Housetraining Puppies and Dogs

Before we cover the needs of a busy dog owner, let's see why housetraining the way it's recommended by experts is so difficult…  

Housetraining Puppies the Right Way

While the following is not meant to be a complete guide on housetraining puppies (I wish it was possible to explain housetraining in 2 paragraphs!), it illustrates 2 points why it's so difficult to follow experts' advice on housebreaking...

Because puppies don't have good bladder control, you need to take them outdoors often. How often? Begin right after your puppy wakes up and repeat every 2 hours.

For even better results, establish a daily schedule for your puppy. Just like babies, puppies learn quicker when put on a schedule. Be consistent in his feeding and walking times.

Here is a quick overview...

Visit house breaking puppies, puppy potty training, and puppy house training pages for a complete discussion on housetraining puppies.

Real World Housetraining…

If you work full time, there is no way you will be able to take your puppy outside every 2 hours.

My first advice is to see if you can enlist some of your friends, relatives, or neighbors. If yes, great! Unfortunately, just like us, most people work full time and will not be able to help on a regular basis.

So, what are you left to do?

Some dog owners resort to paper training. This technique is covered in detail in this house training guide.

A better approach is to teach your puppy to eliminate in a dog litter box.

Here is a Second Nature Dog Litter from Ralston Purina.

There are several benefits of teaching your puppy to eliminate in a litter box.

The litter inside the box absorbs the smell much better than a bunch of newspapers ever could. Unlike newspapers, a litter box also protects the floor underneath.

Visit litter box training for dog to learn how you can train your puppy to eliminate in a litter box.

Of course, just because you will be out of your house for an extended period of time, it does not mean that you can't follow a schedule.

Sure, you will not be able to take your puppy for a walk every 2 hours, but you can still take him outside when you wake up, when you come home from work, and before you go to sleep. Just be consistent.

And my favorite tool for housetraining puppies?

The Crate

From my experience, a crate is the most valuable and the most abused tool for housetraining puppies. And who abuses it most often? A busy dog owner.

Here is my advice…

Don't use a crate to confine your puppy for an extended period of time. That means, when going to work, don't lock your puppy inside (if you need to confine your puppy to a small area for an extended period of time, use a dog pen instead).    

I strongly encourage you to visit crate training. I'll show you why a crate is the most valuable housebreaking tool at your disposal and how to use it correctly when housetraining puppies.

The same house training guide that I mentioned earlier has an excellent section on crate training. I highly recommend it.

When housetraining puppies, accidents will happen. To protect your floors and furniture, consider getting one of the dog urine removers that are widely available in pet stores. 

What distinguishes a good urine remover from a not so good one?

I already mentioned on many other pages that I prefer GET SERiOUS! Pet Stain, Odor and Pheromone Extractor. Visit dog urine cleaner to learn why I like this product, and what distinguishes good urine removers from bad ones.

While a dog urine cleaner will not make housetraining puppies any quicker, it will certainly make it a lot less destructive!