According to: www.simplidogs.com

House training a dog can be a daunting prospect at first, but with a consistent approach and a good understanding of the best methods for house training a dog, any dog can learn what is expected of them.

What is the Best Method of House Training a Dog?

In most situations, crate training your puppy or dog is the best method. Using a crate for house training a dog works on the principle that dogs do not like to use the restroom in the area that they sleep in. Generally speaking, this is quite true.

Either a wire or a plastic crate is perfectly fine for house training a dog, but the size must be relative to your dog. A dog should have just enough room to stand up, turn around, sit up, and lie down in. Any more room than that and the dog can use the restroom in one end and lie down in the other.

Food, water, and toys should never be left with a puppy or young dog in the crate. Food and water will increase the dog’s need to go the bathroom. Toys can be destroyed and ingested. Instead, appropriate chew toys, like a peanut butter or cheese stuffed Kong toy, should be used in the place of regular toys for entertainment.

Sometimes house training a dog might need to utilize additional methods. Puppy pee pads are not a very good option in house training a dog. They encourage the dog to go the bathroom indoors on a disposable pad. Many people find their pee pad puppies have a hard time adjusting to going outside, and they also cannot distinguish their pad from other items left lying on the floor.

If you feel you do need an option besides the crate, the indoor/outdoor artificial grass potty is the best. It simulates the look of grass and is very easy to keep clean and hygienic -The Pet Loo.

The Pet Loo works well for those in apartments or where getting to the outdoor grass make take longer than a puppy can wait. Also, many puppies obtained from pet stores can be very difficult to house train since they are used to sleeping, eating, and playing all in the same area that they use the restroom.

How to Begin House Training a Dog?

House training a dog is all about patience and consistency. You cannot expect your dog to alert you. Instead, you need to set up a very consistent potty schedule which can be maintained.

When house training a dog, you need to remember that puppies must be walked A LOT, and older or recently adopted dogs that are not housetrained will need to be treated exactly like a new puppy in the beginning.

Here is the basic program for house training a dog:

Dogs should be crated at night time, when you are gone, and when they cannot be fully supervised. When the dog is with you, you must supervise it! Close doors or baby-gate off any other area you are not in.

Always walk the dog immediately upon coming out of the crate, first thing in the morning, or upon coming home.

When house training a new dog, be sure to walk the dog within 15-20 minutes of eating a meal, eating a lot of treats, and drinking a lot of water. Other times to be careful about: walk after the dog has had a big playtime session or has just woken up from a nap.

With puppies, a good rule of thumb is just to take them for a potty break every 30 or so minutes. As the puppy ages, you can go a little further in between.

House training a dog is all about watching the dog’s body language. He will give signals he has to go such as whining, restlessness, pacing, coming near you, walking by the door, or simply disappearing. Pay attention to your puppy.

If your dog has an accident in the house, it’s your fault. House training a dog takes patience and a lot of supervision.

Never, ever get angry at the dog for having an accident. Do not rub his nose in it or anything else. He doesn’t know why you are mad! Instead, quietly clean up the accident fully with enzyme based pet cleaners to fully remove all odors.

Lastly, when house training a dog, you want to give the dog a command. When taking your dog outside, be sure to tell him ‘Good Potty’ or something similar so that he associates the word Potty with the action.

If using a system like The Pet Loo, you would need to ‘walk’ your dog over to it on a frequent basis. You might even want to spray the grass with an artificial attractant that encourages your dog to use the restroom there.

House training a dog is not that difficult; it’s just time consuming and requires a lot of patience. You need to make sure you have the ability to walk the dog throughout the day or have dog walkers come. If you are unsure you have the time for properly house training a dog or puppy, please consider an already house trained dog available for adoption.

Article Written by: www.simplidogs.com

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