Puppies: How to Housetrain Your Puppy | Quamut: the go to how to - Sent Using Google Toolbar

Puppies: How to Housetrain Your Puppy | Quamut: the go to how to

How to Housetrain Your Puppy

All dogs have a natural tendency to relieve themselves inside the home because it's warm and dry and often has absorbent carpet. That said, there are several effective ways to housetrain your puppy. A properly housetrained puppy will learn to relieve himself only during walks and outdoor potty breaks.

Housetraining with Positive Reinforcement

It's never helpful to punish your puppy for an accident in the house. Instead, by following a positive reinforcement method in which you reward your puppy for "good behavior" (outlined below), you can train your puppy to relieve himself outdoors. The entire housetraining process usually takes 2–3 weeks.

1. Between potty breaks, keep your puppy in his crate or within 10 feet of you (tie his leash to your waist, or confine him within a puppy pen near you).
2. Look for signs that your puppy needs to go, such as sniffing the ground, circling, or scratching the floor. When you recognize these signs, take him outside to the potty area. This should be a spot in your yard (or whatever outdoor area you're using) that you consistently go to whenever your puppy needs to relieve himself. You should also be consistent in the route that you use when you take your puppy outside. Following the same route and routine will help reinforce the idea that the potty area should be the only place where the puppy goes to the bathroom.
3. In a calm, friendly voice, use a consistent command to tell your puppy to go. For example, if you say "Go potty," you'll need to repeat that command every time you take your puppy (or dog) outside to relieve himself.
4. Wait for the puppy to go, then reward him with a treat and positive verbal praise before bringing him back inside. If your puppy doesn't go, bring him inside, put him back in his crate for 10 minutes, then try again.
5. If you catch your puppy relieving himself inside, clap your hands to interrupt and say "No" firmly, then head outside to the potty area. (Unless the mess is on carpet or fabric, take the puppy out first and clean up later. For help removing stains, see the Quamut guide to Stain Removal.)
6. Once you're outside, use your command ("Go potty"), let the puppy finish going, and reward him. Clean up inside after you return.

Housetraining vs. Paper Training

Paper training is the process of training a puppy to relieve himself on a square of newspaper or other absorbent surface. New puppy owners often make the mistake of assuming that paper training is a step toward housetraining, when in fact the two are totally different. Paper training is useful for people who cannot take their puppies or dogs outside often, such as the elderly or disabled. If you plan to require your puppy to relieve himself outside only—as the vast majority of dog owners do—then choose housetraining over paper training. Trying to train your puppy to relieve himself on paper and then training him to go only outside will most likely lead to frustration for you and confusion for your puppy.