Sunday, April 15, 2012

Housebreak Your Puppy In 3 Simple Steps

By Brian Derflinger


If your new puppy just arrived in your home, you are probably wondering just how hard it will be to housebreak him. If you follow these three easy steps, you should be able to housebreak your puppy in no time at all.

First of all, you should take your puppy outside every hour, and try to always go to the same spot. Remain in the spot and deter him from walking around. Only let him wander as far as he can go on the leash. Use positive reinforcement when he goes, and offer him a treat. Give him plenty of love and take him for a walk. After he has walked, let him explore the house with no restraints for about twenty minutes. After that time, let him rest in his crate for 35 minutes. Get rid of the crate after the puppy is housebroken.

If the puppy hasn't used the bathroom after twenty minutes outside, take him back to his crate for 20 minutes to avoid that he will use the bathroom in the house instead. Continue this routine until he goes outside.

Make sure to take him out just before you go to bed. You might need to take him once or twice during the night also, but don't walk him or let him free in the house. The sleep you don't get now will pay back in the future.

Step 2 - during the next week, take your puppy out once every 90 minutes during the day and as needed in the middle of the night. He will alert you of his needs. During the day, reward him with 30 minutes of free run time if he uses the bathroom outside. If he doesn't use the bathroom, let him go back to the crate for 35 minutes. Make sure you keep him monitored when he is inside.

Continue to add time to his free time and crate time, until he can stay three hours outside of the crate and four hours inside the crate without relieving himself. The moment the puppy leaves the crate, he must go outside.

It should take about ten days for your puppy to begin to understand, but make sure you continue with your training. You should certainly continue your efforts. If you catch your puppy sniffing around the house and squatting, shout "outside!" and take him outside immediately. Let him know you are happy with his success when he is outside. When you take him back inside, make sure he is constantly monitored during play time, as to avoid any accidents.

Housebreaking a puppy involves work, but your efforts will pay off in time.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment