House breaking instructions

If you are prepared & committed from the first moment you introduce your new puppy or dog to your home, it should take about 2 weeks to achieve appropriate housetraining behavior. Toilet areas can be as specific as a litter box or as general as an area outside. You must have a clear idea, however, of what is an acceptable toilet spot, before you start educating your dog. Your dog can be trained to use only a specific corner of the yard if you are willing to take the time to train your dog to that level of understanding. Your attitude is the most important ingredient in the formula of house training. You are taking your dog or puppy through a process of education; he does not know that it is wrong to use your carpet as his toilet. His Mother never told him. It is not preprogrammed into his genetic coding. It is your job to help him understand the whole concept. With patience and understanding you and your furry friend should be able to achieve your goal in a few short weeks.

Create a schedule (one that is convenient for you)

1. Do not feed your dog /puppy free choice meals, while establishing a housetraining schedule. Keep all meals on a predictable schedule. Snacks & treats should be kept to a minimum while setting a schedule. Avoid any rich foods that could upset your puppy's bowels.
2. Establish a bedtime and a wake up time. try to stick to these times as closely as possible.
3. Puppies need a lot of nap times, make sure your schedule allows for these. Keep in mind, your puppy will need to go out immediately after all naps.
4. Anytime your puppy has been emotionally stimulated (IE) frightened or a very rowdy play time your puppy may experience the need to eliminate.

Supervise in the house

1. If you know where your dog is at all times and what he is doing, you can catch him before he makes a mistake .......
2. If he starts to make a mistake, firmly but calmly say "No" and take him straight out to the toilet area . Do not yell at your puppy or chase him.
3. If you are busy and cannot totally supervise your puppy, put him in a contained area, where he won't make a mistake, or tie him to the door knob of the room you are in.

When supervision is not possible (gone to work all day?)

1. Provide a small area to contain your puppy IE) a crate or small bathroom or fenced off corner of the garage.
2. Do not leave food and water with your puppy and do not load your puppy down with a lot of doggie cookies. If you are gone 8 hours, it would be good to find someone who would take him for a walk and give him some water.

Take Your Puppy Out

1. Take your puppy out to the desired toilet area and stand quietly while your puppy investigates the area for the "right" spot. This is not play time! Do not distract your puppy by trying to talk to him into hurrying up. 3 to 5 minutes is the length of time you should give your puppy. If he does not go potty during that time , return him to the house and contain him ( in a crate ) for a half hour, then try again.
2. When he does start to potty, quietly and calmly praise him (while he is in the process of going potty). Use the word you have chosen for this IE) "Good Potty", when he is done, you can praise him with more enthusiasm.
3. Learn your puppy's habits. Some puppies need to potty 2 or 3 times in one outing. Urination is often followed by a BM.
4. If the weather is foul and you aren't happy about taking out your puppy, it is very important not to let your puppy sense this. You may create a dog that does not like using the outside to do his business in foul weather.
5. While you are learning your puppy's habits, take him out, every time he wakes up, after he has eaten, and after all play sessions.

When You Catch Your Puppy In The Act

1. Quietly but firmly say "No " , if you feel you need volume to get your puppy's attention , clap your hands.
2. Help your puppy get outside to the appropriate potty area; follow the preceding instructions for taking your puppy out.
3. Clean the mess with an odor neutralizer. Your puppy's sense of smell is far superior to ours. If it smells like a toilet area to him, he will continue to use that area for a toilet. Do not clean up the mess in front of the puppy.

If You Find The Mess Later

1. Realize that someone wasn't supervising when they should have been.
2. Put the puppy on a leash and calmly bring him to the scene of the accident. Keep the dog to your side, not in front of you. While your puppy is watching ....Quickly & firmly scold the potty, NOT your puppy.
3. Blot up some of the urine on a tissue and take it and your puppy out to the appropriate toilet area. Place the tissue with the potty on it on the ground, with the puppy watching; Praise the tissue for being in the right area, then leave the tissue there.
4. Clean up the remaining mess as previously stated.