and you are consistent in your methods, you will succeed in housetraining a puppy. Remember that your puppy wants very much to please you, and is always trying to do the right thing. You just have to show it the way, with consistency and lots of love and positive reinforcement.
Before you begin house breaking puppies, it is important to realize that puppies respond much faster and better to positive reinforcement than to negative feedback. Do not get frustrated, and do not give up, do not yell or be harsh with your dog, this will only confuse it and increase your frustration. Just like with a child, accidents will happen, and it is important to view them as learning opportunities rather than infractions against house rules.

How to house train a puppy: Day 1
When you bring your puppy home for the first time, it is important to immediately introduce it to the areas where it is acceptable to use the restroom. After a long trip, don’t you head straight for the bathroom too? Take the puppy out into your backyard, and allow it to explore its surroundings thoroughly. Once it eliminates, give it positive feedback and reinforcement to support the behavior. At this point feel free to bring it into the house, and introduce it to the rest of its environment. For the first several days as you house train puppies it is important to take them outside atleast every half-hour during the day and several times at night. Just like a baby, a puppy does not have the knowledge or muscular ability to completely control when it eliminates, so giving it plenty of opportunities will cut back on accidents. Remember to keep giving positive reinforcement each and every time your dog uses the bathroom in a approved area.
If your potty training puppy tends to have accidents in a specific or isolated area, try this trick: once you have cleaned the mess thoroughly, try relocating the puppy’s food and water to the area where the accidents have occurred. Dogs have a natural instinct not to soil where they eat, and you can put this instinct to work to your advantage. As we’ll see, harnessing your puppy’s instincts can be a powerful tool to help with training.

Puppy Crate Training:
Initially, many pet owners raise objection to the practice of puppy crate training. They see it as an inhumane confinement and a cruelty toward the dog. But it is important to remember that dogs are not humans, view the world in a completely different way, and as long as crate training is approached and practiced in a safe, consistent, humane way, it can lead to a happy and healthy psychological outcome for your dog. Dogs have a natural “den” instinct that causes them to gravitate to cave-like enclosures for rest and sleep, a place that is specifically theirs. The advantage to crate training your puppy is the deeply engrained instinct not to soil where they sleep. It can be a powerful tool as you house train a puppy. Although once again accidents will occasionally happen, generally stimulating this instinct will greatly help reduce overnight accidents as well as limit behavioral issues in general.
When choosing a dog crate, it is important to buy the correct size. The crate should be large enough for the adult dog to lay down with its legs completely extended comfortably. It should be tall enough for the full-grown dog to sit completely upright comfortably. Although it is relatively easy to determine the correct size needed for a purebred puppy which will grow to a more-or-less pre-determined size, it can be much more difficult to pick the correct size for a mutt or “pound puppy” (the BEST KIND of puppy! :) )
Once you get your pet crate home, you must consider where in the house to place it. It is important to remember that the crate is your puppy’s “room”, NOT a time-out area. As such, it is important to place it in an area frequented by people enough to make your puppy feel as though it is part of the family activity, but the area should still be quiet and peaceful enough to allow your pet some rest and give it the sense of “personal space”. Place a large, comfy towel on the floor of the crate. Chose something that is easily laundered. You should also include an old t shirt of yours that has been worn, but not washed (do not put your favorite t shirt in the crate, you probably won’t be getting it back).
There is a good probability that your puppy has already had some experience in its life with enclosure, and just needs some positive reinforcement and refinement of technique. When crate training a puppy, NEVER force your puppy into the crate. For the first few days, it is actually best to let the puppy discover the puppy crate on its own. Put a few treats and his favorite toy in the puppy crate, leave the door open, and let your puppy explore. Once it has found the crate and is comfortable coming in and out of it, begin to associate the crate with rest and relaxation. Sit outside the crate with the door open and pet your puppy to help it relax and to generate positive associative feelings with the crate. After several petting sessions in the crate, you are ready to move on to the next step. After your dog is relaxed, gently close the door. Your puppy may become restless. It is important to allow the puppy to express these feelings, but don’t acknowledge the behavior. Once the puppy quiets back down, open the crate and allow the puppy to leave or stay. Repeat this behavior for several days before enclosing your puppy for any length of time.
When you begin to crate your puppy overnight, you must take it outside every three hours until it becomes used to holding his bladder for extended periods. While waking up in the middle of the night is not necessarily fun, it is the best way to avoid accidents, and help your pet learn in a controlled setting. It is important to remember, though, that these midnight bathroom breaks are not for cuddling. Be friendly but efficient. Make sure your puppy knows that these are not play opportunities, but only bathroom breaks. This will decrease your dog’s desire to wake you up in the middle of the night to snuggle.

House Breaking Puppies:
Potty training puppies can seem daunting at first, or even insurmountable. But if you consistently follow the process that I’ve outlined here, you will succeed. Treat the experience as a bonding opportunity and a time to work with your dog, be clear about the messages you are sending your dog, because whatever you send WILL be understood, and understand that although accidents may happen, eventually you will see results.

Thanks for reading my puppy crate training post on my pet supplies blog!