House-training a puppy does not have to be a difficult or time-consuming process when you have the key points covered. I find that many new dog owners approach house-training as if they were dealing with another person.
Let me assure you that this approach will not work. You actually need to appreciate and take advantage of differences between dogs and people. For any kind of dog training, the most important difference is that dogs are creatures of habit and not creatures of reason.
You can not simply appeal with a dog or punish him in order to make him understand what you expect from him. You must correct his bad behavior and praise his good behavior. Then do this over and over until your dog gets it. Once you realize this key to successful dog training, house-training will become much easier.
I'm about to give you 10 of the most important tips for house-training your puppy. These tips, which apply to both housebreaking and paper-training, cover all of the essential components of successful house-training.
- Visit your veterinarian . This is always a good first step because it will help to ensure that there are no medical reasons preventing or hindering your house-training efforts. Plus, it's always a good idea to have a new pet checked out as soon as they're introduced into the family unit.
- Start house-training your puppy early . As soon as your new puppy arrives in your home, start house-training him. But, do not expect too much from a very young puppy. They have almost no control over their bladder and bowels. So it's up to you to get them outside regularly.
- Decide what method of house-training is right for your situation . If you live in a high-rise apartment building or if you're disabled or handicapped, you might want to consider paper-training rather than housebreaking.
- Get your puppy on a schedule immediately . Do not miss the importance of this step. Puppies need to eliminate shortly after they eat, drink, play, and sleep. If you can schedule these events, you can get them outside (or onto papers) at the appropriate time. This can speed training considerably!
- Use confinement and supervision religiously . Never allow your puppy to wander around the house unsupervised. I can guarantee that he will have an accident. And, every accident that goes unaccompanied slows the training.
- Consider Crate Training to speed house-training . When done correctly crate training is very beneficial for any puppy. It provides a secure retreat for your puppy and it also helps him to learn to control his bowels and bladder. That's because dogs by nature do not like to eliminate where they sleep. So as long as you do not leave him in the crate for hours on end, your puppy will try to hold it until you let him out.
- Correct an accident only if you witness it . Without you see your puppy eliminating in the house, you can not do anything except clean it up and try to supervise him better next time. If you do catch him, do something to interrupt him (like saying "NO!" In a strong tone) and get him outside immediately. Never hit him or try to punish him after the fact! You'll only be teaching him to be afraid of you. This could backfire causing him to urinate every time he sees you.
- Praise every successful elimination . Never miss the opportunity to praise your puppy profusely when he goes where and when he should. Praise is the golden key to successful and quick house-training.
- Be patient . Try to be as patient with your young puppy as you would be with your child being toilet trained. Different children take to toilet training at different speeds. The same is true for puppies and house-training.
- Be consistent . I saved this for last because its probably the most important. If you're not consistent in all your training efforts, your puppy will find it hard to recognize exactly what you want him to do. And, failure is assured.
Remember, your puppy would like nothing better than to please you. As soon as he figures out what it is that will please you, he'll be eager to do it! And, the training will be pretty much complete.
Therefore, your task is to make it very clear to him exactly what you want and expect from him. And you do this by correcting mistakes WHILE they're happening and by seeing his successes.
If you do this consistently , you can not fail!