Dog Illustrations & Articles About Everything Pooch-related

Housetraining a new puppy is one of the most difficult and fustrating things a new owner will experience. But with the right method, it's honestly not that hard. But one thing must be said: However hard you try, accidents will happen. I don't even know how often I had to quickly carry Chase outside with outstretched arms while he was peeing all over me. It's inevitable, so better get used the thought now.

How?

The easiest method is housetrain a puppy is to crate-train him and take him outside regularly for potty breaks. Your puppy knows that he sleeps in the crate, and it's his natural instinct to not eliminate in his bed (put bedding into the crate that doesn't absorb the pee- if he DOES pee, you want him to be uncomfortable). So whenever you can't supervise him, he stays in his crate. Supervise does NOT mean be in the same room with him while doing something else, but actually watching him (otherwise, he'll just be peeing right next to you).
Please note: A young puppy cannot physically 'hold it' for more than 2 or 3 hours, and it would be really unfair to ask this of him. The exception is the night, most puppies can sleep approx. 7 hours through the night without needing to go.

Potty Breaks

You have to take your puppy outside first thing in the morning, last thing before he goes to sleep, after meals, after a nap, after playing, and every 1-2 hours in between, possibly in the middle of the night. Yes, that's a whole lotta potty breaks.
When you take your puppy outside, ask him: "Do you have to go OUTSIDE? Go OUTSIDE!" and then you take him outside, always through the same door if possible. Your backyard is best, because there are fewer distraction than on a street corner. Don't play with your pup, just watch him, and if he does his business, tell him "Toilet!" or whatever word you'd like to use. After he's done, praise him. Give him a treat. Cuddle him. Play with him for a bit. Treat him as if he's just won a Nobel prize.
If he doesn't go after a couple minutes, take him back inside and try again after 15 minutes or half an hour or so.

The first days with you new puppy WILL be frustrating. You don't yet know when he has to go, how long after meals, after drinking. Maybe you will sit outside with your puppy for ages and he won't go. That's certainly what happened to me, and I was getting desperate by day 2. But after 3-4 days, you will get a feel for when your puppy needs to go, and everything will become much easier, trust me.

When accidents happen

Most puppies start to understand the concept of peeing outside pretty soon, but many puppies are not fully house trained until they are 6 months old - 12 months for some breeds (Chase didn't have any accidents after approx. 4 months).

When your puppy has an accident and you don't notice it right away, clean up the mess and do nothing. If you catch him in the act, tell him "No!!" and carry him outside immediately. He most likely won't go again outside, but you need to remind him where he's supposed to go. Never rub his nose into the mess or punish him - he needs to learn that the PLACE where he did it was wrong, not the action itself.
Please note: Some puppies pee when they're scared or excited. This is called submissive or excitable urination, and it's not a housetraining accident. Do not correct your puppy for these, when he grows up it will just go away. Just take precautions, for example: when your puppy gets excited when you have someone over, take him outside until he has calmed down.

Other tips

• Housebreaking accidents are NEVER the pup's fault. Don't be mad at him, he's a baby and doesn't know any better. Yet.



• If your puppy has a hard time sleeping through the night without a potty break, take away his water bowl 2 hours or so before he goes to bed. If he seems thirsty, give him an ice cube.



• If you find it difficult to tell when he has to go, stick to a schedule (meals, play- and naptime at the same times) and take notes of when he needs to go.



• Some breeds are harder to housetrain than other, especially small toy breeds. If you have a toy dog who doesn't like to go outside in bad weather, consider using a litter box.



• You'll know when your puppy has to go when he is sniffing the ground or running is circles, so take him outside immediately.

Good Luck!

A crate is a very useful training tool for dogs. When I read about crate training for the first time, my reaction was "Never ever am I gonna put my puppy in a cage!" - but when I found out more about it, I realized that crating a dog is not at all cruel but useful. Chase doesn't mind being in his crate and goes into it voluntarily to sleep.


What a crate is good for

• A crate is essential to housetraining. Puppies instinctively don't eleminate where they sleep, so using a crate to confine the puppy when you can't watch him is the easiest way to housetrain him.
  



• A crate is not a cage, but a den for your dog. They naturally like to sleep in confined, dark spaces. Knowing where he sleeps and that it's his little space makes a dog feel secure.
  



• A crate is great for confining your puppy when you can't watch him. Unsupervised puppies get in all kinds of trouble: They eat things they shouldn't (which can potentially be dangerous), chew on your shoes, break things, pee on your carpet,... So it's best for you and your puppy to have him safe in his crate when you have work to do or have to leave the house. In the crate, he will just chew on his toy or take a nap.
  



• There may be situations where your dog HAS to stay in a crate (while travelling, at the vet's or groomer's), and it makes these situation much less stressful for both of you if your dog is used to being crated already. If he has to stay at the vet's overnight, you might even be able to bring his own crate, which will calm him down a lot.
  

Getting your dog used to the crate

Take your time to get your puppy used to the crate. If you just stuff him in there and close the door, he might panick and be scared of ever going back in there.

Here's how I taught Chase to go into his crate:

Put some soft bedding into the crate (only if your puppy doesn't chew it up, Chase didn't). Tell your puppy 'Go Crate' and lure him into the crate with a treat. Once he steps into the crate, praise him and give him the treat. DO NOT CLOSE THE DOOR. Your puppy can come out anytime he wants. Repeat this a couple times until he is comfortable going into the crate - for him, the crate is a good place now because he associates it with the treats and praise he gets.

Once he doesn't mind going into the crate, put a chew toy or bone (Kong filled with peanut butter works best) into the crate. Let him go into the crate and close the door. Hopefully, your puppy won't mind and will be distracted by the chew toy. If that happens, leave him in the crate for a bit and then say 'Ok' in a calm voice, and open the door again so he can come out if he wants to - don't fuss over him (That will teach him that getting out of the crate is something to be greatly anticipated, and he will always wait for it to happen and never calm down)! If this works well, you can start leaving him in his crate longer and longer.

But if he doesn't want to stay in the crate, and starts whining and barking, DON'T LET HIM OUT. That would teach him that barking will get him out of the crate, so he will do it whenever he is bored of being in the crate. You don't want that, so ignore him and he will eventually give up and just go to sleep or shew on his toy. If he doesn't stop after an hour or so, tell him 'Stop it!' and back it up with a quirt of water or a loud noise. Once he stops fussing, wait a bit and then let him out - and don't fuss over him!

Also feed your dog his meals in the crate, so he will have a positive association with it.

Chase learned all this in ONE day. He was fussing a bit, but quickly learned that it was no use. We just kept the crate in the living room where he could see us, and next to our bed at night. He also stayed in the crate at night without any problems.


Types of crates

There's two two types of crates: The closed plastic ones and the wire crates.

Dogs like that plastic crates are a dark enclosed space, which makes them feel safe. These crates come in a variety of colors and are suitable for airlines travel. However, they are a little hard to clean and you can't fold them to transport them or put them in your closet.

Wire crates provide better ventilation in hot climates, and are easy to clean and fold. Chase has one of these, and I like them better than the plastic ones. The only problem is that they rattle a bit when your dog moves or scratches himself.


Other Crate tips

• The crate should be big enough for your dog to comfortably die down, strech, stand and turn, but not much bigger than that. If you have a small puppy, put a separator into the crate (I used a wooden plate for my wire crate) to make it smaller.
  



• Put bedding in the crate that your puppy can't rip apart and eat.
  



• Put the crate in your living room, or in the part of the house where you will be most of the time. Even when your dog is in his crate, he wants to know what's going on and to be involved.
  

IMPORTANT: Don't leave your puppy in the crate for more than 4 hours. Your puppy needs playing and companionship, and it would be unfair to just put him into his crate whenever you don't feel like dealing with him (only during the night you can leave him in the crate for 6-7 hours).

There are so many dog toys out there, but which ones are fun and safe, and which ones can actually be dangerous?


Remember that you should replace all toys that have been damaged. Kongs for example are very safe and hard to destruct, but once your dog has damaged it a bit he can rip off little rubber pieces and swallow them.


Kongs are safe, versatile toys that almost all dogs love. They're made out of strong rubber, and you can use them as a chew toy, as a fetch toy (Chase loves that they bounce so unpredictably), and best of all, they're hollow in the middle, so you can fill them with treats, peatnut butter or frozen chicken broth to keep your dog entertained for ages.Just make sure you pick the right size for your dog.




Rope Toys are great for playing tug-of-war or fetch. Just be careful and supervise your dog when he's chewing on the toy, because he can swallow strands of rope if he's an enthusiastic chewer.



Balls are the best toys for playing fetch, and dogs love jumping after the bouncing ball. Chase especially likes the ones that squeak and have nubs on them, like the one in the picture.



Nylabones are a good substitue for rawhide chews and obviously last much longer. You can get them in a bunch of varieties, including different flavors. Most dogs like the Dental Nylabone which has little nubs best, it's probably more interesting to chew.



Treatballs are a great way to entertain your dog. You fill the ball with treats which fall out as the dog rolls the ball around (you will have to show him first how to use it). This plays to your dogs natural instinct to work for his food. Most of these balls are made out of hard plastic though, so they shouldn't be thrown or chewed on, it can damage your floors and your dog's teeth.



If you want to play Frisbee with your dogs, be sure to get a frisbee made out of fabric or soft rubber. The hard plastic ones can damage your dog's teeth and hurt his gums as he's catching and carrying the frisbee.



Dogs love Plush Toys, but only give a plush to a dog who doesn't rip it apart and then swallows the little bits. Even if your dog doesn't usually do that, cut off all tags, ribbons and similar. Chase loves his dog plush toy and uses it as a cushion when he sleeps.

So you're brining home a new puppy? Here's the stuff that you should get beforehand:

• A crate. A crate is a very useful tool for puppy training and housebreaking.



• Food and water bowls. Both should be easy to clean, and the water bowl should be just as wide at the bottom as at the top so it won't be easy to flip over. Use metal or ceramic bowls, no plastic. Some dogs are allergic to that.
  



• Treats, and a at least 2 week supply of high quality food.
  



• Collar and leash. Choose a flat buckle collor made out of nylon or cotton for a puppy. It should be soft with no scratchy bits, same goes for the leash.
  



• Tag. This is very important if your puppy ever gets lost. It doesn't even need to have the puppy's name on it - "I'm lost!" is much better, if he gets lost and is found, the finder will know that your puppy is actually lost and you don't just let him wander around on his own. Instead of an address, provide a couple different phone numbers so the finder will be able to reach you anytime. Choose a small and preferably plastic tag.
  



• Nail clippers and a brush. Only buy nail clippers from a good brand, low quality ones are often dull and squash the nail rather than cutting it. Your puppy might not need a lot of brushing yet, but it's still a good idea to get him used to being groomed. A soft bristle brush is best for young puppies.
  



• Toys, of course. Ask your breeder/shelter if you can take one of your puppies familiar toys, the faimilar smell will make him feel less lonely in his first days at home.



• A Warm Water Bottle under a blanket is smoothing for a small puppy.
  



• Dog Cushion/Bedding to put into the crate. This can be a 'fancy' dog cushion, or soft towels. Just try to select something that won't be easy to rip apart and eat for your puppy.
  



• A Pooper-Scooper/Doggy Bags and non-toxic cleaning materials. Because it IS gonna happen sooner or later. Probably sooner.
  



• A First Aid Kit. Self explainatory, I think.
  



• Optional: A playpen or baby gates, to restrict the puppy's access around the house.