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Housetraining Puppies and Dogs
Housetraining puppies requires lots of time and dedication. While dedication may be plentiful, time is another matter. Here are some tips and suggestions for a busy dog owner.
There are plenty of articles on housetraining, including some on this site. What I feel is missing is information on housebreaking puppies in a "real" world, where a dog owner works full time.
You see, it's almost impossible for a working dog owner to follow all the advice given out by experts. The good news - even if you can't follow all the advice, with some patience and dedication, you can still succeed.
Before we cover the needs of a busy dog owner, let's review housetraining in an "ideal" world…
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. 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.
For complete discussion on housetraining puppies, please visit...
...pages.
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 puppy paper training . A better approach is to teach your puppy to use a dog litter box.
Here is a Second Nature Dog Litter from Ralston Purina.
There are several advantages of teaching your puppy to eliminate in a litter box.
Litter inside the box absorbs the smell much better than a bunch of newspapers on the floor. 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 he wakes 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.
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?
A good urine remover works not only on a stain, but also on the odor. Even if you can't detect the odor, your puppy will. And the odor is what causes your puppy to urinate in the same spot, over and over.
Like I already mentioned on many other pages, I prefer GET SERiOUS! Pet Stain, Odor and Pheromone Extractor.
If you want to find out…
- What products to avoid and what to look for in a product before you buy it…
- Why I prefer GET SERiOUS! over other products…
(Apparently, I am not the only one who likes this product – in addition to numerous awards it has won, Get Serious! was the second product ever endorsed by ASPCA when they first started their "Seal of Approval" endorsement program.)
…then visit dog urine cleaner page.
While a dog urine cleaner will not make housetraining puppies any quicker, it will certainly make it a lot less destructive!
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