Dog Housebreaking Training - How to Potty Train a Puppy

The most basic housebreaking training that all pet owners need to undertake is: Do it outside!

Normally, dog housebreaking training like teaching a pup to eliminate outside begins at between six and eight weeks. Some owners like to commence training at four weeks, but few dogs have the muscle control to be consistency successful at this age.

Patience during this period is important as ‘potty’ training can take weeks – occasionally achieved in two, but often over a period of a month or more. Unlike commands like ‘sit and ‘stay’ which can usually be learnt in days, potty training requires persistence.

If you are aware of the signs displayed by your dog, you can enforce and direct your pup with a command followed by praise. This technique works well with this type of training as all dogs need to potty and eliminate. The difficulty lays in getting them to do it when and where you want them to!

Look for circling or squatting behavior, pick the pup up, say 'outside' and hurry outdoors. The puppy may continue to circle, but will often squat immediately. As it begins, use the command you have chosen in an authoritative voice. Once finished, praise your pet generously.

Don’t become upset or irritated if you miss the behavior indication the puppy is about to begin and the dog eliminates inside. Time is required for a dog to be taught to tell you it needs to 'go outside'. The muscles required for bladder and bowel control also take time to develop.

On average, young dogs need to eliminate every 2-3 hours. If pre-elimination behavior hasn’t commenced within that time, take the pup outside anyway. Issue your chosen command and wait. In the beginning, the dog will usually not realize what behavior you want from it.

Even if outside, it helps to watch for the desired behavior then issue the chosen command. That helps the dog associate the command with the behavior. If, after a few minutes and a couple of commands the dog still hasn't gone, take it back inside for an hour. Naturally if you see pre-elimination behavior in less time, return outside immediately.

Dogs have the capability to quickly learn what their 'alpha' (the leader of the pack) wants. This is best achieved by associating a verbal command with behavior, followed by praise. Punishment, especially in housebreaking and potty training, is unhelpful and negative. A dog’s nose should never be rubbed in waste.

Some people prefer paper and/or crate training. It is possible to train a pup to go on a newspaper, or on one of the chemically treated pads designed for the purpose. These methods mean that it may not be necessary for a small dog that lives inside to go outside at all.

There are a couple of negatives to be considered with this method. Dogs will rarely use a perfumed litter box, unlike cats. Even if the top layer is removed after elimination, newspapers will eventually generate an unpleasant smell which will filter through the house.

Another problem is that dogs can smell their own individual scent earlier than humans, and they don’t find the odor unattractive – in fact it is the opposite, and this is what creates the problem.

If paper trained, dogs will normally prefer to eliminate inside. Occasionally they'll miss the paper, if only by a small distance, creating a mess to clean up.

If the odor gets into the carpet, the dog will often think that it is the proper 'place to go' and this causes outside potty training to become more difficult. It is better to endure a few accidents as opposed to creating a hard-to-overcome habit.

Potty training requires patience, praise and consistency, and is the first step in behavioral training for your dog.

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