Housebreaking, or potty-training, requires a lot of patience and flexibility on your part. You will need to schedule your time so that a young puppy is not alone all day, and you will need to supervise his free time in the house and clean up after his accidents.
Basic supplies you will need for housebreaking your puppy:
- Crate big enough for him to lay down and turn around in (ask about adjustable crates for growing puppies!)
- Sleeping pad for inside the crate
- A baby gate to restrict the puppy to a certain room when needed
- A good DOG-stain removal product that neutralizes the smell that will attract him to use the same spot again
- Very small, low-fat, low-sugar treats to use as rewards for releiving himself in the proper spot outside
- Proper-fitting collar
- Lightweight "puppy leash" (leashes for adult dogs are too heavy and distracting for a young pup)
Some other supplies you may need:
- Wee-wee pads or a litter box (newspapers don't work as well, but they're better than nothing)
- A square or round pen that is big enough to fit his crate and dishes and leaves enough room for him to walk around in (in case you have to leave him all day in an emergency and don't have a room that is small enough, easily blocked off, and is free of furniture that he can fit behind and potty behind)
A bitch begins training her puppies in the den. When puppies are first born, they are too young to excrete at will. Their mother stimulates them by licking their anal area. She keeps the den clean by eating their feces (gross, I know). Somewhere around six weeks of age, when they are able to fully go by themselves, the mother observes the puppies needing to go and guides them outside the den. The den is not a potty-place!
So, to your puppy, your house in no way resembles the snug confines of a den. It's the wide-open world, where a puppy can potty all he wants! You need to help him make the adjustment. Puppies at this age do not wander all over the wilderness outside the den by themselves all day long. Neither should YOUR puppy! They spend short periods of time outside with mother, beginning in small increments, and then return to the den. As they get older, they spend more time outside, they wander more, they expand their world. You need to mimic this process as closely as possible. It will save your rugs and your furniture, and your puppy will be well-trained and get into a routine that makes both your lives easier.
Some people prefer their dogs to sleep in another room and some prefer the bedroom. Truly, the bedroom is more natural, because dogs do not stay by themselves in the natural state, not even grown dogs. They are pack animals, together 24/7. Considering how human lifestyles differ from that of canines, they adjust pretty well, don't they?
Sure, with your help they do. If you don't want the puppy to sleep in the bedroom at least have him close so he feels as though he's "with" you. But NEVER LET HIM SLEEP ON THE FURNITURE, especially your bed! This sets a bad pack-order precedent.
Do not feed him or leave water for him less than 2 hours before his last potty of the night. This will make his nightime easier. Take him outside on the leash to potty first thing in the morning, and make sure you put some rewards in your pocket! Feed him according to your veterinarian's recommendations based on his age. Leave water for him at all times during the day, either in a clean bowl or a self-dispensing bottle that can be hung inside the crate (make sure to remove it at night).
Take him out 10-15 minutes after any drink or feeding, then again 10 minutes later if he doesn't "need to go" the first time. Do the same anytime he shows symptoms of needing to go (circling, sniffing the floor, squatting). If he starts to go, say a gentle, "no-no," and immediately bring him outside (always the same door). Don't let him run around and play games. Walk calmly and quietly in the area you'd prefer he'd go (if it matters to you) until he goes. When he does, immediately say, "Good potty!" and give him a treat and a pat. Now whenever you take him out to go potty, say, "Let's go potty!" He will eventually associate the words with the routine.
After he has done his thing, you can walk him or play a game with him, or better yet, give him some supervised freedom in one room in the house with you, or walk him around the entire house on a loose lead. Praise him for sticking with you and sniffing things calmly. Stop him if he tries to jump on or chew the furniture. Come to a standstill if he attempts to run around the furniture. If he picks up anything he is not supposed to have, open his jaws with your hands as you say, "Drop it,". Do not PULL the item, this incites a game of tug-of-war. Do not let him crawl behind furniture, where he may pee or poop.
Also, be aware that intense excersize relaxes his muscles so that he is more likely to go. Avoid getting him too excited in the house. When you play, watch him for signs that he may need to go. You can also encourage him to follow you around by attaching a leash or soft cotton rope to your belt or belt loop. After he's had a good 20 minutes of time out and about, put him back in his crate. Puppies need frequent naps, anyway! You can take him out for longer periods when he is least likely to go potty or in the yard. As he gets older, increase his time in the house and decrease his time in the crate. Let him have the roam of more than one room within your vision, but block off or close rooms you don't want him in.
It is best if you keep a written schedule or diary each day of his feeding times and all the times he went pee and potty. This will make you better at avoiding accidents (notice I said YOU, not him). His schedule will gradully change, with less and bigger meals and fewer potty-times. Keeping things written down helps you to be aware of his needs and his changes. Make sure the whole family participates!
The less accidents you allow the puppy to have in the first place, the smoother potty training will go. If there are days when no one can be home, enlist the help of a neighbor. Review the puppy's schedules and habits with them, so they can stop in a few times and take the puppy out as needed. Introduce them to your puppy ahead of time so your puppy will look forward to seeing their freind!
Most of all, have patience. NEVER SCOLD YOUR PUPPY FOR POTTYING! This will make him afraid to go in front of you, which will cause you all sorts of complications with the housebreaking process and your poor puppy unneccessary stress! Remember, he is a baby! It is your job to catch him and take him outside in time to prevent accidents. Once they have happened, it is too late to do anything but clean it up and make sure no scent is left behind. If the puppy is sick, this make wreak havoc for a day or two. Follow your veterinarian's advice, prevent what you can, and remember that it won't last long! You and the puppy will make mistakes (and you'll have to clean them all up), so have patience and a sense of humor!
You have a few alternatives to taking him outside. One is to set up a pen that will restrict the area he can use, and the other is a small room with no rugs or upholstered furniture he can wreck or get behind. In either case, you might want to let him get used to these facilities once or twice for short periods of time prior so that he will be familiar with them. This is also true of a litter box, if you'd rather use that than wee-wee pads. You should put him in it once or twice when he needs to go the day before you need to use it, so he will know what it's for. Reward and praise him just as you did when he went outside.
Using a pen:
- Make sure the pen is big enough to allow you to put his open crate and his bowls and chewies on one side, and the potty area in another, with enough space left for him to walk around.
- Set up the pen in a place that is not drafty or hot. Some people prefer that this is in the same room where the outside door is located through which he goes to use the potty.
- Put the litter box or scented wee-wee pads on the opposite side from his crate.
Using a small room:
- Do not use a room with a rug or upholstered furniture that can be ruined by an accident.
- Put his crate, bowls and chewies in the room with him.
- Make sure the potty area is not near his crate.
- Do not leave anything out that you wouldn't want him to chew.
- Do not allow him access to chocolate, medicines, or poisonous plants and materials.