by Pat Gray

Created on: October 03, 2008

Every day dogs are relegated to the backyard or surrendered to the pound because they weren't properly or completely house-trained. This always surprises me because even an older dog can be house-trained easily. (And it is a process of training - the term "house breaking" really reflects out-dated theories of how we interact with our animals.)

Here is how you can house-train your puppy - or retrain an older dog:

1) Set your dog up to win.

Creating an environment and managing situations so your dog doesn't have an accident in the first place is critical. When your dog has opportunities to be successful, you have opportunities to praise, and praising your dog for going in the right spot is much more effective in training and much more enjoyable for both of you. For example:

a) Never give your dog a big drink then forget to let them out in a half hour or so. If you take your puppy out for a good romp and they drink a bowl of water when they are done, don't leave them in the house or their crate without first letting them get rid of that water!

b) Don't feed a large meal at night and expect them make it through the night without going outside. A dog's system processes food much faster than a humans system - five to six hours - and they will more than likely need to go.

c) Don't free-feed. Have set meal times so you can let your dog out on a schedule. If your dog hasn't eaten in 15 minutes, take the dish and save it for the next meal.

d) A small puppy can hold their bladder for about one hour for every month of age. Keep this in mind and make sure your puppy goes outside on his schedule, if not sooner.

e) Use a crate. Used correctly, the crate is the best tool you have to manage the dog's environment for your benefit and for his benefit too.

2) Always reward success immediately.

Many people (and I did this myself) reward the dog when they back in the house - this is great for getting your dog to come in, but not so much for encouraging them to potty in the right spot. The time to praise is when they they have "assumed the position" and things are starting to happen. Be calm and quiet - don't startle them out of doing their duty or encourage them to play when they should be attending to business.

Scolding is not only ineffective, but it can be counter-productive, even if you catch them in the act. Your dog may actually decide that they can't go when you are nearby or at all, which will make house-training next to impossible. Use a "oops, oh well" tone of voice, gently escort

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