How to Housebreak a Puppy - Part 1

by Ana Walsh
http://www.dogbehaviorexpert.com

When it comes to housebreaking a puppy, you need to make sure to start potty training them right from the start. It's easy to get caught up in their cuteness and the excitement of having a new pet, but you want to be sure to establish good habits with them right from the beginning or it could cause problems later on.

When it comes to housebreaking, there are plenty of methods out there for doing it. Paper training is one commonly taught method, which I don't recommend. Paper training involves training your puppy to pee and poop inside of your house on a puppy pad or on newspapers. Then, after they've learned to do that, training them to go outside. It's much more effective to train them to go outside right from the start if that's where you plan on them going for the long term.

One other method is crate training. Crate training is very popular and very effective. Basically you get a crate from the pet store that is about the size of your dog's bed. Dogs will typically not go potty in this area when they are in it because it is such a small space, they would be forced to lay on it or very close to it.

Whenever there is a time you can't supervise your puppy, such as when you leave the house, or you are cooking, working, cleaning, working on crafts, etc. you place your puppy inside the crate. This way, they learn that if they need to go potty, their body is able to hold it. It makes them realize they don't have to immediately go potty every time they feel the urge.

It's very important you get the right size crate. A crate that's too large may cause them to go potty in one corner and sleep in the other. If the crate is too little, they won't be able to lay down comfortably. They should have enough space in the crate to move around a little bit, and lay down.

Here's an excellent tip that you'll really like. You can teach your puppy a 'potty word'. No, I'm not talking about profanity! A 'potty word' is a word/phrase you tell them when you want them to do their business quickly, instead of just goofing off in the yard. It doesn't matter what your phrase is, it can be anything. I'd suggest using a word that's exclusive to that though, not something you may say on a regular basis. Make sure you use this phrase consistently every single time.

For your dog to learn this potty word, you'll wait until they're going to the bathroom, and just as they are finishing, you'll say the potty word. Then you'll immediately follow that up with lots of enthusiastic praise and a really yummy treat. The yummier the treat, the more effective this will be.

Be sure that if you take them outside to play games or go for a walk, you don't say this potty word. It needs to be something exclusive to them going to the bathroom, not a commonly used phrase you may accidentally say at some other time. Over time, you will be able to tell your dog the phrase and they will do their business immediately and rush back to you for their treat, rather than leisurely strolling around in the yard while you sit around and wait for them to potty.

Get more tips and tricks to train a dog at DogBehaviorExpert.com, where I provide information to solve all types of dog behavior problems .

Article submitted Saturday, January 30, 2010 & read 103 times.

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