How to Housebreak Your Puppy

Your new puppy is undoubtedly a bundle of joy, but as any new puppy owner knows it is a lot of work too.  One of the biggest challenges that you have to deal with is housebreaking your puppy.  Thankfully there are many different training manuals out there to help you with your training.  Unfortunately there is a lot of conflicting information out there when it comes to housebreaking your pet.  Lucky for you much of what you really need to know is really common sense.  

One of the biggest misconceptions is that if your dog has an accident you should "rub their nose in it."  The logic behind this is that if you push their nose down into their accident they will recognize that it is unpleasant and will not do it again.  However, the truth is that this will only scare your little one.  They will only feel embarrassed and be afraid which is exactly what you don't want.  

Rather than following that old and flawed logic you are going to want to look at some of the more effective housebreaking methods.  One of the most important things that you must do when you are potty training your dog is to decide what the dogs bathroom area will be.  Generally this may be a specific portion of your backyard or a side yard.  It can really be anything, but you want to be sure that you have decided what it is so that you can consistently take your pet to the same location.  Once you have decided where that area is you will want to take your new puppy there frequently throughout the day.  Soon your dog will experience some success with his bathroom trip, and when that happens you want to actively reward your pup.  Generally natural dog treats are a very effective form of rewarding your pet.

Additionally, for each trip to this designated bathroom area you will want to use the same keyword.  For example you may want to use the word "outside" or "bathroom" as a verbal cue for your puppy.  The word itself doesn't really matter, but the consistency in which you use it is of utter importance.  You must use the same cues with fidelity if you truly expect your training to be successful.  

The most important thing for you to remember is that housebreaking will take time.  As with any new skill it will take a bit of time for your puppy to master it.  Typically it is said that it take five weeks of constancy to create a habit.  Try to keep this in mind when you are working on training your dog because you don't want to allow yourself to get frustrated. Your dog will pick up on any tension of frustrations that you are feeling.  Instead, you want to set up a positive and happy environment that your puppy can learn in.