Housebreaking
This is the first lessons that you will want to establish in your home. This
section will explain some different techniques to housebreak your puppy. These
techniques are my favourite over a multitude of other techniques available.
When you first bring your puppy home first take him/her to the yard(or) outside
bathroom area). After you are satisfied that the puppy has finished bring
him/her in house and let the puppy have a look around.
Give the puppy a small drink of water and bring him/her outside approx. 15
minutes after. If the puppy has urinated in the designated area praise him/her
and go back into the house so he/she can play for 30 minutes. Bring the puppy
outside once more and then place him/her in the sleeping area so that he/she
can have a nap.
You need keep track of the puppy’s bowel movements.You must realize that
the puppy’s bladder is small and the muscle control is not developed
until about are 4 months of age. So you must provide a routine that your puppy
will learn to follow rather then you trying to guess when your puppy needs
to go.
This is what to expect from your puppy's elimination needs in the first few
weeks. The frequency of elimination does lengthen with time, but patients
are required in the beginning.
As soon as your puppy wakes up he/she will need to go out. Carry the puppy
straight to the door for the first few days to avoid an accident (do this
until the puppy knows where the door is). In the morning it is best to bathroom
your puppy and then offer him/her a drink while you are getting their breakfast
ready. Feed the puppy close ( or in ) the sleeping area. After 15 minutes
bring him/her outside once more for a second bathroom session. For the first
bit your puppy will usually have 2 bowel movements in the morning. After every
meal your puppy will need a bathroom session.
To avoid torsion (bloat) DO NOT exercise your dog directly after a meal.
After 20 - 30 minutes of active play the puppy will have to urinate but if
your pup is just lounging around he/she sometimes can last up to 1 hour. The
interval between sleeping/napping and elimination will gradually and steadily
increase. A general guide in the beginning: your puppy will need to urinate
8-10 times and will have 4 bowel movements daily. Usually by 12-14 weeks of
age your puppy will have 4 bowel movements but only need to urinate 6 times
Housebreaking
con't
The
more you prevent your puppy from having accidents in your house the faster (s)he
will learn that this is not the place to go. If you cannot supervise the pup
it is recommended to limit his/her free access and put the pup in his/her sleeping
area with a safe toy.
If your puppy is alowed to run over the entire house it gives him/her too many
opportunities to relieve themselves in another room, or behind a chair. The
incident may go unnoticed, and the puppy will return to his/her preferred playing
area. The puppy is not trying to be bad when it makes a mistake, but it will
have to learn that this is unacceptable! Your puppy does not know the difference
between right and wrong, it is up to you to show him/her that your house is
not a bathroom area. If the pup messed-up, you messed-up, and there is no need
to become angry at the puppy.
This is an example of an average day for an 8-week-old puppy, in its first week
at home;When the pup awakes, carry him/her outside so that (s)he can completely
eliminate.15 minutes later, offer the puppy some fresh water while you
prepare their food. Let the food soak, then feed the puppy in the crate.
15-30 minutes later, let the him/her outside to bathroom once more.
The pup should urinate and have another bowel movement. If (s)he does not eliminate
at this time, bring the pup back in the house and crate him/her for an additional
30 minutes (eventually (s)he will not need that second outing).
Once the pup has urinated twice, and has had 2 bowel movements, let him/her
come out to play for 30 minutes, let the pup have a quick outing to urinate,
then put him/her in their crate to have a nap.Most of us will need to go to
work, so you will tailor this routine to suit your schedule. Let the puppy have
2 bathroom outings before you leave him/her alone.
Now your pup has been fed, watered, socialized, and is ready to rest. Leave
him/her nap for 2-4 hours. An 8-week-old puppy needs 16-18 hours of sleep per
day.When your pup awakes from their nap (at least 2 hours later) take him/her
out right away to urinate. (S)he will likely not have to have a bowel movement
at this time. Offer him/her water and let the pup play for 30 -45 minutes, then
bring him/her outside once more.
