Puppy Housetraining in 5 Steps
Puppy Crates and Scent Cloths Get the Job Done
Puppies are four-legged bundles of joy—but puppy housetraining isn’t exactly the best part of a new pup. Sure, your pet is cute, cuddly and brings out your nurturing side—until he leaves you a little puddle or pile to clean up. At such times, raising a puppy may not seem so joyful.
But, don’t worry—you can teach your puppy to “do her doo” at the times and places you want. You just need to learn some puppy housetraining tricks.
Follow these five steps to housetraining success:
- Buy a puppy crate. A puppy crate will pay big dividends by providing your dog with a safe den. A great benefit to crate training dogs is that your puppy can take a nap or just chill out—but, mostly, it’s where she can develop the control that’s essential to successful housetraining. That’s because no dog wants to potty in her den, and she’ll do everything possible to refrain from doing so. The best den for crate training dogs is a puppy crate made of either wire or plastic. Make sure it’s big enough for her to stand up, turn around and lie down in, but not so large that she can sleep at one end and do her business at the other.
- Make a scent cloth. The next time your puppy urinates, wipe her urinary area with a paper towel, and save it. The wet paper towel serves as a scent cloth that you can use to help with puppy housetraining. Just place the scent cloth in the place you want her to do her business, such as a spot in the backyard, and, within seconds, your puppy almost certainly will do that business right on top of it.
- Pick a potty spot. The best place for a doggy bathroom is a grassy area close to your home, such as your backyard—that way, you can scoop her up and get her outside if she shows signs of needing to potty. If you’re crate training your dogs, you’ll notice the signs as soon as they get out of the crate—look for stopping suddenly, sniffing intensely, circling or pacing. Whenever they unload onto the designated spot, praise them lavishly and perhaps give them a treat. If they goof and do their business inside, just clean it up with an enzymatic pet stain cleaner. Don’t scold or punish your puppy. Scolding doesn’t work because your pup might not understand why she’s being scolded. Rather, praise her when she has done something right.
- Watch for problems. Until you’re sure that your puppy won’t potty inside your home, watch her every move. When you can’t watch the little guys, keep them in the puppy crates.
- Follow a schedule. Crate training dogs goes much faster if your puppy has a schedule for eating, drinking, and eliminating. Most puppies need potty breaks when they wake up in the morning, after they eat a meal, after they wake up from a nap and after they play. For very young puppies, this can mean a dozen trips to the potty spot every day. Puppies over four months of age may need six to ten trips; adults can get by with three or four bathroom breaks each day.
You’ll know your puppy housetraining has been a success when your dog is at least six months old and hasn’t made a mistake for a month or so. Follow these steps, and your puppy can go back to being just a bundle of joy!
Susan McCullough is an award-winning writer whose books include Housetraining for Dummies and Senior Dogs for Dummies. She lives in Vienna, Virginia.