That sweet bundle of fur that you just brought home is filling the household with glee, and the occasional extra yellow stain on your carpet. There are a couple of methods to housebreak your puppy that will keep yourself happy, your puppy happy and the house clean.

Photo: puppy-training-solutions.com

One of the first methods is the in-house method, which is good if your living in an apartment complex, you can put down papers in an area that is easy to clean up, bathrooms are the easiest. Or you can purchased pre-treated pads that are scented with a chemical that attracts the puppy to use them. Whenever you see your puppy starting into a "pre-potty pattern," walking around and sniffing the floor, you pick them up and carry them over to the papers or pads. Tell them gently to go potty, and after they have, praise them.

This method is to be used along with the going outside method, which is all cued on yourself and watching the "pre-potty pattern". As they get older, start taking them outside, using a key word, "outside". Make it enjoyable for them. Take them outside, let them sniff around, and encourage them with the word, "potty". They will remember that potty meant it’s okay, like with the papers/pads, and will eventually go. After they go; praise them for being such a good puppy.

Try and use the outside method in a routine. After a feeding, after playing and after sleeping. These are the three main times a puppy goes. They also can get overly excited and urinate by accident. Do Not scold them for getting overly excited, instead of clean up the mess, and take them to the papers/pads or outside and say gently,"potty".

If your going to be gone for a long period of time, I highly recommend using a large crate instead of locking a puppy up in a room with papers/pads. Put the large crate in the usual room you are using for the housebreaking, put a blanket on one side of the crate and papers/pads on the other side. Do not forget a small bowl of water and food. Since they are now use to the papers/pads, they will go to that area of the crate to go potty if needed. Praise them when you return if they have used them, if they haven’t used them, take them outside right away.

Within a couple of months they will be trained, an occasional accident might happen, but don’t yell or push thier little faces in it, it happens. Just tell them, no and take them outside with the key word "potty",

Two main rules for housebreaking are important and must always be carried through:

If you don’t actually see your puppy going potty, then please don’t punish him for it, he must be caught in the act for him to understand what he did wrong.

Praise your puppy when things go right. Don’t let this be a situation where "No" is being said when they are caught in the midst of using the wrong area. Move them to area/method you are using, and gently say "potty"

Now go and have fun with your new bundle of fur.
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