Puppy House Training

Puppy House Training Made Easy

You fall madly in love with that adorable little puppy,
until he makes his first mess on your carpet!

Puppy house training is the first important step in establishing a proper relationship with your new puppy. However, until the puppy is house trained, it can be a source of real frustration to many puppy owners. There are some tried and true methods that will have your dog relieving itself in the correct place quickly and without causing you so much frustration. The following tips for puppy house training will make the first few weeks with your new pup a little easier.

Using a Crate

There are a number of good reasons why crates have become a popular tool in puppy house training today. Dogs will generally will not mess in the area where they sleep, so putting your pup in a crate for a short period of time will teach him ‘ to hang on and wait’ until he is removed from the crate. Take your puppy outdoors immediately he is taken out of the crate so that he can relieve himself. Offer the positive reinforcement when he does ‘go’ and that will encourage him to use the backyard.

Using a crate for puppy house training also provides a comfortable and safe place for him to sleep when you are busy doing other things and cannot keep an eye on him. When you are asleep or away from home, you will find the crate particularly useful. As you do not want your puppy to undertake destructive play when left alone, a crate can be a great solution.

A crate provides an environment where your puppy cannot get into trouble or become injured when you are not watching him. Keep the time spent in the crate short at first and gradually extend the time as your puppy gets more and more comfortable with his surroundings. Do not leave your puppy in a crate for longer than six to eight hours at a stretch.

I purchased a large fabric type crate for using on the back seat of the car to keep my Cavalier King Charles Spaniels safe when transporting them. They even shared the crate with the Rag Doll cat! I took the crate into the living room and just left it there with the flap open. The puppy began to explore it, play in it and even sleep in it, with no encouragement from me.

The crate is now one of their most popular areas. They like to take their favourite toy into it and when we are eating I just use the command ‘crate’ and both dogs go in and lie down and Rags hops up on top and uses it like a hammock (I just hope the zip closing the top flap doesn't break under his weight - he's a big boy!). The crate has been the best purchase I have made for my animals and has been an invaluable puppy house training tool.

Cleaning Up After Your Puppy Has an Accident

When puppy house training, do not rub your puppy's nose in any mess he makes. Don’t even scold him. Just ignore the accident and take your puppy outside to show him the proper place to relieve himself. Clean up the mess when your puppy is not around to watch you. Completely eliminate the smell while puppy house training, otherwise he will return to the scent and do the same thing again, in the same spot. To effectively clean up such messes, use one of the very good commercial cleaners that are available on the market today.

Puppy house training is a process that requires plenty of time and patience, but it is not impossible. With the help of a crate and consistency on your part, your puppy will learn quickly. Puppy house training is the first step in raising a dog that the entire family will enjoy.