House Training

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House Training Rule Number One: This is The Most   Important Rule – If you don't catch your puppy doing it - then don't punish him   for it!

House Training Rule Number Two:  Praise your   puppy when things go right. Don't let this be a situation  where your only action   is saying "No" when they are caught in the  midst of using the wrong area. If   they do it right – let them know!

Starting Inside: There  are several ways to   housebreak a puppy. With the first, you can put  down papers or pre-treated pads,   encouraging them to use these areas  for going to the bathroom. The pads are   scented with a chemical that  attracts the puppy to use them. Whenever you see   them starting into  their "pre-potty pattern," such as walking around and   sniffing the  floor, you gently pick them up without talking and carry them over   to  the papers/pad and then praise them when they go to the bathroom (Rule    2.When all goes well and they are using the papers consistently, the  papers are   either moved closer to the door and/or another set is  placed outside. The   transition is made from concentrating the toilet  habits to one spot inside the   home to one spot outside the home.  Finally, the papers inside are eliminated.   The only problem with this  method is that for a period of time it encourages the   animal to  eliminate inside the home. In our experience, house training may take    longer when this method is used.

Crate Training: The  second popular method of house   training involves the use of a crate or  cage. The often-stated reasoning is that   the animal is placed in a  cage that is just large enough to be a bed. Dogs do   not like to soil  their beds because they would be forced to lay in the mess. It   works,  and while in these confines, most pups will control their bladder and    bowels for a longer time than we would expect. Young puppies, at 8 or 9  weeks of   age can often last for 7 or 8 hours, however, we would never  recommend leaving   them unattended in a crate for that long in most  circumstances.

During housebreaking, whenever the puppy is inside  the home but cannot be   watched, he is placed in the crate. This might  be while you are cooking, reading   to the children, or even away from  the home. The last thing you do before you   put the puppy in the crate  is take him outside to his favorite spot. The first   thing you do when  you take the animal out of the crate is another trip outside.   No food  or water goes in the crate, just a blanket and maybe a chew toy to    occupy his time. Overnight is definitely crate time. As your faith in  the puppy   grows, leave him out for longer and longer periods of time.

Most people do not recognize an important advantage  of crate training. It   does more than just stop the animal from  messing in the house. It also teaches   the puppy something very  important. The puppy learns that when the urge to   urinate or defecate  occurs, he can hold it. Just because the pup feels like he   needs to  relieve himself, the pup learns that he does not have to. This is    thought to be the main reason why puppies that have gone through crate  training   have fewer mistakes later on.Make sure you buy the right size  cage. You want one that has the floor space   that provides just enough  for the puppy to lie down. But cages are useful   throughout a dog's  life and it would be nice if you did not have to keep buying   more as  he grows. That is not necessary. Simply purchase a cage that will be big    enough for him as an adult, but choose a model that comes with or has  a divider   panel as an accessory. With these, you can adjust the  position of the panel so   that the space inside the cage available to  the pet can grow as he does.

Using too large of a crate can often cause long  term problems. The puppy will   go to one corner of the cage and urinate  or defecate. After a while, he will   then run through it tracking it  all over the cage. If this is allowed to   continue, the instincts about  not soiling his bed or lying in the mess will be   forgotten and the  puppy will soon be doing it every day when placed in the   crate. Now a  house training method has turned into a behavioral problem as the    puppy’s newly-formed hygienic habits becomes his way of life.

Constant Supervision:  The last method involves   no papers, pads, or crates. Rather, you chose  to spend all the time necessary   with the puppy. This works very well  for people who live and work in their   homes, retired persons, or in  situations where the owners are always with the   animal. Whenever they  see the puppy doing his "pre-potty pattern" they hustle   him outside.  It is important that the dog is watched at all times and that no    mistakes are allowed to occur. This method has less room for error, as  there is   nothing like a cage to restrict the animal's urges, nor is  there a place for him   to relieve himself such as on the papers or pad.  When he is taken outside, watch   the puppy closely and as soon as all  goes as planned, he should be praised and   then brought back inside  immediately. You want the dog to understand that the   purpose for going  outside was to go to the bathroom. Do not start playing, make   it a  trip for a reason. Verbal communications help this method and we will    discuss them soon. For those with the time, this is a good method. We  still   recommend having a crate available as a backup when the owners  have to be away   from the animal.

Verbal cues 

Specific verbal communications  will also help the two of you understand what   is desired. It is an  excellent idea to always use a word when it is time to head   to the  bathroom. We like "Outside?" Remember that whenever you use a verbal    command or signal, it is important that everybody in the family always  uses the   same word in the same way. Think of the word "Outside" in  this situation not   only as a question you are asking the pup, but also  as an indication that you   want to go there. Some dogs may get into  the habit of going to the door when   they want to go outside. This is  great when it happens but it is not as common   as some believe. We have  found that it is better to use verbal commands to   initiate this sort  of activity rather than waiting for the puppy to learn this   behavior  on his own. It seems like your consistent use of a word or phrase like    "Outside" will cause the puppy to come to you rather than the door when  he needs   to go outside. The pup quickly sees you as part of the  overall activity of   getting to where he needs to go. We believe this  is much better.

Once outside, we try to  encourage the pup to get on with the act in question.   We use the  phrase "Do your numbers." This is probably a holdover from our own    parenthood and hearing children use the "Number 1" or "Number 2"  phrases. Others   use 'Do It,' 'Potty,' or 'Hurry Up.' As soon as they  eliminate, it is very   important to praise them with a "Good Dog" and  then come back inside   immediately. Again, make this trip that started  outside with a specific word   "Outside" be for a purpose. If we are  taking the pup out to play with a ball or   go for a walk we will not  use this word even if we know they will eliminate   while we are  outside.

When an 'accident' happens 

One of the key issues in housebreaking is to follow  Rule Number One: If you   do not catch your puppy doing it, then do not  punish him for it! We do not care   what someone else may tell you or  what you read, if you find a mess that was   left when you were not  there, clean it up and forget it.

Discipline will not help because unless you catch  the puppy in the act, he   will have no idea what the scolding is for.  Your puppy has urinated and   defecated hundreds of times before he met  you. Mom or the breeder always cleaned   it up. Nobody made a fuss  before and the pup will not put the punishment,   regardless of its  form, together with something he has done without incident   numerous  times before. Especially if he did it more than 30 seconds ago! Puppies    are just like our children. Unless something was really fun (and a  repetitious   act like going to the bathroom is not), they are not  thinking about what they   did in the past. They are thinking about what  they can do in the future. At this   point in his life a puppy's memory  is very, very poor.

Anyway, let us face it. It was your fault, not the  pup's. If you had been   watching, you would have noticed the puppy  suddenly walking or running around in   circles with his nose down  smelling for the perfect spot to go to the bathroom.   It is just as  consistent as the taxi cab driver behind you honking immediately   when  the light changes. The puppy will show the same behavior every time. It  may   vary a little from pup to pup but they always show their own  "pre-potty pattern"   before the act.The same should be said as to your  first reaction when you actually catch   them in the act of urinating or  defecating. It is your fault, you were not   watching for or paying  attention to the signals. Do not get mad. Quickly, but   calmly pick  them up and without raising your voice sternly say "No." Carry them    outside or to their papers. It will help to push their tail down while  you are   carrying them as this will often help them to stop urinating  or defecating any   more.

They are going to be excited when you get them  outside or to the papers, but   stay there with them a while and if they  finish the job, reward them with simple   praise like "Good Dog." 

The feeding schedule  you use can help or hinder housebreaking. You will soon   notice that  puppies will need to go outside soon after they wake and also within    30 to 40 minutes after eating. Be consistent when you feed the animal so  you can   predict when they need to relieve themselves. Plan your trips  outside around   these patterns.

All of this may seem simple, and it really is. The  keys are that it will take   time and you must be consistent. And, of  course, you must never lose your temper   or even get excited. 

Be patient and stay calm.

      There are numerous books and you tube videos on training but one I found to be helpful with  teaching 4-H class dog obedience is Ian Dunbar training with treats for kids method.  He has a lot of great books and videos that are a great help to think like a puppy and to train your puppy to understand "English"!