House Training Your Dog

by Noah Schettini

House training your dog should start early in his life. It's important to teach your dog early on about the things that he's allowed and not allowed to do. The easiest way to do this is by rewarding and praising him every time he does something right. The more times your puppy is rewarded, the easier and faster it is for him to remember and learn. It is also important to give your pup as much time as you can on its first few days in his new home. You should also give him regular and frequent access to his restroom area.

House training your dog usually lasts up to the 6 months of the dog's life, considering that the puppy starts house training after weaning (the 2nd or 3rd month of its life). House training your dog is not easy and it is very unpredictable. Puppies, like human babies, grow rapidly during this stage of development, eating more and burning food faster. This is why they tend to eliminate more frequently. Like babies, they haven't developed very good bladder and bowel control at this point - they can't 'hold it in' as long as older dogs can.

In house training your dog, confine him to a small room or area within the house. Place old newspapers on the floor to protect it from unwanted discharges. His bed, toys, water and food containers should also be in this area. Your puppy will very likely chew up and play with the newspaper -- this is normal behavior for puppies, so do not scold him just yet. He will also often miss the paper when he excretes. When this happens, just clean up the mess and replace the torn and soiled newspaper with clean ones.

While being confined in his area, your puppy will learn where he is allowed in the house. You should also guide him by praising him when he behaves or does something right. On the other hand, correcting him with a firm commanding voice when he does something wrong, or goes to a part of the house where he is not allowed, is also advisable.

While being in the confines of this area your puppy will also develop a habit of eliminating on paper. As your puppy grows older, he will start to show a favored spot on the floor to do his thing. When this spot is established and the rest of the papers in the area remain clean, then you can start covering a much smaller area. Start removing the paper that is furthest from his preferred spot. Soon, you'll only need to leave a few sheets of paper in your puppy's area.

If he ever misses the paper, then you may have reduced the area too soon. Go back to covering a larger area or even the entire room. Once your puppy is consistently doing his thing on the papers you've placed, then you may progressively move his papers to a more convenient area of your choice. Move the papers an inch everyday until you reach your desired spot. If your puppy misses again, then you are probably moving too fast - go back a few steps and start over.

Do not be discouraged if you keep on repeating these steps. Your puppy is still learning and will eventually catch on. With a little patience and consistency on your part, your efforts in house training your dog will pay off, and you'll have a loyal, friendly, and disciplined companion for many years.