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Housebreaking
The Key to Training Success is You!

Spend as much time with your puppy as possible during the first
two to three weeks your puppy is home.  Be consistent, patient,
praise when appropriate, and be willing - for however long it
takes - to invest the time and energy necessary to make this
important training time a success.  The effort you put forth now
will be well worth it for the lifetime of your pup.

Buy a crate and during the first few weeks, keep your puppy in it whenever you are
not playing, holding, or watching him explore his new surroundings.  Spend as much
time as you can with your pup, but when you can't watch him, crating him can prevent
mistakes from occurring.  In addition to providing the safe, secure refuge your pup
needs and wants, crates are critical to housetraining because as den animals, dogs
are naturally inclined to not soil their bed.  The most important thing dogs learn in a
crate is that they can control their urge to eliminate until the proper time and situation.

Establish a schedule and don't deviate from it.  The "when" and "how" you
housetrain needs to be consistent so make sure all family members follow the same
guidelines.  Pick a soiling spot in your yard and take your pup there on a lead when it
is time to eliminate.  The odor from previous visits to this spot will stimulate the urge
to defecate and/or urinate.  In the housebreaking process, it is a good idea to use the
same word like "outside" when you are going out and "do your stuff" once you are
outside. Consistant use of a word with an activity will help to build a level of
communication between you and your pup.  Be patient.  Dogs may urinate or
defecate more than once in one outing and not always right away.  Don't distract your
pup from the job at hand.  This is a business trip, not a social time.

Praise them for their success when the job is done.

Don't mix business with pleasure.  Wait until your pup has finished and then take
him back inside and spend some time with him.  You know there is little chance the
pup will have to eliminate for a while so play with him and have a good time.  The
more time you spend with the pup, the better it is.  Remember, they are still young
and need to act like a pup, developing and learning about their new situation and
environment.  When your are finished playing, take one more trip outside and place
the pup back in its crate.
Dogs are creatures of habit; they like to eat, sleep, and relieve themselves on a regular
schedule.  Establishing and maintaining a schedule is easy to do and gets easier as your
puppy grows.  Pay attention to your pup's behavior so you can develop a schedule that
works for both of you.  First, learn when your pup naturally defecates - in the morning, at
night, 30 minutes after eating, etc.  Look at your schedule and determine what compromises
need to be made to make this workable for everyone.

If you catch your puppy in the act of having an accident, tell him "No!" forcefully, pick him up
and take him outside.  If you don't catch him, simply clean up the mess and scold yourself for
not being available.  Do not scold the puppy.  Take him outside frequently and watch him
very closely when he is inside.  As soon as you see him pacing, sniffing around, turning in
circles, or trying to sneak away, pick him up and take him outside.  These are telltale signs
that he needs to relieve himself.  

Sample Schedule
For puppies 3-6 mos. old eating 3-4 meals per day; owner is home or can get home at lunch.

7:00am     Take pup out.  Don't wait until you shower or until the coffee is made.
7:15           Kitchen playtime.
7:30           Feed and water.  Allow 15-20 min. for eating, then remove dish.
8:00           Take pup out.  Confine to crate when you leave; place safe chew toys in crate for
entertainment.
Noon         Take pup out.
12:15         Kitchen playtime.
12:30         Feed and water.
12:45         Take pup out.
1:00           Confine to crate
6:00           Take pup out as soon as you get home.
6:15           Kitchen playtime.
6:45           Feed and water.
7:00           Take pup out.
7:15           Confine to crate.
9:00           Feed and water.
9:15           Take pup out.
9:30           Kitchen playtime.
10:00        Confine to crate
11:00        Take pup out.  Confine to crate overnight.

This is just a sample schedule to give you an idea of the time involved in housetraining a
puppy.  When possible, your puppy should not be crated once you are home for the evening.
 This is when you spend quality time with him and work on basic obedience.