Dog Housetraining For Your New Dog or Puppy
Puppies have very little control over their excretory functions until they are over seven months of age, so keep that in mind when puppy housetraining. At least once per hour and possibly more often, it will have to relieve itself. After playing, eating and sleeping your puppy will have the urge to use its bowels. By keeping your puppy confined to a relatively small area lined with papers, it will not have the opportunity to make a mistake and necessitate a verbal reprimand. It will naturally seek the place furthest from its sleeping quarters to soil, so that it may keep its own bed clean.
Knowing the habits of your pup will allow you to place your pup on its papers, or take it outside, after it eats, sleeps and plays. After your pup has successfully soiled where you have placed it, lavish it with sincere praise. Unconvincing praise doesn’t fool anyone, not even an eight week old puppy. People who have a limited house area, such as apartment dwellers, seem to be more successful due to necessity. It is not important where you live, the same rules apply to your dogs potty training.
Supervising your puppy at all times is required if you let it have the freedom of the whole house. Taking your pup out to the yard, or onto its papers has to be quick, if you see it lowering its head, sniffing and circling. When it relieves itself, praise is in order. However, if, through your fault, it has an accident, no spanking or rubbing its nose in it. Your pup will not understand what you are doing.
Such punishment does not fit the crime and will only encourage bad habits such as stool eating and thereby re-infestation with parasites. By all means show your pup what it has done, scold it and place it on the papers. By you not being vigilant and consistent, an accident occurred. Clean and disinfect the soiled area thoroughly to remove any odour, otherwise your pup will seek out this spot again. Having the freedom of the whole house is the biggest disadvantage you have in teaching your puppy potty habits and you could end up with real housetraining problems.
Paper training an older dog is generally not required. Take an older dog outside after meals, naps first thing in the morning and last thing at night. No matter what age your dog is, praise should never be forgotten when it does the right thing. These are the simple rules to puppy housetraining as you show how pleased you are with praise and affection and they reward you with good behavior as they want to please you, their leader.
