From the article: Housebreaking Your Puppy
Housebreaking is one of the first things you need to teach your dog. While essential, housebreaking can also be a time-consuming and frustrating experience. How did you housebreak your puppy? Do you have any tips or tricks that can help others? Share Tips and Tricks
Housetraining
- It has never taken me longer than a week to housetrain a pup of about 8 to 12 weeks old. I am home all the time or pup is confined/crated when I'm out. Keep track of their schedules, when they wake, eat, go number one or number two. They will have to go upon waking, after eating. A very young pup can hold it for about one hour per months old. Don't give pups free run of the house! Gate off the kitchen/dining room area and puppy proof it. Get the pup to like his crate by feeding him in it. Place piddle pads in a far away corner of the area in case he needs to go when you can't watch him. Put soiled piddle pads outside in designated area. When he goes potty outside in designated area, quietly praise with cue word "Good boy go potty". Don't immediately whisk pup back inside or he will learn to hold it because he doesn't want to go back inside! Don't crate pup overnight until at least 4 months old, he can't hold it that long. Use piddle pads in meantime for overnight.
- —Dogtrainerlady
potty training my puppy
- A little treat and lots of praise when they did their job. Watching for little signs like sniffing around. Mine will stop playing and head for the patio door and then sit and wait for me. It took about 2 months to train but I broke my leg after I had him a month which make it a lot harder on me.
- —Guest Judy Liggett
Housebreaking puppies.
- When my dogs were puppies, I never used a crate, but as soon as they would wake up I took them out, and during the day went out to potty. If I would wake up at night to go for myself, they went out too. They get so they know when they have to go and they will let you know they have to go. I really had no trouble with mine. If you understand the signals your dog or dogs give you for wanting to go out or anything else you can do what they want, they try to talk in there way to let you know.
- —Guest Dianne Sahakian
Greyhoundlover
- If you want to avoid housebreaking adopt a retired racing greyhound. Most of the dogs are about 2 when they are put up for adoption & are crate trained.
- —debbieorth
Puppy House "Training"
- I never consider it house breaking, I trained my babies. To do so I practiced patience and paid lots of attention. I took the pups out often and just kept saying potty. Once they went they went they got praised a lot, and we would play. This is how I've always "trained" my dogs. When my car broke down and I was stuck away from home for over 24 hours away my girls actually waited. I fully expected a mess but instead I got a very happy dog, lots of kisses and a very grateful dog when I let her out. This proved to me that my method works. I never scolded if there was an accident, they always knew they had done the wrong thing and remembering that they are just babies helps. I've learned that after awhile just by watching and I recognized the signs and just took them out. Now I have two small dogs and was told it would take possibly a year but I've been fortunate, they trained and now demand to be put out. They are relentless when they have to go.
- —jackieg53
Find A Good Breeder
- All my pups are potty trained by 8 weeks when they go to their new homes. Of course that is contingent on owning a doggy door.
- —wldorchidnv
