Happily, housetraining your new dog or puppy typically isn't difficult. It just takes patience and time. We have a lot of experience housetraining foster dogs and pups as well as assisting new adopters in teaching their new canine family member to relieve themselves in the proper potty location. Since you are actually teaching your puppy or dog to go where you want – presumably without having to break any undesirable behaviors – we prefer the term "housetraining" over "housebreaking." The fundamental steps for housebreaking your dog or puppy are as follows:
1. SUPERVISE
When indoors, keep a watch on your dog at all times. If you must go away, even for a few moment, kennel your dog (appropriate crate training is required), put him in a room with a hard floor so that any accidents can be cleaned up quickly, or take him outdoors to a safe location. It's preferable to "tether" some dogs to you by having them tied to you at all times by a leash in some households and with particular breeds of dogs. Doors should be closed, and rooms with carpeting and rugs that can't be removed should be blocked off.
2. PICK A PLACE
It is simpler for a dog to learn to relieve himself in one particular location rather than simply outdoors. Choose a location for your "toilet," whether it be in your yard, a grassy space in front, or a patio corner. The majority of dogs prefer porous surfaces, such as dirt, grass, gravel, carpet, and newspaper. If you have some of these materials on hand, you can spread them out where you want the dog to go.
3. CREATE A PROCEDURE
The more times you use the restroom at first, the higher your chances of success! Your dog will begin to go to the toilet on a timetable if you establish a strict daily plan for sleeping, eating, and playing with him or her. And you can make sure he will be there when it matters! A typical routine might involve using the restroom after breakfast, as soon as you wake up, and then at regular intervals all throughout the day. A good distance is two hours. Longer timeframes will work, but it will take more practice for your dog to develop the physical stamina to hold it for longer.
At the appointed times, take your dog to his designated bathroom and wait (on a leash is often best). Allowing the dog to circle and smell is okay, but don't let him play—this is important stuff! Wait for at least five minutes while being patient. If he starts to relieve himself, praise him subtly until he is done, then praise him loudly and give him a game or gift to enjoy. If he stays, surveillance will resume until the next predetermined time. Continue with the pattern, and after he starts using the restroom when you take him outside, progressively lengthen the intervals between trips.Your dog is housebroken when you are only using him three times per day and there are no more accidents inside (this can take anywhere between two and six weeks).
4. UNDERSTAND THE COMMAND
Your dog can benefit greatly from being taught a command like "Get Busy" or "Go Potty" (or any other command you want) to indicate when and where to relieve himself. Use it the same way you would any spoken command; for example, when you want your dog to sit, you say "Sit," and if he obey, you reward him with heaps of praise and goodies. Two or three times in a row is sufficient, and it should always be spoken in a pleasant tone rather than as a punishment. Additionally, if you observe your dog "getting active" in the appropriate location, you might yell, "Get busy! Nice puppy! Get going! Very excellent!
5. CREDIT
If your dog is going to go outside or is already outside, you can firmly state "NO," but don't shout or raise your voice. Then, take him right away to the outside location you've picked, where you may give him praise, treats, or a game, depending on what he likes best. Even when he hasn't done anything deserving of praise, it's important that he connect that location with rewards. Even if you caught him in time, he still needs to go. Lots of praise and goodies if he does leave!
6. PENALTIES?
Punishing your dog for "accidents" you find out about after the fact is the worst thing you can do. Dogs are unable to understand why they are being punished for something they did in the past. Some pet parents would remark, "Oh, but he understands he has done wrong because if I show him the mess he looks guilty," The dog has just come to understand that when people are around and there is a mess on the floor, he will probably be in trouble or disciplined, and sure, he will shrink or wince if you shout. He still does not know how to avoid making the association and how to avoid creating the issue in the first place.
Additionally, yelling, banging pennies in a bucket to make a loud noise, smacking your dog with a newspaper, sticking your dog's nose in his mess... In addition to being cruel, they frequently have the unintended consequence of making the dog fear you... or fear approaching you. After then, housebreaking will likely take a very long time or never happen. Dogs who enter the house only when left alone or in a rear area while you aren't looking typically experience this. The quickest and simplest technique to train is using positive reinforcement. In many cases, especially when it comes to housebreaking, punishment is the slowest and least enjoyable approach to train a dog.
7. CLEAN
When or if your dog has an accident inside your house, thoroughly clean the area with a biological washing powder solution or an enzyme product that has been carefully created to eliminate any smells. Until training is finished, try to keep your dog away from these locations. Put a chair covered with tarpaulin or another pee-proof object in front of or on top of the area if they keep going there, or lock them out of the room until they are completely housebroken.
Most dogs respond rapidly to these actions. Some dogs or puppies, such as those from pet shops and puppymills (where they are required to relieve themselves in the same cramped place where they sleep and eat), can, nevertheless, be more difficult to handle. If your dog is older than 8 months old and you've tried the procedures above for a month and they're still having accidents, get help from a professional trainer. Other causes of accidents in the home for dogs include sickness, submissive urination, stress and tension in the home, worry (for instance, over being left alone or changes in routine). A clean bill of health from your dog's vet is suggested prior to starting any training regimen.
This positive-reinforcement housebreaking approach has consistently worked for many dogs across the world, and it can work for yours too! It might seem like it's taking "forever" at times, and some dogs will make progress before taking a few steps back.
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