Consistency Is Key with Housetraining

Consistency Is Key with Housetraining

There are very few dogs that cant be housetrained – just poor pet owners who dont understand the value of consistency. Youre the most important element in successful housetraining for a puppy or adult dog thats new in your home.

The dog is looking to you to set boundaries and rules, while also showing that hes welcome in your world. Housetraining might take a few days or it might take months each dog is different.

It takes at least several weeks or a few months to establish housetraining with a puppy. Some owners say that puppies are easier to train, since they have no negative experiences to counteract.

Other owners insist that an older dog is easier to train because they have better developed bladders, can wait longer between breaks and know something about housetraining. It doesnt matter which is right or wrong, its only about dealing with the dog you have in the most positive way so that youre teaching a good lesson, not instilling fear.

The old method of housebreaking was punishment centered – hitting a puppy with rolled up paper to make him stop having accidents and then punishing him again because he urinated on the floor instead of the newspaper.

Needless to say, it rarely got the desired behavior. Positive reinforcement shows the puppy exactly what you want him to do by rewarding the potty behavior with praise and affection.

These are far more powerful motivators for your dog than punishment. If your dog senses that youre going to be home soon, he will make every effort to wait for the potty break.

But if youre home on time one day, late the next and later the following day, then your dog is smart enough to give up and go when he has to. Thats not his choice – particularly if hes in a crate because he dislikes combining his potty with his personal space.

Losing that consistency will cause him to give up and go against his instinct to potty in separate place. Housetraining takes time, so you need to be prepared to schedule yourself for this task until its complete.

Thats going to interrupt your schedule and cause you to watch the clock. If youll make this sacrifice for the weeks needed to train your dog, then youll be done with the process completely.

This is a small price to pay for a housetrained, well-adjusted dog that will live comfortably in your home for many years. At the end of the training period, you arent a screaming wreck and your dog isnt cowering under furniture at the sound of your voice. Effective training builds a lasting bond with your dog.

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