House Breaking Your Puppy - Three Important Points
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House breaking your new puppy can be inconvenient, painful, and never-ending, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The focal point, as with any dog behavior training, has to be consistency and routine. Your puppy will appreciate your commitment to them and respond by quickly learning the desired behavior. It is always the desire of the puppy to please its owner. Some dogs only need a sense of disapproval from the owner and they will almost housebreak themselves, but that isn’t your puppy or you wouldn’t be reading this article.
Feeding
Regarding the question of how old should the puppy be this type of training? Generally speaking it is best to start about 7 ½ or 8 ½ weeks of age. The puppy will learn quickly at this age and not already have a set routine. Obviously, when and what your puppy eats and drinks it tied directly to the need and timing of going outside. To allow your puppy to eat and drink right up to bed time and then wonder why they can’t make it through the night without an accident doesn’t make sense. Determine a reasonable cutoff time for food and water based on your schedule, but at least two to three hours before bedtime. Make time to go outside one last time before bed time. Feed your puppy at the same time, the same amount, and the same food every day. This will establish a feeding routine that in turn while lead to an elimination routine. Also, the puppy should be on a strict, consistent diet throughout the entire house breaking process as a change in diet is a change in routine that could undermine the training.
Crate Training
Some will believe that crate training is cruel to the puppy. In reality it simulates natural behavior. The crate, There is not enough room here to detail crate training, but a brief overview is all I will cover. the cave or burrow of undo like the cave or burrow of undomesticated animals, becomes the puppy’s safe place. Assuming you treat it as such. There is not enough room here to detail crate training, so a brief overview is all I will cover. Like feeding it is important to establish a routine. Put the puppy in the crate at the same time each day or evening and let them out at the same time. As soon as the puppy comes out of the crate lead them to the location outside you would like them to use on a regular basis. Once they have relieved themselves, give praise and allow the puppy to play for at least a short time outside. If you immediately take the puppy back inside or worse back in the crate, they will learn to take their time going to the bathroom in order to extend their outdoor time. In the end you spend the same amount of time. If you intend to allow the puppy to roam the house when you are away or sleeping, wait until they are trained. If they have a reoccurrence, go back to the crate until once again they have bladder control.
Repetition
The real key to any training is repetition. The more you work with your new puppy, the quicker and better they will understand the desired action. Plan to spend time every day working with your puppy, especially around crate training. Give praise or a treat after the desired outcome. If you catch them having accident, say “No” firmly and take them outside to the chosen location so the job can be finished. This type of teaching is how you quickly and effectively reinforce your message to your dog. It wasn’t clear where this fit in the article, but wanted to make sure and mention it - Do the Training Outside. Do not use newspaper or pads indoors, because this only reinforces that it is okay to relieve them indoors.
Your puppy will only be trained to your level of comfort. If you are steady and consistent, you will get the results you desire. If there is a relapse, go back to the beginning, rinse and repeat. Good luck and happy training.
Simon Volk has been a contributing author for websites and is an acknowledged expert in the field of dog behavior training. He can be found on the internet at the website:
<a href="http://www.dogbehaviortraining4u.com/sitemap_1.html">Dog Behavior Training | Dog Obedience Training</a>
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