Tips on house training your dog

The following house training tips should help you and your dog survive the training process with as few accidents as possible. Remember, learning how to house train a dog isn’t difficult if you keep a watchful eye and establish a routine that sets your dog up to succeed.

For dogs and puppies

Consider crate training

Using a crate can reinforce the feeding and walking schedule you set for your dog during house training. Also, dogs instinctively know not to soil their sleeping area so your dog will quickly learn to hold it until you let him out. Learn why you should crate train a dog.

Leave a stool in the soiling area

For the first week or two leave one of your dog’s stools in the area you’ve marked for soiling. This serves as a scent post. Once your dog can consistently recognize the spot and know what he’s supposed to do, house training becomes a lot easier.

Feed your dog a quality diet

This tip ensures your dog doesn’t suffer from diarrhea or constipation both of which can hamper training. Feed high quality dog food as recommended by your veterinarian to keep your dog happy and regular.

Don’t free feed or leave water out

Feeding should be scheduled like everything else during house training. Offer water each time you take your dog out and after play sessions to be sure he’s well hydrated. If you have to leave food or water out during the day, put them away after 6:00pm to reduce nighttime accidents.

Leave the leash on

One of the simpler house training problems to cure is a dog that wanders out of your sight. Keep a leash on your dog so he’s constantly within grabbing distance and always supervise him while he’s in the house. You don’t want to find a surprise that’s a few days old or, worse yet, have your dog establish a habit of using a particular spot for his business without your knowledge. As your dog becomes more reliable, you can give him more leeway.

Special tips for puppy training

Carry puppy for morning trips outside

After a long night of holding it, your puppy may be inclined to go as soon as you lead him away from his bed. Carry him outside in the mornings to avoid unnecessary accidents, at least for the first few weeks of house training.

The Rule of One

If you take your puppy’s age in months and add one, you’ll have the number of hours he can wait between bathroom breaks. For example, a puppy that’s three months old will likely need to go out every four hours or so. This is a good way to determine if you’ll need to wake up during the night to take your puppy out.

Feed puppy in his crate

Some puppies have a tendency to eliminate as soon as they finish eating. To curb this “in one end, out the other” routine, feed your puppy in his crate. This will capitalize on his desire to keep his sleeping area clean and it’ll build a positive association with his crate.

While these dog house training tips can’t get you all the way to an accident-free dog, they can eliminate some of the factors that make training problematic.