Housebreaking Puppies in the Winter

Although I hope to talk about many puppy training techniques and cover the major basic puppy training subject areas and trouble spots, I know that you are here right now for help on housebreaking your puppy in the winter.

To tell you the truth, potty training in cold weather is very similar to potty training during the milder months of the year. My wife and I have had dogs much of our adult lives--before and after our marriage, and we have housebroken puppies through bitterly cold Iowa winters and they have done just fine. Our two current dogs--a german shepher and lab mutt--happen to love the winter and can't seem to get enough of frolicing in the snow and chasing snow flakes.

I honestly don't think you'll have anything to worry about if you pay attention to a few basics. If you've never housebroken a new puppy before, you may want to have a look at the article, Potty Training for puppies. In the next module, we'll get straight to our short list of potty training tips for housebreaking puppies in the winter.

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When it comes to housebreaking puppies in the winter, you don't really have anything to worry about, but you do want to pay attention to a few important points.

First, although you shouldn't be afraid of taking your dog out in cold weather, never leave your pet alone outside during the winter months. Always be sure to accompany it when you let it out. Be there right with your puppy until it is ready to come inside.

Second, you must never leave a puppy exposed to cold weather for long periods of time. Keep in mind that puppies are keenly sensitive to cold weather and/or harsh weather conditions. That means, as well, that they are going to be much more vulnerable to frostbite and hypothermia. If you plan on housebreaking puppies in the winter, these are two terms you must understand.

Hypothermia simply means a lack of warmth. Basically, your puppy's core temperature falls so low that it cannot generate the heat necessary to sustatin life. Here, hypo means not enough or under, and thermia means heat. A good basic rule to follow is that if it is too cold for you, then it is too cold for your puppy.

Frostbite is damage to your skin due to prolonged exposure to cold. Damaged skin will turn pale or white. Generally, for a dog the most vulnerable areas will be the webbing between the toes, the tail, and ears.

When housebreaking your puppy, follow these basic guidelines, and you won't go wrong:

*start puppy housebreaking around 8 weeks old
*establish a regular schedule
*take your puppy outside when it looks like it wants to go
*take the puppy outside approximately every two hours
*always stay outside with your puppy

Please pay attention to these tips. Follow this advice and listen to your own common sense and I think you'll come through the winter just fine.

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There may be occasions when housebreaking your puppy outside is simply not practical. Extreme freezing conditions may make it difficult to put your puppy on a fixed schedule for training outdoors.

In this case, you may need to start potty training inside. Keep in mind that potty training normally begins around 8 weeks, and you must still follow potty training fundamentals. For inside training, you will need to designate a specific area to be used for toilet training. Although many people use newspapers for the puppy poop and pee on, there are potty pads, or piddle pads as they are sometimes called. I would advise checking into available potty training aids as this may help reduce the amount of cleaning you have to do. I want to stress that it is important to keep the puppy's potty area as clean as possible--toilet training supplies such as pads may help.

If you have the space, in the puppies toilet area, you may want to fashion a large, sealed space specifically for pee and pooping. Something along the lines of a baby's inflatable wading pool but filled with litter material.

As for potty training, the key to this is establishing fixed routines that you do no stray from. "Routine" is the key. Here are some of the tips:

• Set fixed feeding times and stick to them.


• Always put your puppy in the toilet area 10 to 15 minutes after feeding, and praise it lavishly when it goes.


• Always put your puppy in the toilet area every 1 to 2 hours, just as you would do if you were taking it outside.


• If your puppy eliminates elsewhere in your apartment or house, don't punish it. However, immediately put it in its toilet area.


• When the puppy goes in other areas of your residence, clean the spot well in order to remove all or as much of the odor as possible. You might also want to take the paper towel or rags that you use to clean up and put them in the dog's special toilet spot.


• When you notice the puppy sniffing the floor as if following a trail, put it in its toilet spot. Such behavior is an indication that it is looking for a spot eliminate.

The key, here, is repeat the training routines without variation until the puppy gets it. And your pet will get it. Never be angry, scolding, or rebuking. Remember, you puppy wants to please you, and you are in the first stages of teaching it how to to do just that.

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Dog Training is taught many different ways. Teaching your dog new tricks and handling obedience training takes both dedication and patience. It also takes a sense of skill and personal awareness of not only your dog's actions, but your own body language and training practices as well. Here are three tips to help with training new puppies:

• Signals should be given to your dogs with one hand and arm only. In the earliest stages you may exaggerate the signals to gain the dog's attention, but in the final analysis all signals must be given smoothly and swiftly without any excess body motion. The size of your dog is not a factor here, for you can train any dog to pay attention, and if he is paying attention to you he will see your signals.

The people who would disagree with this theory are those who have yet to learn how to make their dogs pay attention to them. You will have to watch yourself very carefully to avoid giving unintentional body signals to your dog. It is natural for a beginner to nod his head, lean forward, or move his hands when he calls his dog. He is so intent in watching his dog that he is unaware of his own actions. Have someone watch you so he can tell you when he notices you doing this.

• Be consistent - never scold a dog for a misdemeanor one day and praise him the next for the same act. You cannot expect your dog to understand an exercise if you keep changing your training methods each time you try it. Dogs learn the basic work by repetition, and the entire training program should proceed smoothly and consistently. For instance, the techniques that you will use in puppy training will be repeated in advanced exercises when your dog gets older, and your handling will be just the same.



• You should study your dog so you can predict its reaction to almost any situation. You should become attuned to your dog's sensitivities. If you have a gentle, quiet dog, do not antagonize him by rough treatment. He will become very alert and responsive if you train him in a calm and gentle manner with consideration for his feelings. Aggressive or overly playful dogs need a more forceful approach.

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This is just a very brief "blurb" to bring up the subject of proper dog and puppy diet. Not all dog foods are created equal.

Evaluating a dog food is a simple and straight-forward procedure of comparing certain characteristics of one food with those of other types of foods that are available to feed your dog. Regardless of the procedure you learn and use, allow sufficient lattitude so that your evaulation metric can fairly evaluate the variety of food and information on the market..

I'm suggesting four basic criteria to apply to dog food evaluation::

1. A food should contain sufficient energy for daily activity.



2. A food should be nutritionally adequate, Also meaning that nutrients must be supplied in proper balance to each other.



3. A food should contain ingredients that are metabolically usefull to your dog.



4. A food should be provided in sufficient quantity to meet the requirements of sufficient energy and nutrients.

For more information, we recommend this comprehensive guide to dog health.

Potty training is not just for puppies. Some older dogs that may have been outside dogs or were never housetrained will need some special considerations. Older dogs that have been outside or were allowed to use the indoors for relieving themselves will need a little more time.

You can use a crate for potty training or use command training. Keep in mind that older dogs have already developed a personality and they can be strong willed when it comes to change. Take your time and spend time with the dog so they know you are in control.

Since older dogs can go for longer periods without relieving themselves, you can use the command method for housebreaking. After the dog eats, you can expect that within a hour the dog will have to go potty. This is not always true for drinking water. Most dogs will be able to drink water and not have to use the potty for a while. You will have to get to know that dog's routine.

This means that you will spend some time outdoors until you figure out when the dog needs to go.

You can figure that the dog should go outside every hour for the first few days. If you tell the dog to go potty, they should catch on relatively fast. Give this command as they are going and then praise them and give them a treat. They will learn quickly that praise and a treat come when they go potty. If the dog goes potty in the house, you do not want to yell or punish the dog.

You will need to tell the dog no and take them outside and tell them to go potty.

What you must do until the older dog or even a puppy learns that they should go potty outside is to not play with them outdoors. The dog must learn that the reason that they are outside is to relieve themselves. After they learn, then you can offer play when they are done going to the potty. The older dog can be the same way. In some instances, you might want to put the dog on a leash in the yard and leave them for about fifteen to thirty minutes.

This can help for dogs that were treated badly for going to the bathroom in front of people.

Even though the older dog is not housetrained, you can change this around with a little work. The best way to do this is on a weekend when you can be home all the time to work with the dog. You will need to reinforce good behavior, which should be done in the first few days of bringing the dog into the house.

You will find that whether you crate train or command train the older dog, they will be quick to learn and eager to please you if you treat them with love and give praise and treats for doing well.

Even the worst dog can be transformed with love and training.

Discover exact how-to instructions in our recommended guide to 7-day potty training.