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House Training: Stop Accidents Before They Happen

House training your puppy is a necessity. No one wants a pet who eliminates wherever they want. Although dogs can be potty trained at any age, the earlier it’s done, the sooner you’ll see success.

The one exception to this is puppies under 12 weeks of age. This is because they have little to no control over their bladders. You can begin training with your puppy before he’s 12 weeks, but anticipate more accidents during this time.

Formulate Your House Training Plan

Preparation begins even before your puppy comes home. Create a plan based on your lifestyle and living situation, then purchase the supplies you need.

Unless someone will be home with the puppy all day, you’ll need to keep him in a safe, designated area. You can use a crate, a room with a closed door, or section off an area with a baby gate.

If you’re using a room of the house, be sure it has bare floors rather than carpeting or rugs so accidents don’t get soaked up while you’re away. Remove any items the puppy could chew on or get caught up in, including window blind cords and electrical wires. Puppy pads are recommended in this situation.

Using a Crate

If you’re going to crate train your puppy, decide what size crate you want to purchase. Do you want to purchase a crate that fits him now, or one he will grow into? A non-house trained puppy should have just enough room inside the crate to stand up, turn around and lie down.

The rule of thumb is to get a crate one-and-a-half times the length of the dog from his nose to the start of his tail. However, if you know your puppy will be much larger when full-grown, you can begin with a crate big enough for his adult size as long as you can attach partitions that will limit his access to the appropriate amount of space.

Leave the bottom of the crate bare. Puppies normally will not lie in their own urine. Therefore, limit the space in the crate to the room he needs to sleep, with nothing absorbent to pee on.

No matter the method you choose for house training, the most important and abundant supply you’ll need is patience.

Getting Started

Several rules of thumb will help you through the house training process.

  • Until your puppy has shown he understands the concept of eliminating in a designated area, keep him with you on a leash whenever he’s in the house. This allows you to quickly escort him outside if he looks like he’s about to go to the bathroom.
  • Puppies generally can hold their bladders for as many hours as they are months old plus one. For instance, a 4-month old puppy will likely be able to hold his urine for 5 hours. Therefore, if you leave your puppy alone for longer than that, expect to come home to an accident.
  • Never punish your puppy for an accident. It will only serve to create fear in him whenever he has to eliminate. If you catch him in the act, make a quick, sharp noise to get his attention, but not scare him, then quickly take him outside or to the puppy pad to finish. Praise him with words and petting when he finishes properly.
  • If he has an accident outside of your view, do not react when you find it. He won’t understand that you’re yelling or punishing him for something he did minutes before. Simply put the dog in another room and use an odor-eliminating cleaner on the spot.

Setting a Routine

Dogs respond well to structure. Create a routine for house training. No matter your schedule, try to stick as closely to the routine as possible every day.

1.Morning Elimination

Begin each morning with a trip outside on the leash. Give your puppy 5 minutes to eliminate. Immediately upon finishing – not before so you don’t startle him – praise him for it. Remain outside for another 10 minutes to ensure he empties his bladder and bowels completely.

Puppies don’t always totally eliminate in one squatting. If you bring him inside immediately after going, he will learn to hold it just to get more time outside.

If your puppy doesn’t go in the first 5 minutes, bring him back inside. Once inside, confine him in his crate, a small penned-in area or tether him to you with constant supervision. Continue to take him outside on leash every 15 to 30 minutes until you get a successful elimination, as described above.

2.Supervised Free Time

After the extra 10 minutes, come back inside and give the puppy supervised “free time” for 10 to 30 minutes.

When the puppy has developed manners in the house – not chewing on items or jumping on furniture – you can drop the leash to the floor and allow the dog to follow you around. Grabbing the leash if the puppy acts up or tries to wander off still gives you control over his actions.

3.Before and After Breakfast

Take him out again to go potty before you feed him breakfast. If he doesn’t go in the first 5 minutes, feed him in his crate or confined area to keep an eye on him.

Don’t give him more than 10 to 20 minutes to eat and drink, then take him outside immediately after he’s done. The additional 10 minutes is especially important after eating, even though he’ll likely relieve himself very quickly after a meal.

4.Getting Ready for Your Day

Bring him back inside as you get ready for your day, keeping him tethered to a heavy object in your view. Take him outside again after this resting period.

If you don’t get a successful elimination, bring him back in and confine him while you finish getting ready. Try one more trip outside before beginning your day.

Going to Work

If you work outside of the home and the puppy will be left alone for an extended time, be sure to take him outside to eliminate and exercise him just before you leave. Then put him in his crate or confined area with a small amount of water and a toy or two for entertainment.

If you will be home with him all day, continue the routine of taking him out after resting, eating or drinking water.

If someone won’t be home within the maximum time your puppy can hold his bladder, leave puppy pads in his area. Ideally, he’ll have an enclosed area near the door you take him through when eliminating outside. Leave his crate open inside the area and puppy pads placed as close to the exit door as possible.

Returning Home

When you return home, immediately take your puppy outside to eliminate, and then play with him for half-an-hour in the yard. Leash him to encourage elimination before returning inside.

Give him 30 minutes of supervised free time as you change or prepare dinner.
After he eats, take him outside immediately and follow the same routine as breakfast.

The rest of the evening should feature a walk, play time, obedience training and multiple trips outside to eliminate. Pull your dog’s water bowl at least 2 hours prior to bed time and take him out immediately before putting him in his crate or pen for the night.

Although your puppy may hold his bladder until morning, be prepared for middle-of-the-night potty breaks when he’s young. If he normally begins to whine around 3 a.m. and has to eliminate, set an alarm for 2:30 a.m. and take him out before the whining starts. This will discourage a tendency to cry simply to be let out of the crate or pen.

Advanced Behaviors

When your puppy has consistently eliminated successfully for several days or a week, you can begin to give him the “go potty” cue when you see him squat, circle or sniff the ground, indicating his need to go.

He will eventually learn this cue like “sit” and “stay,” allowing you to instruct him to eliminate when and where you want. Your puppy may eventually learn to go to the door you take him out of when he needs to eliminate, but you can easily reinforce or train this behavior.

Attach a small bell to or near the door and use the puppy’s paw to ring it before you take him out each time. Or simply use his paw to tap the door once or twice. He will learn that this behavior results in him being let outside.

Tips to Keep in Mind

  • While puppies usually need to eliminate almost immediately after eating, drinking or resting, even adult dogs tend to have to go within 15 to 30 minutes after these activities.
  • During the house training process, always praise your puppy after a successful elimination. It reinforces the behavior you want.
  • Always accompany your leashed puppy during house training to be sure he goes to the bathroom. Don’t assume he eliminated because you let him go outside.
  • If you don’t have a yard to take your puppy into, substitute puppy pads for some of the trips outdoors, using the same timing and routines.
  • If your puppy consistently has accidents despite a training routine, take him to the veterinarian to see if there can be something else contributing to your puppies accidents.

4 Basic Tips For Any Dog Training

Dog Training

dog training

You love your dog. You always try to learn as much about caring for them as you can. From regular vet visits to daily NuVet Plus pet supplements, you never miss a chance to take care of your furry friends.

They make you smile, show unconditional love, and keep you company. Many days they are the brightest part of your life. However, that doesn’t stop you from wanting good behavior from them.

Training is a big commitment, and starting off on the right foot is essential to success.
Before your canine companion picks up too many bad trends, there are four basic and manageable tips that can make any dog training regimen more productive.

Be Consistent

No matter what you are trying to teach your dog or what method you are employing, the only way to get good results is through consistency. As intelligent as dogs really are, they won’t always be able to understand the subtle distinctions that make a behavior okay sometimes and not others.

If you don’t want your dog to jump on guests, then they should never jump on you. If the dog does not understand a command, then you must stick with them and show them what you mean every time until it becomes clear.

Consistency extends beyond training. Consistent nutrition is as important for the animal as it is for you, so don’t forget to provide your pup with a daily nutritional pet supplement.

Be a Teacher

In many ways teaching a dog is like teaching children. When nuanced communication is impossible, instructions need to be simplified and repeated.

Just like a child, a dog will wear down and become bored when training sessions continue for too long. You can break up the learning with physical activity to invigorate your pet and keep the environment positive.

Another parallel is in increasing complications. When you teach a dog to stay, you begin by remaining close and keeping the dog focused on your command. As their understanding and discipline grows, you can add more distractions and give the command from farther away. All lessons should develop like this, only expecting advanced results after the basics have been mastered.

Be Positive

Just like humans, dogs react to positive reinforcement. If you focus too much on correction and things done wrong, the dog will get discouraged. However, negative reinforcement is unavoidable so try to keep positive reinforcement in mind as well.

Patience and encouragement is vital for creating an environment that makes it clear to them which behaviors are correct. Positive reinforcement does not have to be used just during training. Whenever your dog is being good, take a moment to let them know. As much as they love treats and their Nuvet Plus, even a kind word or a reassuring pat is enough to convey the message.

Be Precise

A dog’s sense of timing is different from yours, so whether you are praising or correcting, you need to time your words correctly. They won’t understand if you are praising them for something they did a few minutes ago.

Likewise, corrections need to be expressed during the undesirable behavior. Dogs live in the now, so they will always think that your actions are based on what is currently happening. If your timing is off, wait patiently for the next opportunity.

Keep in mind these key behaviors and you are sure to have success in your dog training efforts. Training your dog properly allows you both to get the most out of your lives together and spend your energy on health, happiness and fun.

If you are looking for more ways to do right by your favorite animals, feel free to check out Nuvet online. You can also follow Twitter @NuVet for helpful tips and tricks!