HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS TO MAKE THIS IMPORTANT TRAINING PERIOD A SUCCESS.

BUY A CRATE AND DURING THE FIRST FEW WEEKS, KEEP YOUR PUPPY IN IT WHENEVER YOU ARE NOT PLAYING, HOLDING, OR WATCHING HIM EXPLORE HIS NEW SURROUNDINGS. SPEND AS MUCH TIME AS YOU CAN WITH YOUR PET, BUT WHEN YOU CAN’T WATCH HIM, CRATING HIM CAN PREVENT MISTAKES FROM OCCURRING. IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING THE SAFE, SECURE REFUGE YOUR DOG NEEDS AND WANTS, CRATES ARE CRITICAL TO HOUSEHOLD TRAINING BECAUSE AS DEN ANIMALS, DOGS ARE NATURALLY INCLINED NOT TO SOIL THEIR BED. THEREFORE MAKE SURE YOUR CRATE IS NOT TO BIG. IT SHOULD BE LARGE ENOUGH FOR YOUR PUPPY’S BED AND NO MORE. USE A DIVIDER PANEL TO SIZE A CRATE FOR YOUR PUPPY, AND REMOVE IT LATER WHEN YOUR DOG IS FULL GROWN. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING DOGS BEING HOUSETRAINED LEARN IN A CRATE IS THAT THEY CAN CONTROL THEIR URGE TO ELIMINATE UNTIL THE PROPER TIME AND SITUATION.

BE CONSISTENT. THE "WHEN" AND "HOW" YOU HOUSETRAIN NEEDS TO BE CONSISTENT SO MAKE SURE ALL FAMILY MEMBERS FOLLOW THE SAME GUIDELINES. PICK A SOILING SPOT IN YOUR YARD AND TAKE YOUR PUPPY THERE WHEN IT IS TIME TO ELIMINATE. THE ODOR FROM PREVIOUS VISITS TO THIS SPOT WILL STIMULATE THE URGE TO DEFECATE AND/OR URINATE.

MANY OWNERS CONFUSE THEIR PUP BY USING DIFFERENT WORDS FOR THE SAME COMMAND. IN THE HOUSEBREAKING PROCESS, IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO USE THE SAME WORD LIKE "OUTSIDE" EVERY TIME YOU TAKE YOUR PUPPY OUT TO ELIMINATE. CONSISTENT USE OF A WORD WITH AN ACTIVITY WILL HELP BUILD A LEVEL OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR PUP. LATER, WHILE YOU ARE WATCHING TELEVISION AND NOTICE YOUR PUP STARING AT YOU, YOU CAN SAY THE WORD "OUTSIDE" AND YOUR PUP WILL GO TO THE DOOR.

BE PATIENT DOGS MAY URINATE OR DEFECATE MORE THAN ONCE IN ONE OUTING, AND NOT ALWAYS RIGHT AWAY. DON’T DISTRACT YOUR PUP FROM THE JOB AT HAND.

PRAISE HIM FOR HIS SUCCESS WHEN THE JOB IS DONE BUT DON’T OVERDO IT. JUST PATTING HIM ACROSS THE SHOULDERS A FEW TIME WILL DO THE TRICK. IN A DOGS LANGUAGE, THAT MEANS MORE THAN CONSTANT RUBBING ACROSS THE HEAD OR REPEATING "GOOD DOG".

DON’T MIX BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE. THIS IS A BUSINESS TRIP, NOT SOCIAL TIME. WHEN YOUR PUP HAS FINISHED, TAKE HIM BACK OUTSIDE, EVEN JUST FOR A MINUTE OR TWO.

WHEN YOU COME BACK INSIDE, SPEND SOME TIME WITH YOUR PUP. YOU KNOW THERE IS LITTLE CHANCE THE PUP WILL HAVE TO ELIMINATE FOR A WHILE SO PLAY WITH HIM AND HAVE A GOOD TIME.

AFTER EVERY MEAL AND PLAYTIME, REMEMBER TO TAKE HIM OUTSIDE BEFORE PLACING HIM BACK IN THE CRATE.

THE KEY TO HOUSETRAINING IS YOU. BE CONSISTENT, PATIENT, PRAISE WHEN APPROPRIATE, AND BE WILLING—FOR HOWEVER LONG IT TAKES—TO INVEST THE TIME AND ENERGY NECESSARY TO MAKE THIS IMPORTANT TRAINING TIME A SUCCESS. THE EFFORT YOU PUT FORTH NOW WILL BE WELL WORTH IT FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR PET.

ESTABLISH A SCHEDULE. DOGS ARE CREATURES OF HABIT; THEY LIKE TO EAT, SLEEP, AND RELIEVE THEMSELVES ON A REGULAR SCHEDULE. ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING A SCHEDULE IS EASY TO DO AND GETS EASIER AS YOUR PUPPY GROWS.

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DOG’S BEHAVIOR SO YOU CAN DEVELOP A SCHEDULE THAT WORKS FOR BOTH OF YOU. FIRST LEARN WHERE YOUR DOG NATURALLY DEFECATES—IN THE MORNING, AT NIGHT, 30 MINUTES AFTER EATING, ECT. LOOK AT YOUR SCHEDULE AND DETERMINE WHAT COMPROMISES NEED TO BE MADE TO MAKE THIS WORKABLE FOR EVERYONE.

UNTIL YOUR PUP IS 4-5 MONTHS OLD, TAKE HIM OUTSIDE FREQUENTLY AND WATCH HIM VERY CLOSELY WHEN HE IS IN-OR OUT OF—HIS CRATE. AS SOON AS YOU SEE HIM PACING, SNIFFING AROUND, TURNING AROUND IN CIRCLES, OR TRYING TO SNEAK AWAY(IF HE’S OUT OF THE CRATE), TAKE HIM OUTSIDE. THESE ARE TELLTALE SIGNS THAT HE NEEDS TO RELIEVE HIMSELF.

Martin R. Smith D.V.M.