Housebreaking can be a nightmare for many new pet owners especially if they are not aware of how to start. Successful house breaking your pet will ease up your initial pet ownership anxiety. To begin, here are some guidelines that worked for me and many others in toilet training their pet. So, if you are still struggling with housebreaking your dog, use this as a guide immediately and be CONSISTENT!
Housebreaking your dog is one of the most important training for all pet owners if they want a more pleasant life. It is not difficult to train even an old dog to do this so long as you are consistent when guiding her. Avoid allowing your dog free run of the home when you first bring her home. She is most likely to eliminate at the wrong places most times and it can be a back breaking experience for u too! Ensure close supervision if you allow her in the home and reprimand her immediately when she make a mistake.
1) Confine your dog to an area (e.g. kitchen) when you bring her home. Do not let her roam around the house as chances are she is going to eliminate anywhere she likes to mark his territory. You may wish to keep her there for few days to 2 weeks to let her get used to his place. Ensure that his den is free from hazardous materials or household cleaning agents that she can reach out. Dogs that are bored can start to get into their mischief when alone at home, so make sure her area is sheltered and safe for her to be left alone there. Once she is more consistent in eliminating at the same stop during confinement, you can start to let her move around freely in the house. If you must bring the pet out to the living quarters, ensure that someone can closely supervise her and when a mistake is made, immediate punishment is enforced to ensure your pet knows it is wrong to eliminate in the living quarters.
2) Place newspapers in the area where you want your dog should eliminate.
3) Each time she does it at the right spot, praise her like she is the smartest dog on earth and give her some treats if you wish. When the same action and same feedback is given to the dog consistently, she will learn very quickly what to do to get those treats. Ease off those treats when she have mastered the skills.
4) If your dog eliminates on the wrong spot, reprimand her immediately by using a low stern voice. Soak up the pee with a tissue and place it at the spot where she is supposed to eliminate and show her again where she should be doing it. You may have to carry her to the spot to show her the right place for toilet. Correction must be immediately for fast result. Even if there is a delay of few minutes after the act, correcting her will be fruitless as she cannot relate the mistake she made with your unhappiness.
5) The trick to this is to eye on your pet like a hawk. When you notice she is about to eliminate at the wrong spot, distract her so she stop the act, scoop or lead her to her toilet and command her to do it there. Ensure she is confined there until she eliminates. Remember to praise and reward her for faster result. This is the fastest way to housebreak your pet but you have to be very attentive to her and know the right time to scoop/lead her before she actually eliminate on the wrong spot. If she eliminates before you can get to her, take the opportunity to reprimand her and punish her as you have caught her in the act. This requires support and cooperation from family members especially if you are busy with something or not at home, ensure someone can help to guide her.
6) Place more newspaper on a bigger area at the start of the training and reduce the paper spread gradually when your dog gets better at it.
If eliminating at home on papers is not an option for the family, then set up a routine to walk your dog at least 2-3 times a day. Dogs do not usually soil their own den (i.e. your home), so if the walks are frequent enough, she will hold it till their walk. Puppies need their toilet break more frequently usually immediately after their meal. Be prepared to bring her out for toilet breaks after every meal or after every 2 hours or so. Place papers just outside the house if need be to train them to eliminate outdoors.
Do remember that consistency and patience is of the essence to housebreaking your pet. Do not give up too early, some dogs take a day to learn, others take months. Each and single one of them is unique, we just have to practice patience and a lot of consistency for the training to be a success.
