Housebreaking a Puppy Can Be Achieved in Two Weeks
Observation, Confinement and Consistency are Key for Easily Housebreaking a Puppy
As cute as puppies are, puppyhood is a crucial age for dog owners to get things right because it’s when you lay down the foundation for your relationship with your dog. It’s when they are learning the basics of how to live with humans, which is why housebreaking a puppy — and all dog training for that matter — must be consistent to be successful. How you handle these early months, including housebreaking, will have repercussions for any dog training you do down the road.
We’ve had a lot of experience housebreaking puppies, and what was clear from the beginning is you either pay now or pay later. That means you either make the time to be consistent now and get good results fairly quickly, or you create confusion for your pet with a hit and miss approach that will, unfortunately, have them using your home for their bathroom for a very long time.
Once you’ve made the decision to be consistent, there are a few rules to follow that will make housebreaking your puppy as easy as it can be.
First, you should never leave a puppy in the house unattended until it is housebroken. That means your either tether it to you (and keep an eye on it) or crate it with no absorbent material in the crate.
Next, you must put the puppy on a schedule with food and water and potty breaks that anticipate when the puppy will need to use the bathroom.
This coupled with praise when your puppy gets it right and scolding on the off chance it is caught in the act of trying to use the bathroom in your house are the keys to success.
For a detailed list of tried and true instructions for housebreaking a puppy, please see our handout: Housebreaking a Puppy.
Contact us today, so Tropical Dog Training can help you with all your puppy training and dog training needs.
