HOUSEBREAKING A NEW PUPPY

Puppies take longer to train than kittens. They are not able to “hold it” until about 12 weeks of age. Luckily, they desperately want to please you. Practice the following housebreaking routines consistently and patiently and your efforts will be rewarded!

1) Start your housebreaking routine with your new puppy as soon as possible.

2) Puppies want to keep their “home” clean so start out by providing a crate or small room for the puppy. This is his “living quarters”. Do not allow your puppy to roam around the house until it is housebroken. Pay lots of attention to your puppy while he is in his “home”.

3) Puppies need to be taken outside to relieve themselves many times per day, especially after eating, drinking, playing or sleeping. Since young puppies can’t “hold it”, the idea is to not let the puppy's bladder get too full. Make sure they have relieved themselves before bringing them back inside.

4) Praise your puppy every time he relieves himself outside.

5) If he has an “accident” in the house, verbally scold him in a stern voice and then take him outside or place him on newspaper or puppy pads. Then speak gently to your puppy. Do not strike your puppy or rub his nose in his mess. Remember, he wants to please you!

6) If you can’t take your puppy outside every couple of hours or so, consider using puppy housebreaking pads or newspaper placed on one side of the puppy’s crate or room. Puppies don’t like to relieve themselves in their crate or room but if they do will choose to go on one side of the room. Place the newspaper or pads there. Keep his food, water and blanket on the other side.

7) If your puppy needs to be trained to go in his crate because there is nobody to take him outside, remember to change the pads or newspaper regularly. Leave just a trace of his “accidents” on the new pads or newspapers and his powerful sense of smell will direct him to continue to go on the newspapers and pads.

8) As he gets older, let him out of his crate but always have the newspapers or pads close to your puppy.

9) For outside training, try to use the same door and take your puppy to the same spot in the yard. The odor from previous trips to this spot will trigger your puppy to want to go in the same spot.

It will take about 2 to 3 months before a puppy can control his urge to go. At about 3 to 4 months he can control his urge better and will not need to go as often. By 5 or 6 months your puppy should be well trained!