House Training Your Puppy

Basic Training

      The best and most reliable way to house train your puppy is to provide frequent opportunity to eliminate in an appropriate place and to reward this behavior immediately as it occurs. To do this, walk your puppy on a leash at regular intervals and at least twice every day. The direct house-training method requires you to be nearby and to start good lifetime habits from the beginning. Other methods may seem easier and may appear to demand less initial investment of time. The direct training method, however, is sure to save you time and energy in the long run.
      Puppies require more frequent walks until they are able to reliably control sphincters. This usually occurs by 6 months of age. The best method of house training is to take your puppy out within several minutes after each meal and each nap. These are predictable moments during the day when bowel and bladder are most full. A wave of rhythmic contractions along the length of the digestive tract (the gastrocolic reflex) begins when food or water is swallowed. The contractions are particularly strong after eating, which explains why a bowel movement is so likely after a puppy eats. Feed your puppy at scheduled mealtimes and avoid snacks between feedings. The gastrocolic reflex may be conditioned by feeding your puppy at regular intervals. Allowing your puppy continuous access to food makes house training more difficult. Prevent "accidents" between meals by taking your puppy out before the accidents occur.
      It is best to leash walk your puppy within 15 minutes or sooner after each meal. Continue to walk, incorporating play to make it fun, until the puppy has eliminated. If you puppy is too young to walk on a leash, carry it outside to an enclosed, safe area. Stay nearby and play with or pet the puppy. If your puppy is slow adjusting to leash walks, be patient. Avoid pulling the leash and allow your puppy to take its time. When the puppy prepares to eliminate, begin praising it in a happy and light tone of voice. Continue your praise until the task is completed. Immediate encouragement is necessary for your puppy to learn to eliminates, pleasantly say something like "hurry" or "do it" and give abundant praise. This teaches the puppy to avoid on command so that you won't freeze unnecessarily on a cold winter night while the puppy leisurely looks for just the right spot. If your puppy is initially afraid of the leash, leave the leash on indoors for brief periods without holding onto it. When the puppy becomes more accustomed to the collar and leash, take the puppy for brief leash walks outside. Daily leash walks throughout a dog's life help maintain good elimination habits.
      Paper training is not the method of choice, contrary to popular opinion. Paper training encourages the puppy to eliminate on newspaper spread over the floor in a designated area of the home. This can lead to several problems. The first is that you may confuse your puppy by teaching it twice what it need learn only once. When, and if, the puppy has learned to void on the newspapers, it must then be retrained to eliminate outside. The second problem with paper training is that you may unintentionally teach your puppy that it is acceptable to eliminate inside your home. Though some puppies stay on the paper, many more "miss" the boundaries set for them. You may think your puppy clearly understands that it should void on paper. Instead, it may learn that it is acceptable areas of your home. Some owners of small-breed dogs prefer to continue paper training throughout the pet's lifetime, but this should not replace daily walks.
      A third problem stemming from this method of housetraining is the practice of punishing the puppy for eliminating in the house and then taking it immediately outside. Some owners believe that pressing the puppy's nose into its own waste discourages it. Others punish by using a stern voice or by hurriedly grabbing a puppy while it is urinating or defecating. Punishment is often followed by whisking the puppy outside into a big frightening world, where the irritated owner impatiently awaits appropriate behavior. While this may be intended to teach the puppy not to eliminate indoors, the puppy may associate the punishment with going out and may learn to fear going outside. A confused and frightened pet is even more likely to spontaneously void when it is threatened! The dog might even learn to fear eliminating in your presence.
      It is pointless to punish your dog at any age for "accidents" that occur in your home. This is particularly true when there is any delay between the act of soiling and your discovery of the mess. To be effective, punishment (and praise, for that matter) must closely follow your pet's action. Punishment is not helpful in house training and is ineffective unless it is given immediately after the "crime." No matter how frustrated you may be, clean up the mess and concentrated on the steps to prevent another one.

Crate Training

      Crate training is based on the premise that puppies are unlikely to eliminate in or near an area used for rest. Crate training is popular among owners who cannot continually remain nearby to bring the puppy directly outside as described above. Some owners place the puppy in a crate while they are away at work, or absent for short periods or even overnight. A puppy that naturally resists voiding inside the crate may eventually adjust to longer periods of crate confinement when you are absent. This method works well for some dogs, but not for all. Many young puppies are simply unable to control immature sphincters, especially when they are anxious or frightened. Some pups may soil themselves and even ingest their own waste. For these pups, the direct training method is preferable and crate training should be abandoned. Some puppies do not tolerate this type of confinement, becoming very agitated and excessively vocal. If the puppy initially objects to being closed in the crate, you will encourage undesirable attention-seeking behavior, such as whining or barking, by visiting or otherwise comforting the crated puppy. Wait a few moments until it is quiet and calm before checking that all is well. This way, you will not encourage undesirable behavior nor will you defeat the potential usefulness of the crate. If your puppy's objections seem excessive or unacceptable to you, apply other housetraining techniques instead.
      If you choose to try crate training, begin by selecting a crate that will accommodate your dog at its anticipated adult size. Your (adult) dog should be able to comfortably stand and turn to change positions in its crate. If you are purchasing a crate for a large-breed puppy, you may decide to obtain several crates of different sizes to accommodate your growing pet. If you decide to purchase just one for its adult size, you may partition the unused space and enlarge the available space as the young dog grows. Consult a veterinarian about your dog's projected maximal growth, particularly if your pet is not purebred. To introduce your dog to the crate, associate the crate with positive things, such as food and safer shelter. Leave the door open until there is no sign of fear. Cover a section of the floor with comfortable and easily laundered bedding, such as towel or blanket. Play with your puppy, tossing favorite toys into the crate for it to retrieve. Place food and water in the crate to encourage your pet to consider it a safe place. This also decreases the likelihood that your dog will soil inside the cage. When the puppy enters the crate without hesitation at mealtime, gently close the door while your puppy eats. Keep the door closed for gradually longer periods. Let the puppy out when it is calm and quiet.
      The crate is your dog's special place where it must never be disturbed or threatened. The crate must not be linked with punishment or your dog will avoid it. Encourage your dog to use the crate as a resting-place. When the puppy is ready to nap, place it in the crate with a favorite toy or treat. Never place your puppy in the crate or try to remove it from the crate when you are angry. Do not reach in and pull your dog out of its crate. A dog that is threatened in its crate may aggressively resist leaving it. Teach your dog to willingly to leave the crate on your command, using a simple "come" in a happy tone of voice.