Housebreaking your puppy: Do's and don'ts
The process of housebreaking often brings on feelings of nervousness and worry, but the process does not have to be stressful for you or your puppy.
The truth is this is a situation where you have Mother Nature working with you right from the start while puppy training. When the puppies are first born, they eat and they relieve themselves inside the den, but the mother always cleans them. There is never a scent of urine or feces where the puppies eat, sleep, and live. When they get old enough, they learn to use outside areas as they imitate their mother.
Conditioning in this way, all dogs become conditioned to never potty in their dens. From two to four months of age, most pups pick up on the concept of housebreaking and crate training quite easily since it is part of their natural programming.
Puppy’s digestive tract
Another built-in plus when it comes to housebreaking is our puppy’s digestive tract, which is extremely quick and efficient. Five to 30 minutes after the puppy eats, they want to defecate. So with a consistent eating schedule, and your attention to the clock, your puppy can maintain regular trips outside.
In the early days of housebreaking, you also want to make sure the puppy has a place to relieve herself where she feels safe; a place that seems and smells familiar. Have you noticed how dogs will often eliminate in the very same spot they’ve done so before? The scent acts like a trigger.
Your energy
As always, remember your own energy is a big factor in your housebreaking efforts. If you are feeling nervous or impatient, or are trying to rush a puppy to relieve themselves, that too can also stress them out. Using a loud, high squeaky tone to encourage your puppy to “go potty” is a distraction to the dog, so try and avoid any conversation at all.
Setting a routine
First thing every morning, bring your puppy outside to the same general area. It is important to remain consistent throughout this process so your puppy can learn the habit.
Once your puppy has successfully gone outside, it is important to reward their good behavior. It doesn’t have to be a big, loud celebration, but a simple quiet approval or a treat can get the message across of a job well done.
Positive reinforcement
Don’t punish your puppy for an accident or do anything to create a negative association with their bodily functions. Stay calm and assertive, and quietly remove the puppy to the place where you want him to go.
Done correctly, housebreaking should not be a turbulent production but just a matter of putting a little extra work into getting your puppy on a schedule during the first weeks after she arrives at your home. Don’t let unnecessary stress over this very natural, uncomplicated process taint any of the joy surrounding the puppy training process and your new dog’s puppyhood.
Secrets to housebreaking adult dogs
When most people think about housebreaking a dog, they imagine an adorable little scamp that fits in the palm of their hand and plays with toys all day — in other words, a puppy.
But what if you have an older dog that isn’t housebroken because they're a rescue? The rules for training adult dogs can be a bit different. First and foremost, you want to determine two things:
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The issue isn’t due to a medical problem.
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The soiling isn’t a behavioral issue.
If you discover the issue is related to either of those things, there are specific actions you can take based on what’s actually causing the problem. Your veterinarian can guide you on medical issues, and you may need to consult a canine professional if the soiling is connected to a behavioral problem.
Convinced their bathroom problems are simply due to a lack of training? Read on!
Use scheduled, consistent feeding
Feed your dog at the same time every day and take their bowl away between meals. This will reduce the chance of them having, “extra fuel in the tank,” so to speak.
Have scheduled, consistent elimination times
Even fully trained adult dogs should be let out to go to the bathroom at least four times a day, so you want to give your pooch ample time to do their business when training. Another kind of “consistency” that can help is to go to the same area to eliminate. Smelling his own scent can encourage him to go.
Reward good behavior
When they do their business outside, make sure you’re right there to reward them with treats, praise, play, or a walk.
Startle, don’t scare
If, and only if, you catch them in the act of eliminating (not 5 minutes later!), clap so that you startle them out of what they’re doing. Then take them outside and offer them praise and treats after they finish eliminating. Many pet parents have an urge to yell, or otherwise scare or punish their dog for eliminating inside, but all this does is make them afraid of you. When that happens, most dogs simply hide from their owners when they need to go.
This is also why you should only startle your dog while they’re actually 'going' inside. If the correction doesn’t happen during the misbehavior, they won’t make the connection.
Watch them closely
Some dogs give very clear signals when they need to go, such as scratching at the door, while others don’t. To prevent accidents while training, keep an eye out for signals. If you can’t do that, crating will be necessary to train them to hold it until you can take them outside. Most pups simply won’t eliminate in their crate.
Scrub, scrub, scrub
No matter how vigilant you are, there are probably going to be accidents. Unfortunately, dogs tend to continue going where they’ve gone before, so you need to engage in some deep cleaning to really get the smell out of any soiled areas.