HOUSEBREAKING YOUR PUPPY

Utica Pet Supply LLC

May 20, 2010

Roxanne Goeth

One of the most popular methods of housebreaking puppies today is the use of a crate.  Like most animals, dogs instinctively try to avoid urinating or eliminating in their own dens.  The crate training method makes use of this instinct by confining the dog in an artificial “den” when it cannot be closely supervised.  Because the den instinct is common to all canines, this method of housebreaking is highly effective for all dog breeds.

The “crate” is most often a metal cage sized appropriately for your puppy’s size.  It must be large enough for the puppy to stand and turn around comfortably, but not much bigger; if the crate is too large, the puppy will simply eliminate in one end and sleep in the other end, thus defeating the purpose.  As long as the crate is comfortable and the puppy is taken out to receive plenty of attention every day, most puppies will not only grow accustomed to the crate but actually become fond of it, as they adopt it as their den.  Many dogs voluntarily continue sleeping in their crates long after they have been fully house-trained and no longer require confinement.

The puppy must not be confined in the crate for long periods of time.  If a puppy repeatedly finds itself forced to eliminate in the crate, it will eventually lose the inhibition against soiling its end entirely making house-training much more difficult.  The puppy should be taken outside to eliminate at least once every two to four hours during the day.

In addition, it will almost always need to eliminate shortly after eating a meal or drinking water, after waking from sleep, after being removed from its crate, and after play or exercise.  The owners also should always closely observe the puppy’s body language and take it outside every time it shows signs of being ready to eliminate, such a squatting, walking in small tight circles, or sniffing the ground as though searching for the ideal spot.  They only use this body language for a few seconds before they eliminate, so careful watch on the owner’s part is needed.

If the puppy is caught in the process of eliminating indoors, the owner should make a sharp loud noise.  The purpose of this is not to punish or frighten the puppy, but to startle it so that it will stop.  The owner should then take the puppy outside through the same door or to some designated area to finish the process.  It is very important that after the puppy had relieved itself in the appropriate area and it should be warmly praised and offered a treat, to make going outside or to the designated area seem like a very good act to do.  It is very important to point out here that positive reinforcement works extremely well and should always be used.  If the puppy does not eliminate after 15-20 minutes of being outside, the owner should return the puppy to its crate and try again later.

With, housebreaking, the puppy comes to understand that the designated area for elimination is a designated area, away from the crate, or den if you will.  The puppy will begin going to the door (if the designated area is outside) when it feels the urge to urinate or eliminate.  The owner watches for this behavior and, when he sees it, praises the puppy and immediately lets it outside.  If the door is not opened quickly, most puppies will spontaneously whine, bark or scratch at it to get their owner’s attention; some owners may even train the pup to ring a bell when it needs to relieve itself.

As the puppy grows older, it gains the ability to control its bowels and bladder for longer periods of time, and become increasingly able to wait longer periods of time without requiring confinement. The amount of hours that a puppy can hold its bladder or bowels are approximately equal to the number of months of age the puppy is.   For example, if a puppy is 5 months old, then it can usually hold its bladder or bowels for 5 hours.  This is true until the puppy is 10 months old, when 10 hours is the maximum time for any age.  However, some breeds, such as toy breeds are harder to housebreak than others.

Fun Fact: Purina Puppy Chow and Purina Dog Chow are two of the most popular and recognized brand names of pet foods today.

Fun Fact: In addition to being the smallest dog ranging from 1-6 pounds, the Chihuahua is one of the shortest ranging from 6-9”.

For more information on Designer Puppies / Pure Breed Dogs go to www.uticapet.com and click any of the articles that are of interest to you.  If you are interested in purchasing a Designer Dog or if you are interested in purchasing a Pure Breed Dog you can check our inventory at

www.uticapetsupplyllc.com/price.php

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, we hope you enjoyed it and found it informative.

About the Authors

John and Roxanne Goeth established Utica Pet Supply LLC in 1999 and assisted in developing Reliance Animal Hospital with their Staff Veterinarian Y.D. Youanes DVM in 2002.  John Goeth also serves as Director of Reliance Animal Hospital LLC.  Both John & Roxanne publish a variety of articles related to the pet industry.  Utica Pet Supply LLC is conveniently located in Macomb County at 45460 Van Dyke Ave. Utica, Michigan 48317.