(NOTE: Baby puppies 8 weeks and more cannot hold their bladder for more than 2 hours, you will be getting up in the night. Older puppies at 12 weeks or so can go through the night, it depends on the individual puppy. Please don’t leave puppies crated at home alone for more than two hours while you are out, that’s not fair and you won’t have a house trained puppy. A 6 month old can usually hold it for 4 hours. All of these times are only guidelines, how long they can hold it depends on the individual dog.)
Having trouble house breaking? Take a deep breath and relax, help is on the way. Well maybe a deep breath isn’t a good idea yet but take heart, housetraining is pretty easy. The main ingredients are perseverance and kind hands. Be consistent and in no time at all you’ll have a lovely, well mannered house dog. One of the biggest reasons dogs wind up in rescue is, “He can’t be house trained!” Your pup may have been born in a puppy mill and thinks the bathroom is wherever he is. Puppy millers are generally known to raise dogs in dirty, crowded, and caged environments. Being trapped in a cage with no one to open the door makes for a very messy dog. It becomes “normal” to pee and poop where they stand. Many people say that a 6 month old puppy can hold it’s bladder for an eight hour day. I don’t disagree but I don’t think it’s a good idea to ask a dog to hold its bladder that long, especially a young dog. When was the last time you held your water for eight hours? With routine, “normal” will be going outside to the spot to potty. If you choose the spot, you’ll still get to walk barefoot on the rest of your yard.
I love the umbilical cord method of house training. The dog is on a six foot leash attached to you or another responsible and aware person for the next six months or until he has perfect house manners. He can’t do anything wrong because you will be supervising his every move. If he is not on the leash attached to you, he is in his crate, or off leash under your complete supervision. He will have emptied his bladder and his bowels and played and is ready for a nap before he goes into the crate. The umbilical cord is great for learning all manners. The dog can’t do anything wrong, you’re there to teach him what is right. Picks up a shoe? Trade him for a Bully Stick from SitStay.com or a squeak toy. Barks at the postman, shush. Good dog. Watch those low to the floor dogs religiously. They can squat so fast and they’re done! Watch for sniffing the floor and get outside fast!
Routine. First thing in the morning, early, out the door on the leash. Stand still at the spot you’ve chosen for the potty. Urge him gently in a soft voice, “go pee”, “go poop”. When he does, applaud softly and pet him, “What a very clever boy, you are!” Do this every time he goes in the spot and soon he will go on command no matter where you are. Some trainers like to use treats as a reward. I like to use applause and a little bit of play to reward, maybe just a quick run to the other side of the yard, laughing and saying “what a clever dog you are!”
Routine. Eat. Within 15 minutes, back out to pee or poop.
Routine. Play. Within 15 minutes, back out to pee or poop.
Routine. Nap. Outside upon awakening, out to pee or poop.
Routine. Meals must be fed at the same time every day until he is going potty outside without fail, no house accidents. I like to continue the meals on a regular schedule until the dog is about 1 year old. Regular meals make for regular bowel movements.
Routine. Withhold water in the evening around 6ish, bedtime for puppies at our house is no later than 9:00PM. Last thing at night, outside on the leash, potty, then inside and go to bed.
Routine. It all starts over again in the morning.
If you have to be gone from home more than 4 hours at a time, get some help. A dog walker, a good friend or neighbor who will come in a couple of times a day, or a great doggie day care where your little one will have complete supervision, a lot of fun, and will return home at night tired out and ready for a long nights sleep are excellent choices.
Here’s a quick tip that I teach. (Don’t use this first thing in the morning, just get outside and pee! But every other time is good.) Dog is on leash. Go to door. “Want to go outside? Come tell me.” Pat your leg. Dog comes to you. Opening the door and going outside is the reward. Each time you do this, you’ll move a little bit further from the door, the dog learns to come to you to get you to open the door. You’ll move further into the house, until you are in the furthest room of the house. Watch his signals so you understand what he wants when he comes to get you. Don’t try to get too far into the house too fast. Slow and steady wins the race.
If you live in a high rise with a puppy, you might consider Little Sinker Housebreaking Pads (search www.sitstay.com for the word “pads” to find the size you need. (Big dogs are best trained to go outdoors.) All dogs of all sizes should learn to go outside to potty.
There are wonderful puppy books and booklets in the SitStay Library. The more you read about dog behavior, the more you’ll enjoy your dog. We have a great library!
And relax; it’s not the end of the world if the dog does have an accident. Clean it up with a good odor cleaner. Things can and will change with positive training, kind hands, and routine, routine, routine. You and your dog will be happily going potty outside very soon…well, not you, but the dog will, you’ll just be there to applaud.
[I absolutely agree. There is a method to my madness in this case, more people search the Internet for "house breaking" than any other term because it's traditionally called that. I'm sure you'll agree with me that the more people who find positive ways to work with dogs, the better. No matter what the words they use to find the help. Thanks for your comment. I really appreciate it. Having grown up with horses and dogs, it was nice to hear from someone who knows both. Darcie]
I guess, in more than 30 years of my life living with dogs, I’ve really failed to see where the real “problem” is in this whole process. Admittedly, our family includes mostly bigger dogs – who tend to be a bit better about learning these skills when young. Still, if you believe the regular propaganda, given that they are all males, they should be randomly running around the house “marking” things left and right.
In part, I suspect that our description of this process as “house TRAINING” is important – just as we refer to our work with young horses as “STARTING.” I have no desire to “break” horses – nor dogs. The language we use does matter – it’s why people try to pass off the “fixing” euphemism for castration. If language wasn’t important, then we’d just call it what it is. Language matters.
Dog, as social animals evolved from many millenia of living in hollowed-out dens, are instinctively unhappy about messing their “den.” This is a deep mammalian instinct that long predates the Canis family entirely – just like the repugnance of poisonous foods and so on, it’s in the “old brain” of all of us. When we train dogs to go outside to relieve themselves, we’re simply adding a scrim of reinforcement over a hugely well-evolved, deeply-rooted existing tendency. We aren’t “breaking” them of anything. We are TEACHING them to do what they instinctively already know they want to do.
Like all youngsters of any species, a bit of guidance and help in learning always does wonders. That’s all this is about. We’re no trying to teach them quadratic equations, or asking a toddler to sit still for hours in a classroom – those are difficult. Not making a mess is easy.
The more we recognize our canine friends as sentient, self-aware, intelligent “people” in their own right – with their own beliefs and understandings and assumptions and desires – the more we can work with them, as mentors and guides, to help them make healthy and socially positive choices in our shared life. There is nothing to “break” in this process – and much to TEACH.
Exitpoint | http://www.exitpoint.org
You’ve educated me more than any website I’ve found. Thank you.
Now I understand Grace. I wish I’d found you when I was working with Marley during her first year. Grace is a Corgi, and so close to the carpet. I started putting the water up at 6:00pm, and take her and Marley out frequently. The trouble is, that she drinks tons of water at a time. I hate to take it away from her. She is nine weeks old now, and we have her on a feeding schedule, but they love playing outdoors, and it is hot here. She knows to got to the door, and if she’s in her cage, she will bark to let me know she needs to go, but she’s so small she’s doesn’t have time to make it to the door, so I’ve been picking her up and taking to the same spot as you suggested. The trouble is, that after she goes in the yard, and we come in, she will go again in the house, twice. I don’t understand this. I had the carpets cleaned prior to getting Grace and use the Natural Product, but she selects a new place. I’m hoping this is just a matter of time, and it is due to her being a Welsh Corgi. We love her and I’m willing learn and do what it takes to help Grace learn. Could you please respond? Joey
Dear Joey, If she still has urine in her bladder when she comes back into the house, she didn’t finish outside. If she’s one of those puppies who does have to pee two or three times at one bathroom break, make sure that you stay with her at her spot outside until she goes again. An empty bladder won’t mar the carpet. She can’t over drink if you don’t give her too much water, she can go to the bottom of the bowl but she’ll only get what you put into the bowl.
Also, do you have her on the umbilical cord? Doesn’t sound like it. That is a must! You can’t help her learn if she’s away from you. The Buddy System is a perfect umbilical cord, see it at SitStay.com. (It’s great to teach loose leash walking, too! Get one!)
If you take her out and she only pees one time outside and you’ve waited for several minutes for her to go again and she doesn’t, when she comes back into the house, she goes into the crate or onto the umbilical cord (this is a must until her house manners are perfect). She’ll tell you that she has to go and out to her spot you both go again.
Because she is so little, you can take her out to potty more often, even when she doesn’t ask to go. Make it a routine for now, more potty times in the daily schedule, the times will get further and further apart as she matures and her bladder gets stronger, you’ll still have a dog who tells you she needs to go outside. Here’s how to take her out on your schedule: “Let’s go outside to potty. Come tell me.” Pat your thighs and back up so she comes to you. Walk to the door with her and say it again, “Let’s go outside to potty. Come tell me.” Pat your thighs as you say “Come tell me” and back up so she comes to you. Open the door, this is the reward for coming to you, and go to her spot. “Come tell me” is the most effective way I’ve found to teach a dog to find me anywhere in the house. You start with a few steps at the door, then further and further away from the door, until one day the dog is older, off leash, and comes to get you wherever you are.
It’s not as easy with little dogs because they have smaller bladders but truly all pups are pretty much the same. You have to be on top of the game 24/7 to get the best results. Let us know how it goes. Thanks! – Darcie
Thank you, Darcie. I’ll let you know how it’s going.