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Housebreaking con't
Your puppy will not have accidents in the house if (s)he gets taken out frequently
enough. (S)he will usually have a bowel movement 15 minutes after every meal.
This is why it is best to feed your pup in the crate, (s)he will try to hold
it until you get them outside.
You can always tell if the pup is going to have a bowel movement. (S)he will
start to circle, or will stop in the middle of playing and run off to the
corner of the room. You will have only a few seconds to reroute him/her to
the door and outside.Should your puppy become confused and does not want to
bathroom outside, you can take a piece of paper or tissue and bring the excrements
out to the area you wish for your pup to eliminate. After (s)he has eliminated
outside be sure to make a big fuss out of the whole thing with lots of praise.
If you want to you can give your puppy a treat for each bowel movement.
A very important factor to remember is that when your puppy has finished going
to the bathroom outside, do not immediately bring him/her in the house, play
with your pup after (s)he has done their business and not before. Your pup
will learn that once (s)he is finished (s)he can get onto better things rather
then thinking that it will mean “time to go in”.
Keep your basement off limits, as the damp earthy smell invites your puppy
to mistake it for a bathroom area. It is much more difficult to house-break
a puppy if (s)he is kept in the basement.
Crate training
Have your puppy's crate set-up in an area of the home that will allow him/her
reasonable visibility. You may put a small pad in the pup’s crate but
remove it if (s)he keeps soiling on it. Make the crate a comfortable place.
Put their food and water in the crate if you are going to be gone from the
house for an extended period of time. Leave a toy or two to occupy their time
while crated.
Follow the schedule as previously mentioned and put your puppy in the crate
for all naps and meals. This will allow him/her an opportunity to establish
the denning instinct. Dogs do not like to mess where they eat and sleep, they
will want to keep their den clean.
Crate training con't
If your puppy has an accident in the crate show him/her your displeasure and
immediately bring the pup outside. Once (s)he has relieved himself outside,
give lots of praise!
Sectioning-off a small room for the puppy is another effective way of training
if you do not wish to crate him/her. A bathroom or main-floor laundry room
is usually a good place once it has been puppy-proofed. Place shower curtains
over the top bar, remove toilet paper rolls, cleaners, and drain plugs. Lock
the bathroom cabinet door so that the puppy cannot get into hazardous materials,
and close the toilet lid. If using a laundry room remove all soaps and linens
from the puppy’s reach as well. Give the puppy a mat and place their
food bowl and water close to his/her sleeping area. Follow a schedule
Tethering
Another option is to place your puppy on a short tether whenever you cannot
supervise them. Place their food, water and sleeping pad within his/her reach.
When sleeping you can tether the puppy to your bed. I have often heard of
people tethering a pup to their ankle, however this is not always the best
choice as it can restrict your sleep as well as the puppy’s.
Paper training
The best time for paper-training is in the winter or if you are living in
an apartment. Sometimes small puppies just don’t want to bound through
the tall snow. The easiest way to paper-train without your puppy getting used
to eliminating inside all the time, is to put the paper right in front of
the exit that you will eventually want them to use. If you have a patio door
this would be the best place to put the papers. For an apartment put them
in front of the balcony door.
When you first bring your puppy home let him/her urinate outside, then blot
the urine with a piece of tissue or paper. Place the soiled tissue under one
of the layers of papers that you have set-out for the pup's bathroom area.
Start-of with a large section of papers, after your puppy becomes familiar
with that area you can reduce the papers to a smaller stack.
