Housetraining Your New Puppy
The most important thing you can do to house train a dog is to never let him make a mistake. Dogs learn by
pattern training, and the first time they do something sets the pattern for every other time that follows.In other
words, it's ten times harder to un-train a behavior (like relieving himself on the Oriental carpet) that has
already been established, than to train the proper behavior (relieving himself in the backyard) in the first
place.When you first bring your pup home, take him to the area of your yard in which you want him to toilet.
Choose a command word like "Hurry" or"Potty"(Remember you will be saying this word in public for the rest of
your dog’s life so choose a word you're not embarrassed to say!) When he performs, say "good!"
followed by your command word (Good potty!) In a calm, praising tone, and pick the pup up to take him
inside.Your new pup should have his own crate (see article on Crate Training) where he will spend the
majority of his first three months. Dogs do not like to soil the area in which they sleep, so the crate should be
small enough that he cannot use one part of it for sleeping and another for his toilet. You should take your
dog out every two hours by picking him up and carrying him in your arms (thus not allowing him to make a
mistake in the house on his way to the designated toilet area). As he squats to relieve himself, use his
command word "Go potty" or "hurry". When he completes his toilet, praise him calmly,again using the
command word "Good potty" and pick him up and carry him back into the house, where he can have a play
session of twenty minutes or so under your direct supervision. For the first few weeks, the puppy should never
be out of his crate inside the house unless your eyes are on him every minute.A general rule of thumb is that
most dogs can control their bladders one hour for every month of their age. A two month old puppy will have to
go out every 2 hours, for example, a three month old, every 3 hours, a four month old every 4 hours. Avoid
feeding your dog or allowing him free access to water after 7:00 p.m. and he should be able to double that
number at night. Should your dog have an accident in the house, the first thing you should ask yourself is Why
weren't you watching him? Punishment is unfair and ineffective if you come upon the scene of the crime after
it's over. At that point, all you can do is clean it up, apologize to your dog, and vow to do better next time. If you
can catch your dog in the act, quickly scoop him up and carry him outside. A sharp, "Don't!" may be effective
in getting his attention, but don't yell at the dog or scold him all the way outside. After all, whose fault is it the
accident happened?Who didn't take him out soon enough, watch him closely enough, or read the signals he
needed to go out? Besides, a sudden scolding can frighten your dog, which will cause the sphincter muscles
to contract and prevent him from finishing outside what he started inside or, even worse, teach him that it';s
dangerous to toilet in your presence. When he completes his business on the grass, praise him as usual and
carry him back inside. Crate the dog while you clean up his mess, using an enzymatic cleaner that will
eradicate the odor and lessen the chances of his returning to the same spot. Expect a regression of your
perfectly housetrained dog between 4 and 6 months old. This may be because their bodies are growing faster
than their bladders, or it may be adolescent hormones causing a sudden learning disability. Be patient, but be
firm. Do not tolerate in an adult -or nearly adult dog what you would not tolerate in a puppy. You may have to
retrace your house training steps for a few days, but eventually lessons forgotten will be remembered and all
will be on track again. If a regression in housetraining does not clear up after a few days, or if the dog
continually soils his crate or bedding, have him checked by your veterinarian for possible illness.
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