Thursday, June 5, 2008

House Training Puppies

Puppies should meet literally hundreds of people in the first few weeks after you bring her home. This can make house training puppies quite challenging. She should meet all sizes and shapes, with hats and sunglasses. Puppies are too immature to handle temptations. Depending on the breed, most dogs begin to gain the maturity to handle short stints with mild temptations when they're about 6 months old. Puppies, like small children, generally do not have the urinary or bowel control that allows them much warning, as such, it falls to us to make sure they get out and go frequently before they feel urgency. So, now that we know this, it is simply a matter of communicating to the dog that the entire house is the-place-where-we-eat-and-sleep.
Puppies should be taken outside at least once an hour (yes, that often); if he doesn't go potty within two minutes, he goes inside and is confined until he goes out for another chance. If puppy begins to circle or search, snatch him up before he goes and carry him outside. Puppies seem to have a attraction for electrical wires and phone cords anything that hangs. You can rub bittersweet or sour apple spray ( sold at most vets offices) on the cords, if he/she is not listening to your stern voice. Puppies are really a lot like small children, they need to learn proper behaviors or they will develop bad behaviors that will be very difficult to undo. I learned this the hard way.
Start as early as you can but don't expect results until the pup is about 14 weeks old. Before 14 weeks your pup cannot physically hold it in. Start by taking your puppy out as soon as he wakes up in the morning or after a nap, after he eats, and after he plays. A dog under 4 months of age might need a dozen trips to his potty spot each day.
Learn how to train your dog today with my free dog training ecourse. It features everything from dog training to effectively housebreaking your puppy. Check it out!