How to Housetrain

Housetraining 

Housetraining is really easy as long as you adhere to the following:

  1. Watch your dog at all times in the house. Limit their indoor space and crate them when you cannot have eyes on them.

  2. Set them up for success. Take them outside often. Typically a puppy can “hold it” for their age in months +1 (4mo old puppy should be able to hold it 5hrs). Take them out before they reach that number and mark and reward when they eliminate outside!

  3. Reward appropriately. Your puppy should receive something absolutely amazing every time they eliminate outdoors. Even better if it’s something that they only get when they eliminate outdoors. Think a piece of luncheon meat or a cube of cheese!

  4. Ignore any accidents. Make no fuss. Just clean it up and vow to watch your dog closer indoors from now on!

Housetraining planning:

  1. Feed your puppy on a schedule. Free feeding eliminates the predictability of when your dog will need to go outside. Make a schedule and stick to it! Dogs thrive on routine. 

  2. Plan to take puppy out on a strict schedule, whether they appear to need to or not. The idea is to give your puppy plenty of opportunity to eliminate outdoors and limit the amount they can do so indoors.

  3. Always take puppy out:

    1. Right when they wake up in the morning

    2. After a vigorous play session (watch carefully, sometimes they will need to go during)

    3. After any naps

    4. 15-30min after water

    5. 15-20min before and after they eat

  4. Always go with your puppy when they eliminate outside. If you don’t you are missing out on the opportunity to mark and reward the behaviour, increasing the likelihood of it recurring. Make sure to mark and reward just your puppy has finished so you don’t interrupt them.

  5. When in the house, watch your puppy very carefully. Consider the “umbilical method” where you use a hands-free leash to keep puppy with you. Your puppy should give signs such as circling or digging before eliminating. That would be the perfect time to swiftly interrupt the behaviour and take puppy outside! 

  6. Never ever punish your puppy for accidents. If you catch them mid pee you can interrupt them with a “oops!” or a clap of your hands (not to scare, just to interrupt!). If you punish your puppy they may think that it isn’t safe to eliminate near you and turn to secretly eliminating in places you really wish they wouldn’t eliminate. 

Katy Van