Wednesday, December 14, 2011

How Do I House-Train my Puppy?

Start house-training your puppy as soon as you get him home. Even before you bring him into the house for the first time, take him to the potty spot you've chosen, and let him sniff around. Make note of any patterns of sniffing, circling, and squatting. These are his clues that he needs to go out. If he performs, praise him in a happy tone of voice, "Good Potty!" Then take him inside, and introduce him to his special place, which can be a crate or anything.

Dog develop preferences for certain potty surfaces, usually based on what they learn as a puppy. It's a good idea to expose your pup to different potty surfaces such as asphalt, concrete, and gravel so that if you don't have access to grass, you won't have a problem getting him to go.


Young puppies should not have the run of the house. Before you bring your puppy home, choose a safe area of the house to let your pup stay. This is usually a kitchen, laundry room, bathroom or some other area with an uncarpeted floor. Rooms with tile, vinyl, or concrete floors are good choices.



Lay down papers in this rooms (this is not paper-training but simply an easier way to clean up messes). Put your pup's open crate, a couple of chew toys, and a food and water dish at the opposite end of the room. Close off the room with a baby gate or other barrier to prevent him from wandering throughout the house. Until your puppy is house-trained, he need to be under your direct supervision or confined to an area where he can't get into trouble.

The goal is for your pup to eliminate away from his crate and eating area whenever you aren't there to take him out. Once your pup is consistently eliminating in a certain spot on the papers, you can gradually take up the papers, leaving only the favored area covered.

If you come home and your pup has pottied in the safe room, don't scold him. He's just doing what comes naturally. Take him outside and praise him when he potties in the chosen spot. If you take him to the same area every time, the lingering scent will prompt him to go again.

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