The Art of Housebreaking A New Puppy

So you’re the proud owner of a new puppy. Now the fun begins and
you have years of companionship ahead of you.

Unfortunately you are also the not so proud owner of soggy
carpets – right? Obviously you quickly decide this has got to
stop before your floors are ruined. Well how do you stop it?
It’s time to properly housebreak that new puppy.

Housebreaking may sound painful and time consuming, but relax
it’s really not that difficult. All dogs’ have a natural
tendency to want to keep their living area clean. So by firmly
establishing, in your pets mind, that this is his home you will
have helped solve the problem all by itself. Normally this takes
time but there are several ways you can “speed up” this process.

First you want to be sure your pet is healthy to start with or
your training may be all for naught. If you have not taken your
pet to the vet already, make an appointment immediately to get
them checked over. Your vet will check for overall healthiness
and for any conditions that might make house training difficult
- such as cystitis and kidney or bladder dysfunctions.

While your pet is visiting the veterinarian, ask the vet to
check for worms and parasites by way of a fecal exam. Normally a
vet will do this anyway but it is always best to ask.

Please bear in mind the truthfulness behind moms’ wisdom — “You
are what you eat.” Poor quality dog food, or snacks from your
plate, will contribute to a poor nutritional state with your
pet. In addition, it can cause digestive problems resulting in
loose stools contributing to your puppy’s inability to control
him/her self.

The number one factor in housebreaking your pet is very close
supervision. Dogs, and puppies, learn by repetition so this is
absolutely necessary. When your dog shows signs of needing to
relieve him/her self immediate action must be taken to
get the animal to its designated “bathroom” area. Above all else
consistency in this training is absolutely critical. Just
because it’s cold or dark outside is no excuse and is
unacceptable as your pet doesn’t care all it knows is it has to
go! This close supervision, during housebreaking, is necessary
as it gives you the opportunity to learn your dog’s special
quirks.

These may be the need to urinate, or potty, right after eating,
or it could simply be certain actions your puppy takes just
prior to soiling the floor. Without this close supervision you
will miss these actions and not understand how to respond in the
future. But more importantly, it allows you to correct a
situation while it is still fresh in the dogs mind. Even though
dogs are very intelligent creatures their short term memory is
not a strong point and correcting them after several minutes
have passed serves no real purpose except to confuse your pet.

Another key to housebreaking is to give your dog a limited
amount of space. Using baby gates across doorways or a pet crate
will help to confine the dog to a certain area while helping the
new puppy to recognize this as his living space. The natural
tendency of dogs is to go outside of their living space to
urinate.

By making this association for your pet it will make your job a
lot easier. Lining this living space with old news papers is an
excellent idea, especially at first, as it facilitates a much
easier cleanup if any accidents occur. Common sense should tell
you that some surfaces are more pet-friendly than others so try
to confine your new pet to areas with tile or vinyl floors.
These are much easier to clean and they do not retain odors like
carpets do. If at all possible avoid letting them have access to
any carpet or hardwood floors as they will retain odors and can
be extensively damaged by an errant pup. This was the mistake we
made with our first puppy and he ruined an area of our hardwood
flooring.

Always remember to limit the amount of water your dog has access
to at the end of the day otherwise you’ll be making a walk with
your pet during the middle of the night. It is strongly
advisable to take a quick walk outside at regularly timed
intervals during training so it helps your pet to set their own
internal schedule. Be certain to use a consistent keyword to
tell your pet why you are out in the yard such as “potty” or
“toilet” or anything of your choosing. Do NOT return indoors
until they have relieved themselves. Always remember to give
lots of praise when your dog relieves itself in the appropriate
places such as on newspapers or outdoors and be consistent in
your training as this is the key to success.

If your pet does have an accident indoors you must immediately
correct the animal. Then clean the area using some non-ammonia
based cleaner and an Enzyme based deodorizer. If you do not
thoroughly clean, and deodorize, the area removing all odors the
animal will repeat the behavior again – in the same area!

By following these simple rules your floors and your new pet
will be able to coexist peacefully. In addition, you and your
pet will get through this with relatively little stress while
building a good bond between you.