The Beginning Of A Long Friendship
Your Brand New Puppy
After a lot planning and searching for the right dog you finally made up your mind! You found the one that tugged at your heart. This is so exciting; you have visions of long walks in the park and insane greetings at the door when you come in from a hard day at work. You get home for the first time with your new puppy. Next you put down your precious baby and introduct it to his or her new home. You watch as the puppy starts playing with the new toys you bought and then he or she suddenly stops and squats on your rug. To your dismay you see a wet spot or a little “bundle”! You now have your first challenge; housebreaking literally staring you in the face!
Housebreaking a puppy is so very important for the well being of both you and the puppy. Sadly, the number one reason that dogs are taken to animal shelters is because the owners have been unable to house train them. This is why it is so an important to potty train your puppy right from the start.
Establish proper toilet habits when the puppy is young because it is much harder later on and these habits will last a lifetime. Usually spot on (excuse the pun) house breaking cannot begin until the puppy is at least six months old. Younger puppies usually lack the bowel and bladder control that is necessary for true house training.
Puppies younger than six months should be confined to a small, puppy proofed room when the owner is away. Cover entire floor with newspapers or similar absorbent materials. Be sure to change the paper every time it is soiled. As the puppy gets older you’ll need less paper as the puppy begins to pick a particular spot. This will be the chosen toilet spot that will be the basis of later house training.
Here is a list of training tips:
1) Make sure your puppy has constant access to the potty area.
2) Take your puppy to that area at least every 45 minutes when you are at home.
3) When you are not at home or cannot supervise the puppy, you must be sure the puppy cannot make a mistake. This would be by confining the puppy to a small area that has been thoroughly puppy proofed. Be sure to put down newspapers or Training Pads which we carry in our eBay store. Puppy proofing a room is very similar to baby proofing a room, since puppies chew on everything.
4) Be sure the potty area that does not resemble anything in your house. Good examples would be concrete, blacktop, grass or dirt. The puppy should never be encouraged to eliminate on anything that resembles the hardwood flooring, tile or carpet he may encounter in a home.
5) Praise and reward your puppy every time he eliminates in the established toilet area, make a big deal out of it. The puppy must learn to associate toileting in the established areas with good things, like treats, toys and praise from his owner.
6) Always keep a set schedule when feeding your puppy, and provide constant access to fresh, clean drinking water. A consistent feeding schedule equals a consistent toilet schedule, input/output.
7) Using a crate can be a big help in helping a puppy develop self control. The concept behind crate training is that the puppy will not want to toilet in his bed area, it isn’t a cruel thing. Remember dogs are den animals.
8) Please be patient when house training a puppy. House training can take as long as several months. Remember it is much easier to house train right the first time than to retrain a problem dog.
Tips on what not to do:
1) Never reprimands or punishes the puppy for mistakes. Punishing the puppy will only cause fear and confusion. Rubbing their nose in the mess does not work. Besides it makes the clean up harder!
2) Do not leave food out for the puppy all night long. Keep to a set feeding schedule in order to make the dog’s toilet schedule as consistent as possible.
3) Do not give the puppy the run of the house until he has been thoroughly house trained.
Some dogs and even some breeds are to be much easier to house break than others. Be patient, consistent and loving as you train your dog. Just as with training a child, using fear and intimidation does not work well. Your puppy really does want to please you and responds best to praise. If you don’t catch them making a “mistake” don’t scold them because puppies live in the moment, they quickly forget.
When you have gained your puppy’s love and respect, you will find that house training your puppy is easier than you ever expected. You will have those long walks and joyful greetings for many years ahead.
Your Best Friend Is Counting On You!
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Photo by Dan Phiffer Released under Creative Commons
