HOUSEBREAKING A PUPPY

As a dog trainer/behaviorist, I get more calls about housebreaking than any other behavioral problem. When housebreaking is done correctly, puppies should eliminate only outside and in the place of your choosing.  Puppies also should be 100% housebroken by 10 to 12 weeks of age.

Housebreaking any age dog is the first thing to get out of the way.  For young puppies it can take a few weeks for them to develop the knowledge and muscle control needed to completely grasp the concept of eliminating outside.  The speed at which housebreaking takes, depends on several things, the breed, age of dog, where the puppy came from (pet shop, shelter, breeder) how big the home is and how much time the owner can devote to the training.  With proper training and/or knowledge you will see results sooner than later. Although the general rule is when in doubt , take them out, there are more techniques that can help speed things along.  If I can toilet train a cat and teach him to flush when he’s done. I can housebreak any dog.

“Den” training.

To me there is no better training tool for housebreaking.  It works perfectly with a dog’s natural den predisposition.  Your dog’s ancestors would find some sort of small cave, hole or tree trunk to hide or have a litter of pups in.  Thankfully, our dogs feel more comfortable in a small area and most understand not to eliminate where they eat, sleep or on you.  Tip; Feeding their meals inside the small area,  placing an article of clothing from you, will help give them reason to “hold it”.  Then as their teacher you show them through frequency and consistency what area you want them to eliminate.

VERY IMPORTANT, even though crate training a dog is BEST, an owner MUST understand how to properly acclimate them to their new confined space!   If the acclimation process is done too fast or not done correctly, your dog will not be a happy camper, they will be barking, whining, panting or trying to dig their way out.  If they end up eliminating inside the crate more than a few times, then you’re really going to have a problem with housebreaking. Hiring a dog-friendly trainer is worth every penny.

If you bought a dog from a pet shop, usually those puppies eat, sleep and eliminate in the same small space.  Some of those puppies have lost that natural understanding and they must be rehabilitated.  Using a crate at first with these puppies is not recommended.

Once 100% acclimated, It’s very important to move the crate around to all areas of your home or wherever you want your dog not to eliminate.  Always start with the crate at night in the bedroom, next your bed.  During the day it can be in another room.  I’ve had clients with crate-trained dogs that still eliminate in the home, but not in the room where the crate was.  That’s the beauty of the crate and how a dog is wired.  If a dog spends the appropriate amount of time in a particular area while inside the crate, once you take the crate away,  9 times out of 10 they won’t eliminate in that spot.

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