A Step by Step Guide on House Training Puppies

When you bring home a puppy, you have to be prepared for it to be a tiny pooping and peeing machine. And potty training this furry little bundle that zips, zaps and zooms around the house will be quite a task.

You have to persevere for at least six months before you can expect your puppy to be reasonably house broken. Till that time, be prepared for all kinds of surprises and accidents inside the house and its best if you stored away that precious Persian carpet that grandma Jane gave you for Christmas! House training puppies is no cakewalk, I can tell you that.

What are the initial rules to house training my puppy?

Before we move on to the basics of house training your puppy, you have to know the cardinal rules of the game. The first one is, “If you don’t catch your puppy in the act, you can’t punish him.” If you punish him half an hour after he peed in your shoes, he will not be able to make the association and will be very confused as to why he is being punished.

The second rule is, “Praise him when he gets it right.” If your puppy shows the initiative to relieve himself outside the house, pet him, praise him, and treat him. He will soon catch on that going outside is what you expect from him and if he is praised enough, he will willingly oblige.

What do I do with my puppy when I’m not home?

When you are away from home your puppy should be put into his crate or kennel. Place his toys, bed, food and water in the crate. By nature the dog will refrain from soiling the area in which he sleeps and crate training capitalizes on that philosophy.

However, don’t leave them in the crate for too long. Remember that they are only puppies and they will not be able to control their bowel movements for too long. If you have to be away for too long, have a neighbor or a friend come home and let the puppy out every 3-4 hours.

How do I train my puppy when he’s home?

When you are at home, the best way to house break your puppy is to watch him with a hawk’s eye. Constant supervision is the keyword. This can only be done by people who spend most of their time at home, such as retired persons, home makers, or those who have a work from home arrangement.

Basically, what you do is watch your puppy for all the tell tale signs that he’s about to go. Typically, he will start pacing, sniffing and circling a specific area to designate a spot to pee or poop. The moment you see that, you have to pick the puppy up, rush outside, and after he’s done, you praise him lavishly and bring him inside immediately. The puppy has to understand that the reason for going outside was only to go to the bathroom, not for a walk or to play.

What’s the best indoor dog potty method?

The other option you have is to use newspapers or pre-treated pads. The pre-treated pads have a certain smell that puppies like and it encourages them to pee or poop on them. Whenever you notice them doing their “potty dance,” you pick them up very gently place them on the newspapers or pre-treated pads. When they go on them, you praise them again, encouraging them to only use the paper-proofed area.

Slowly, when they begin using the papers regularly, you move them closer to the door, and place a set outside. This way, you are able to transition from home to outside space. Finally, the papers are done away with all together, when your puppy is able to gather that he is supposed to go outside the house, not inside.

As far as methods for house training puppies go, this particular one isn’t as popular as the others, since, for some time, your puppy is dirtying the house. Also, professional trainers believe that when you use this method, it actually takes longer for the puppies to be trained.