Dogs are creatures of habit, so it is best to start them off in life with a set of good habits. Housetraining a puppy can be very time consuming, but diligence on the part of the owner will pay off in the end. Puppies younger than 3-4 months generally are not mature enough to control their bladder or bowel movements. Most puppies won't develop full control until the age of 8 or 9 months, so it is better to start training your puppy to eliminate outside as soon as possible. Puppies and dogs are generally able to hold "it" for 8 hours during the night while they are sleeping as their body systems slow down. However, it is difficult for any dog to hold "it" for an extended period of time while the animal is active. Remember that it takes patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement to housetrain a puppy. If the puppy or dog continues to soil in the house after training, there may be an underlying health reason that needs to be checked by your veterinarian. Below are suggestions for housetraining your puppy.
·Keep the puppy within your line of sight at all times. Attach a leash to the puppy and the other end to yourself or baby gate the puppy in the room you are spending time in.
·Set a schedule. Always take the puppy outside after eating, as soon as he wakes up in the morning, after a nap, after playtime, and just before bedtime.
·Watch for signals. If the puppy is sniffing, restless and/or circling, take him outside immediately.
·Always go out with your puppy. This allows you to always know that your puppy has eliminated. Each time your puppy urinates properly give him instant praise. You can also associate a "catch phrase" with going out, such as "Outside" or "Go Potty."
·Leaving your puppy for short periods of time. Confine the puppy to a single room or to a sleeping crate. The sleeping crate takes advantage of the dog's natural instinct to not soil in its sleeping area.
·Leaving the puppy for long periods of time. Confine the puppy to a single room, place the puppy in the sleeping crate with food and water, or place the puppy in a contained space outside. Make sure he has food, water, and shelter when outside.
·Puppy mistakes. All puppies will make mistakes in the beginning. If you witness him eliminating in the house, say "NO" in a stern voice and take the puppy outside. Never hit, shake, scream, or rub the puppy's nose in the mistake. This type of negative reinforcement may serve to make the puppy afraid of you and not respond to you. If you do not witness the accident, clean it up thoroughly. Do not punish the puppy as he will not associate it with the mistake.
·Clean up. If you do not clean the area thoroughly to eliminate the odor, the puppy will associate that spot as a place to eliminate within the house. Soak up as much of the urine as possible. Use plain white vinegar to help eliminate the odor. Sprinkle baking soda over the spot to absorb more of the moisture, and when dry vacuum the spot. There are also commercial brands available for clean up, just make sure that the cleaner does not contain ammonia as this will make the smell worse.
·Paper training. Paper training takes longer to housetrain a puppy as it adds another step. Confine the puppy to a single room and cover the entire floor with paper. Take the puppy to the papers when he shows signs of needing to eliminate. Always praise him for his performance. Once the puppy has learned to eliminate on the paper, watch for the signs, then take the puppy and some of the soiled paper outside and encourage him to eliminate outside.
