Bringing home a new puppy or dog can be an exciting time for a family. But before you let that new four-legged family member start bounding all over the house, you might want to learn about what it takes to do some effective dog house training.

Let’s start with a few things that we should know about our new dog. First and foremost, dogs are very clean animals and they do not want to sleep in the same area they use to eliminate. Just like humans, they prefer to keep their bathroom area separate from their sleeping area. And like us, dogs and puppies will always do best when they are kept to a schedule. They thrive on a routine.

It’s also very important to remember that puppies, like most babies, have very limited control of their bladder. They will always need to empty their bladder and bowels as soon as they wake, about a half hour after they have eaten and, right before they go to sleep. They can’t sleep with a full bladder or bowels. If for what ever reason a puppy is not able to relieve itself at those times, it will, more than likely, have an “accident.” So, given what you now know, if you want to help your puppy prevent these accidents, than it is up to you to assume that you need to take your puppy outside at these particular times in his day. If you wait for the puppy to alert you that he needs to go out, you will probably be too late.

As far as adult dogs go, they too can benefit from house training although it may take a bit longer. Sometimes with full grown dogs, they have to unlearn some old behaviors before the new training will stick. If you are patient and consistent, your efforts will be rewarded with a properly housebroken dog. Do not blame the dog if you are lazy!

The goal of housebreaking, as with most other types of training, is to encourage and make it easy for your dog or puppy to exhibit the correct behavior. We should always want him to do the right thing not wait for him to have an accident and then punish him for being “bad.” Your dog or puppy will be trained much faster if you focus on prevention rather than punishment. And just what is the key to your dog’s house training? Why, it’s you!

One of the most important aspects of dog house training, is providing some sort of a confined area for your puppy or dog to stay in when you or another responsible family member can not supervise him. This is where a crate or kennel is very useful. And contrary to some of the critics, crates are not cruel. Rather, they are your pup’s own private room, his den where he can get away from everything, to rest and feel safe. Much like a baby is placed in a crib or playpen to keep him safe and secure, your puppy needs a place to be protected as well. Besides, a crate trained puppy will not be wandering around the house and chewing on things he shouldn’t be chewing on!

Remember, if you give your dog, especially a puppy, run of the house when you aren’t there to supervise him, you can expect him to have accidents. But, if you are committed to begin good dog house training, then until your puppy has better bladder control, you should include crate training in your plans. It’s because dogs want to keep their private sleeping area clean that he will rely on you to keep him to a schedule and take him outside to relieve himself. Within a few weeks, you will begin to see results. It only takes consistency and a little patience on your part.

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