Housetraining

Training a puppy (or an adult dog) to eliminate in a specified area is really quite easy.  It’s the time commitment and the patience required to be successful that is most daunting for people.

Let’s begin by discussing puppies.  Because a young pup’s muscles are not able to be fully developed before 4 – 5 months of age, accidents will happen.  Pups just can’t “hold” back urine and/or stool for extended periods of time.  They need to empty bladder and bowel about once every 1 – 3 hours.  (Pups less than 12 weeks need to eliminate a few times each hour!)

There are some basic rules to housetraining a puppy:

• Choose either an indoor elimination area or an outdoor area, but not both.  It’s too confusing to a puppy’s still-developing brain.
• Bring pup (on leash) to his elimination area after he wakes, after he’s had food and/or water, and after play.  This should equal about 6 – 8 times a day.
• Pace back and forth in the potty area rather than standing still.  The movement will help to stimulate the need to eliminate.
• Each “potty break: should last no more than 3 to 5 minutes.  This is just enough time to get the job done without becoming too distracted.
• ALWAYS reward pup for good behavior -- or don’t expect him to repeat it.  Enthusiastic verbal reward followed by a tiny treat is a great incentive.
• Reward on the scene, not later.  A pup’s attention span is a quickly closing window and after a mere few seconds he’ll be on to a new thought.
• Don’t punish or even acknowledge elimination in the wrong area or at the wrong time.  Teach pup to try to please, rather than to avoid punishment.
• Should you witness pup doing “the potty dance” (intense floor sniffing, circling) simply interrupt the behavior with a verbal signal like “Oops!  Not here!”  and rush pup to his elimination area to complete the deed.  Praise pup when he has eliminated.

Complete and successful puppy housetraining (0-4 accidents per year) will take most dogs and owners about 2 years to reach.

Housetraining adult dogs is easier and quicker.  Dogs that are older than a year or so usually have fully developed sphincter muscles and can hold urine/stool for 6 hours or more.  They can be left alone and easily crate trained.

Follow the same protocol for housetraining puppies for the first 2 – 4 weeks.  Once your dog has a good idea of where and when he is allowed to eliminate you can start to decrease the number of times he is given for elimination to 3- 4 times a day.  (Never less!)