HOUSE TRAINING

Some dogs can be house trained quickly, while others take much longer, it depends on the personality of the dog. If you have an adult dog that has never been house trained, treat it as you would a new puppy. Never punish your dog for making a mistake in your home. Reprimanding your pet after it has an accident only teaches it to be nervous and wary of you. You want to make sure you have a strong, trusting bond always with your dog as this will facilitate any training as your dog will always want to please you. Instead of reprimanding your puppy, anticipate when your dog needs to go potty. After your dog wakes up, eats, or plays, take it to the place that you have chosen for it to relieve itself. and always clean up after it. Avoid accidents in the home by restricting your dog to the crate, until you have taken it out to eliminate. Keep an eye on your puppy when they are out of the crate so you can anticipate their potty needs. Your pup will usually circle and sniff the ground when it needs to go. As your dog relieves itself, use words like "go potty" then praise him/her. Soon your dog will eliminate when you say the words, "go potty," on command. This means in the future when you are in a hurry to leave your house you can say these words and your dog will understand what you need him to do quickly. Timing: Most dogs actively avoid soiling thier personal quarters. Restrict the puppy to its crate whenever you are busy and provide it with a toy to chew. Carefully monitor the puppy's crate time, taking it out to relieve itself when necessary. Make sure that the crate is the correct size for the puppy; if it is too big the puppy may soil it. Paper Training: Training the puppy to use pee pads indoors can be confusing to it, since it learns that eliminating indoors is acceptable. Whenever possible train the puppy to eliminate in an outdoor area, but when circumstances dictate that you use pee pads indoors, follow the same crate restrictions and let the puppy out onto its pee pad. Anticipation: The dog that suddenly puts its nose down and sniffs intently is usually signaling that it is about to eliminate. Instant Praise: When taking the puppy outside, keep its attention on you by talking to it or showing it toys, to ensure that there are no accidents on the way. Say "go potty" as the puppy eliminates, then praise it for its good behaviour. Create Routines: A puppy will need to eliminate after sleeping and playing, and especially after eating or being restricted to its crate. As a general rule, remember that a three month old puppy needs to eliminate every 3 hours. Pointless Punishment: Control your temper while house training your puppy. Scoulding the dog is pointless unless you actually see it eliminating indoors. If you do, say "no" sternly, move the puppy to its designated spot, and praise it. Prevent accidents from happening by constantly supervising the puppy. If direct supervision is not possible, it is best to keep the puppy in its crate. The Good News! When you do all the work up front (when they are puppies) they will be trained for life! Lots of watching and taking them outside early in their lives will pay off in the long run. You will have a clean house. Who doesn't love that, aaaah.