The day you bring your new puppy home can be one of the happiest times in your life. There is nothing more adorable than having that new pup become part of your family, and make itself at home.
However, aside from all the adorable things this pup will bring, you need to know about and have the tools ready for house breaking a puppy. One thing is certain when it comes to house breaking a puppy, and that is you need to have a lot of patience. If you can be patient and consistent, your puppies house breaking success will come with ease.
So, let's look at some ways to house break your pup:
At the very beginning of your training, you will need to decide on the command that you will use each time you want your pup to relieve itself. It can be as simple as the word "Go" or can be more descriptive like "potty time". Whatever the word you decide on, you will need to use it every time you your pup relieves itself. This way it will recognize the word with the action.
Puppies love rewards, and using positive reinforcements when you are toilet training your pup every time it is successful at relieving itself at the designated area, you need to praise the pup heavily and give it a reward. This could be a play with a chew toy or a small treat. Your pup will soon learn that for every time it does the right thing, it will be duly rewarded. This makes the experience a positive one for the pup (and also you!)
Should your puppy urinate on a spot that isn't its designated area, you should reprimand him. Using the same method as we did earlier by choosing one particular phrase that means to relieve itself, you also need to choose a phrase that translates to the pup that it has done something wrong. Use something like "Naughty Boy" It is equally important to use the same exact phrase for both good and bad behavior by the pup if you want the message to sink in. Consistency is most certainly the key to training.
Be sure to clean the area immediately after the pup has wet or soiled in the wrong spot. Puppies use their acute sense of smell to detect where they have wet or soiled before and will choose that spot again and again if it is not cleaned thoroughly. See my article: Help! My Dog Has wet On My Carpet And It Stinks ( How To Rid Your Home Of the Smell) for an inexpensive and effective way to eliminate pet stains and odors.
Crate training is one of the most popular ways to house train a puppy. Crate training is where you place your pup in a crate to urinate or defecate. This method is for when you are absent form your puppy and is initially a noisy and destructive method for the puppy. It is confined and unhappy that you are not there, and so will most likely cry and chew almost everything in the crate. Only place your puppy in the crate if you are not going to be there to supervise it. House training while you are home should not involve you placing the puppy in the crate.
Sure, house breaking a puppy can be quite a chore at the start of your relationship. However, you should keep in mind that it is a short phase at the beginning of your puppies training and therefore if you do it properly you will set your pup up for life with positive house training behavior.
