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House Breaking Puppies Made Easy
Success in house breaking puppies depends on three things: knowledge, dedication and patience. Learn how to combine all three to raise a well-behaved puppy in the shortest time possible.
When I got my first dog, I knew housebreaking puppies takes time, but I still expected too much, too soon... It's just unrealistic to expect a young puppy to be instantly housebroken.
My advice? Be patient and don't rush.
Basics First...
You may be wondering what is a good age to start house breaking a puppy.
A puppy under 8 weeks of age is too young. Any age after 8 weeks is good, but don't wait too long - the younger your puppy is, the quicker you'll be able to housebreak him.
Let's take a looks at some additional tips on house breaking puppies…
Establish a Schedule
Just like babies, puppies learn quicker when they follow a set schedule.
For best results, take your puppy outside every 2 hours. At a minimum, puppies need to relieve themselves after they wake up and finish eating.
The following schedule tries to find a middle ground between the best-case scenario and reality of other obligations that you may have...
| 06:15 AM | Wake up and take your puppy out for a walk | |
| 06:45 AM | Feeding time. Put food and water inside the crate | |
| 07:15 AM | Another walk | |
| 11:15 AM | Take your puppy for a walk | |
| 11:45 AM | Feed your puppy. Again, do it inside his crate | |
| 12:15 AM | Take your puppy outside | |
| 04:30 PM | Take your puppy outdoors to do his "business" | |
| 05:00 PM | Feed your puppy in a crate | |
| 05.30 PM | Another walk | |
| 08:00 PM | Don't rush. Let your puppy eliminate before bedtime | |
| 09:00 PM | Put him in a crate for the night |
Adjust it to fit your lifestyle, but remember: consistency is the key.
House Breaking Puppies Do's And Don'ts
When house breaking a puppy, never scream, hit or rub his nose into the mess. Unless you catch your puppy in the act, don't even reprimand him. He will not understand why you are so upset and the only lesson he will learn is to be afraid of you. If your puppy messed up, just clean up and try to be more careful next time.
Praise, on the other hand, plays a huge role in cementing positive behaviors. Every time your puppy eliminates outside, praise him or give him a dog treat.
Finally, if you overfeed or overdrink a young puppy, be prepared for more accidents.
Minimizing Damage to Your Household
Before you begin housebreaking puppy, establish an area of the house he will have access to. Initially, confine him to a small area with easy to clean, hard floors. If that area doesn't have doors, use a dog pen instead.
Only after your puppy begins to consistently relieve himself outdoors allow him full freedom around the house.
Some people find puppy paper training useful. I am not a big fan because it will not only extend the housebreaking process but is also messy and smelly. As an alternative to paper training, teach your puppy to eliminate in a dog litter box.
When house breaking puppies, there will be setbacks and you will need to clean up.
A household cleaner will not get rid of the smell, which in turn will encourage your puppy to eliminate in the same spot in the future. Ammonia, because it's a natural compound found in urine, will make the odor even stronger. Avoid it.
One of the better products is GET SERiOUS! Pet Stain, Odor and Pheromone Extractor.
More than a neutralizer and a stain remover, GET SERiOUS! removes the pheromone in the odors so pets won't re-mark area. GET SERiOUS! is non-toxic and safe to use around children and pets.
Visit dog urine remover page if you want to find out why I like this product so much.
A Crate...
A crate is the most valuable tool you have at your disposal for house breaking puppies.
Why?
Dogs don't like to relieve themselves in close proximity to where they eat and sleep. For best results, make sure the crate is big enough for your dog to stand up and turn around, but small enough so that he can't escape his mess.
Visit crate training, puppy crates and puppy crate training pages for more information on:
- Different crates available on the market
- How to choose a right crate for your puppy
- Techniques for house breaking puppies
- Proper crate training techniques
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