Housebreaking a Puppy Made Easy
Posted on Dec 02, 2008 under puppy training |Housebreaking a puppy is probably the number one reason people donâ??t enter into dog ownership. There is no doubt that this is the hardest part of owning a puppy, but if the process is started immediately and taken seriously your puppy will be trained in no time.
Kennel Training
First and foremost, buy a kennel. This is as important as the toys the leash and the food dish. Kennel training is the easiest and most effective way to housebreak your puppy. Not to mention it will save you hundreds in cleaning bills and damage to your personal property. Forget all you that you have heard that kenneling a puppy is cruel. By providing a kennel for your puppy you are actually catering to his natural instinct as a den animal. Depending on your puppyâ??s breed, choose a kennel that can accommodate the puppy as a full grown dog. You will be surprised how much your mature dog will utilize their kennel as a place of refuge or just as a place to hang out years down the road. Whatever you do donâ??t use the kennel as a place to punish your pup. Make the kennel a fun and safe place your puppy will want to be.
Start the process immediately
After you pick up your cute fuzz ball at the breeder make the first stop the backyard or the outside area you plan to take your pup to do his business everyday. Get him acquainted with a spot. Dogs are creatures of habit that crave a schedule and familiarity.
Put together a schedule the entire household will follow on how to of care for your puppy. When everyone is on the same page it will be easy to housebreak your puppy. Puppies on average eat three times a day and sleep about 18 hours a day. After every feeding take him out to his spot and go with him. http://www.dogbreedadvice.com/ Yes, even when itâ??s below freezing and snowing. Take this into consideration when youâ??re deciding what time of year to bring your puppy home. You need to make sure he takes his outside trips seriously. Eventually you will be able to open the door and let him out, but not at first.
Newspaper training is a waste of time when housebreaking a puppy. Youâ??re just making more work for yourself. You will end up training your puppy twice, and time is of the essence in the house breaking process. You can never take your puppy out too much. They must go out first thing in the morning and right before you go to bed. If you are accustomed to staying out till 3 am and sleeping till 10, then maybe you arenâ??t ready to have a puppy.
Now back to the kennel. As I mentioned before, puppies sleep a lot! So after a meal, a trip outside to do his business and some playtime, put him in his kennel. Repeat this and it will become habit. Start out leaving your puppy in the crate for short periods of time when you are home. Gradually extend the stay and take him outside after each time. Dogs in general will not mess where they sleep. If the housebreaking process is done correctly there will be minimal accidents. Donâ??t leave a puppy to run free when you are not home. You are just asking for a mess.
Bedtime
Right before you go to bed throw on your slippers and head out one last time with your puppy. When you come back in, give your puppy a treat and tuck him into his kennel for the night. All night! Donâ??t cave to the sad cries of a home sick puppy that would rather snuggle under your down comforter. Before you invite your puppy into your bed remember, cute 10lb puppies grew into 80lb adults! To ease the loneliness you can put a radio near the kennel or a leave on a night light. After a night or two, when your puppy realizes the crying gets him nowhere, he will stop. Itâ??s so important to remain consistent in this house breaking process or it just wonâ??t work. There is no such thing as a partially house trained dog. They either get it or they donâ??t.
Praise, Praise, Praise
Last but not least dogs crave praise. After every outside trip make a big deal. Scratch under his chin and give him a treat. Donâ??t scold your puppy for accidents unless you catch them in the act. Puppyâ??s memory capacity is small. He will have no idea why he is being punished after the fact. If you do catch him in the act, grab him by the scruff of his neck, as his mother would do in the den, and give him a firm NO! Then immediately clean the area with an odor eliminating cleaner.
So thatâ??s it in a nut shell. Puppy training sounds a lot harder than it is. With a little patience and a kennel, you are on the path to puppy training success
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:04 am
How do i housebreak an Akita puppy to “go” in the bath tub?
If anyone know, can you teach me?
Well first off, i live in an apartment. and if i am not home then i cant take it outside to "go". and when it rains i dont want my dog to be out in the rain and "go" and etc.
by brining the puppy to the bathtub after it eats and when it wakes up, will it work? because i already know it is hard for akitas to "go" in the house. thus making them easy to housebreak outside. but will the same method work? if i bring it to the bath tub?
please gimme a hand, thanks
December 2nd, 2008 at 1:06 pm
What is the sound of one hand clapping, grasshopper?
Can the puppy easily get into and out of the tub?
Basically, you train a dog to "go" in the tub the same way you train one to "go" outside.
Take him to the tub regularly, after meals, naps, play sessions, etc. and reward him when he goes in the tub.
Interrupt him when he starts to go anywhere else in the house and take him to the tub. reward him when he goes in the tub.
Make sure he can easily get into and out of the tub, or it just won't work.
And never force or punish a dog, especially an Akita for going in the house. He just doesn't understand.
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December 2nd, 2008 at 1:08 pm
where are you going to take a bath.hopefully not in the bathtub.
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December 2nd, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Get serious. This is a baby; you need to take the puppy outside so it gets the idea it should go out for potties. A dog cannot even start house breaking until about 6 months. You cannot train a baby to go in a bathtub and the poor puppy will have no idea.
You totally have the wrong sort of dog for an apartment and you cannot spend time with the poor thing. You need to find it a better home. It is going to be a big dog and it is going to need a lot of exercise that you do not seem to want to give.
Find a better home for the puppy and do not get animals unless you commit to really keeping them right.
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December 2nd, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Bathtub is not a good idea…just think you step in a pile of…potty…when you step in the shower first thing in the morning!
I do, however, recommenr potty training pads, also know as puppy pads, piddle pads, etc. They supposedly have a puppy-attracting odor. they are very absorbent and have a waterproof backing. When your dog is pad-trained, and you do want your dog to go outside, put the pad outside. This will prevent spts on your carpet if you forget to leave the bathroom door open, too:)
Also, I wouldn't worry about the rain, especially since you live in an apartment and have to be with your dog outside anyway. whenever your dog goes potty and you see it, tell it "go potty!" and she'll learn to go whn you tell her too. Great for cold or rainy days, tell her to "go potty!" and you won;t be outside for very long:) It's good for dogs to get outside often. I do understand when you're not home you don;t want her going all over the place, which is why the puppy pds are good. For example, lock her in the kitchen(or any other room) with a puppy pad or 2, and she'll be fine:)
One mroe thing, you can certainly start housebreaking a puppy at any age, but don't expect them to gain in leaps and bounds until about 5-6 months of age. Some puppis are quick/early learners, though!
Good luck!
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Work in a vet clinic, currently potty training a puppy
December 2nd, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Most dogs don't like being in the bathtub. Try buying a
litter box for dogs. Pet stores sell them. They are bigger
than the ones for cats. Just put news paper in it, and a
puppy pad to attract the dog to it. I do this with my dogs
and it works great. Just make sure to reward you dog alot
when he does do it where you want him to. They will do it
again just for the reward.
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December 2nd, 2008 at 1:16 pm
what do you think of this idea> http://www.kturby.com/litter/litter.htm
However, I would never train a large dog that it is OK to do it anywhere indoors..But if you are insistent on it, I think the method on that link would be preferable..My pups are well trained by 12-13 weeks old..so the tale about not training yet is unreal!
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dog breeder since 1968
December 2nd, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Y not just train him to use the toilet
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December 2nd, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Are you crazy?
Even if you are successful in training this puppy to poo in the tub, what happens when he grows up?
The stench will be UNBEARABLE!
If you want to own this dog, then shake off your laziness and get yourself and the dog outside — I'm sure the exercise wouldn't kill you, either.
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