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Training : Housebreaking Most owners have the highest expectations, with the least understanding, when it comes to teaching their dogs how to go to the bathroom outside, while on a walk or in a designated area. To really establish how you are going to accomplish this daunting task, you must determine these three things; Where will the puppy sleep at night, where will the puppy stay during the day or when you are not there, and finally, where will your puppy be when you are home.... Dogs must eliminate and puppies more often than older dogs because of more food intake with less control of their bodily functions. Dogs do not come into the home automatically knowing that the bathroom is outside or, if necessary, on paper or a pad. (IÕll touch on paper training a little later on.) Teaching your puppy or dog to hold itÕs bladder and bowels requires you to utilize itÕs natural instincts. Teaching it how to let you know when it must go outside is hit-and-miss. Since many young dogs have not learned how to let you know, close supervision is necessary. Remember the old-fashioned nose-rubbing technique. Believe me when I tell you that your dog knows that what you are rubbing its nose in came from its own body. What it does not know, and will never understand, is why you're determined to shove it up its nostrils. This method only serves to make your dog fear your hands coming close to its face. It does not teach your dog where its bathroom is and where it is not. Dogs simply do not have the ability to equate this or any correction with the act of going to the bathroom. Never correct your dog during or after the accident as you may soon find your dog has decided you donÕt like when it goes to the bathroom and might therefore never go in front of you again. This can be a major problem for owners who must walk their dogs for bathroom duty. With housebreaking you must be extremely consistent, always supervise your puppy and allow it the opportunity to go to the bathroom. Supervision and prevention are the keys to successful housebreaking. I cannot emphasize this enough. Setting your dog up for success is fundamental to housebreaking your dog. If the dog goes to the bathroom where it is not supposed to, it is your mistake and not the dog's. Never correct your dog for this mistake. It was your lapse in supervision and your dog's lack of understanding. Housebreaking problems are simply your dog not connecting where its den is and where the bathroom is. Once your dog has pooped in your living room it has decided on its own where its bathroom is. Since supervision and prevention are essential to successful housebreaking, setting your dog up for success will expedite the process and relieve some of your frustration. On this subject, canine instincts are pretty much cut-and-dried. With few exceptions, since a dog is a den animal, it will not go to the bathroom where it eats, sleeps or lays down. Mother Nature dictates this and you can not change it except to force it upon the dog. Paper training basically "reprograms" a dog to soil its den. Pet Store puppies or puppies raised in unclean environments are similarly forced to go against their natural instincts. However, using the right methods and with consistency, you can use this natural instinct to your advantage. Crate training is perhaps the easiest, most humane and effective way I can think of to housebreak your dog. Remember, your dog is instinctively a den animal. A crate provides a safe environment for your dog and an effective tool for you during those times when you cannot physically supervise your dog, which is when it is most likely to take a potty break. The crate itself should only be large enough for the dog to turn around, stand up and lay down. If it can mess in one corner and lay down in the opposite one, it will. If you have a small puppy that will someday be a large dog, buy a larger size and make it smaller, gradually making more room as the dog grows. Pet store puppies sometimes need a few days, and sometimes longer, to become accustomed to crate training because, for however long it has been confined and available for purchase, it has been forced to go to the bathroom where it ate and slept. A word of caution about using the crate; a young puppy must never be left in the crate for more than 2 or 3 hours during the day. It is too much to ask, and many health problems can result including, but not limited to, urinary tract infections. Also, your puppy or older dog needs access to water at all times during the day. Use the attachable bowls that come with the crate or a small animal water bottle that can be licked to deliver water. One last thing: avoid using pee pads or paper in the crate as this will most likely cause your dog to go potty on it, and it will have great fun tearing it to pieces afterwards. Leave a chew toy or stuffed animal for entertainment. The crate is an excellent area to put your dog in for bedtime. This is perhaps the best use for the crate. You must make sure before you put your pup in for the night that it will be comfortable for the duration. Dinnertime should be as early in the evening as possible, water should be cut off 2 to 3 hours before bedtime and the puppy should be allowed to eliminate just before going in. Give it several chances throughout the evening. The later you put your pup in the crate at night the better. YouÕll get a good nightÕs sleep that way. The crate is instant supervision without restraint. And it is portable so it can be moved from room to room very easily. Best of all, you can monitor when your dog has gone to the bathroom and anticipate when it will need to go again. It also serves to help your pup learn to hold its bladder. If crate training is not feasible, section off a small portion of the kitchen or bathroom where if your puppy makes a mess it will be easier to clean up. Paper training is hit-and-miss and can cause housebreaking to take longer. You want your puppy or dog to eventually view the whole house as its den. Some owners must teach their dogs to go on paper or pads and few are very successful. If your are consistent in keeping the area clean you should have better luck. If you decide to use paper, do not correct your puppy for missing the paper. It will not understand what you are correcting it for. If you paper train and like to read the newspaper, donÕt leave it laying around. Your pup may decide that you want it to go right next to your reading chair as this is where you left the paper. Forcing a pup to soil inside the house causes some confusion and inconsistency so my opinion is crate training is the better answer. My best advice though, if you have the yard or an area to do so, is to build your puppy or dog a run where it is confined and safe, yet free to eat, drink and go to the bathroom. The area does not have to be very large but should have shade and protection from the elements like rain and snow. It should be secure enough so that it can not dig or climb out and nothing can get in but you and your family. Of course, if your dog is going to be an outside dog, (or even inside when you are home, outside when you are gone) and is only going to the bathroom outside, the crate won't be necessary. Your dog will learn to go outside because it is the only place where it has gone. Supervision will still be necessary when inside until you are confident it understands that the bathroom is outside and it has not had accidents for a period of time. Supervision is vital to quickly teaching your puppy or dog where the bathroom is. When inside and not confined, have your puppy or dog on-leash and attached to someone so it cannot sneak away to do its thing. How many times has an attentive owner answered the phone only to find out once they hung up that their pup had taken that break in the action to go potty. We have all done it. This is very important and although having your dog attached to you may seem like a hassle at first, it is far better than cleaning up the mess or having to replace your carpeting. Remember these rules of housebreaking and I know you will have success with less mess! Some owners want their dogs outdoors when they are gone but bad weather sometimes prevents this. A basement or garage area can work with a little bit of imagination. I have had clients who install a doggie door into the door that leads outside from the garage. They then build a confined area just inside the garage that the dog can come into, lay down and keep warm and dry ,without the freedom to destroy the garage .However, they still have access to the outside when they need to go. This is a good alternative and is very effective. I have more calls and emails during the winter regarding dogs that were housebroken but had suddenly began having accidents. A wet, even sporadically so, winter can cause many indoor dogs to begin having problems due to severe weather changes. You may need to consider all of the methods listed in the previous paragraphs so you do not find yourself re-housebreaking your dog. A dog that is already housebroken can begin having problems out of the blue and for seemingly no reason. Consider any changes going on around you or your household. Dogs are so routine oriented that simply buying a new couch can cause a problem. If someone has moved in or out, or remodeling or new landscaping has begun, you might consider these activities as the source of the problem. If nothing has changed you might want to get your dog a check-up to see if there are any physical problems. An ear infection can create all kinds of problems if not taken care of and, like an infant, your dog has no way of letting you know it is experiencing discomfort or pain. Regardless of the reason, most likely you will need to start from square one in housebreaking your dog. This time shouldn't take as long as before, but you never know. How long does it take to housebreak a dog or puppy? There is no definite answer for this. Your consistency will certainly speed up the process. But, every dog is different and you will have to remain diligent in your efforts until your dog is accident free. A very important issue I get asked about all the time is marking. This is not a housebreaking issue and your chances of correcting this behavior are extremely slim to none. If a dog begins to mark its territory inside your house, your best bet is to make this an outside dog. Its instincts are so strong that it must do what nature dictates. Save yourself the frustration and create an area outside where it can mark every darn thing it comes into contact with. If you live in an apartment or condominium with no yard, consider doggie diapers. Better yet, improve your chances with your male dog by having it neutered before it begins marking. Not always fool proof, especially for dogs within a pack, but it improves your chances of not having a urine spot on every plant, couch, pillow and chair in your home. « back to top 
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