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Method for Housetraining Your Dog
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The task of housetraining your dog should be one of the first things you tackle upon adoption. Whether you have a new puppy or an older dog, there is no excuse for not properly housetraining your dog. In fact, many dogs each year are forced to find new homes when their current owners fail in the housetraining task and become tired of the dog having accidents in their home. However, before you begin, know that it will take time and dedication for both you and your dog, so you should pledge to provide your dog with the appropriate attention for this process.
- Time your Training: Just like in humans, a dog's bladder must fully develop before it can gain full control. For this reason, your young puppy may be apt to have accidents in your home simply because he cannot help it. During this time, you should never threaten, verbally abuse, or physically harm your dog for doing his business in your home. Typically, a puppy can control his bladder by the age or four or five months, although this age has been known to vary in smaller breeds of dogs.
- Skip Indoor Training: In years past, dogs would be trained to do their business indoors at a specific spot, and then moved outside at a later date. Unless you plan on allowing your dog to consistently complete his business indoors, you should skip this step and immediately begin outdoor training. It can be quite confusing to a dog to be allowed to relieve himself indoors one minute, then scolded for not going outdoors the next.
- Practice Confinement: Instead of allowing your dog to have free rein of your home, confine him to an easy to clean space of your home when left unsupervised. This will create cleaning accidents easier and ensure you find the accidents in a timely manner. No one wants to find an "accident" days or even weeks after it has been committed. Also, when you are at home and can supervise your dog, be sure to do so. If he starts to exhibit typical bathroom behavior (such as frantic walking, whining, squatting, or sniffing), immediately make a run for the great outdoors.
- Develop a Command: Have a command that your dog can associate with going outside to relieve himself. This command can make your life a great deal easier when your trained dog is taking his time in the frigid winter or you are pressed for time on a trip.
Separate Tasks: Most trips outside involve play, so your dog becomes focused on playing instead of doing the business at hand. Instead of allowing your dog to play on these bathroom trips, consider breaking up the outings. Take your dog outside specifically for the point of relieving himself, and then return home and provide praise and treats. From here, make another trip to allow your dog to play. This separation will allow you to ensure your dog does not become sidetracked and avoids doing his business outdoors. Eventually, once your dog is fully housebroken, you can discontinue these double trips into a single one.
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