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Dog Housebreaking and Crate Training Explained Dog
housebreaking can be one of the most daunting tasks of dog
ownership. It takes patience, especially because very young
puppies can't control their bowels or bladder. You should begin
housebreaking your puppy as soon as you bring him home.
GOOD HOUSEBREAKING PRACTICES FOR VERY YOUNG PUPPIES
Very young puppies can't control their bladders or bowels. A
puppy doesn't gain the ability to "hold it in" until at least 12
weeks of age. Until your puppy reaches this age, you'll need to
practice a solid housebreaking routine to avoid messes in the
house.
Learn to watch for the signs that indicate your puppy needs
to relieve himself. Your new dog might seem nervous when he
needs to go. He'll begin sniffing around and may even turn in
circles. Take your puppy out often; he'll need to relieve
himself about six times each day. You should take him out
immediately after he eats or drinks water.
Crate training is a good way to contain the mess of
"accidents" inside the house, especially for those who can't
stay home all day with their puppies. Crate training is a good
idea because if your dog smells feces or urine inside the house,
he'll think it's okay to relieve himself in those places, even
though he may have done so initially by accident. This is
especially true if you're still in the early stages of dog
housetraining. Crate training helps to contain the mess, making
it easier to clean up, and can also help your puppy gradually to
understand that he shouldn't relieve himself inside.
DOG HOUSEBREAKING METHODS
There are several methods of dog housebreaking. All can be
effective, but only if your dog fully understands what is
expected from him. Try not to scold your dog for relieving
himself inside unless you catch him in the act. Otherwise, he
may not fully connect the act of relieving himself with the
consequences.
Your dog wants to please you, it isn't necessary to use
physical violence when training your dog. Your firm,
disapproving tone of voice and your displeasure should be all
the punishment he needs. Say "No!" then immediately take your
dog outside to the place where you'd like him to relieve
himself; he may take several minutes to do so. Every time your
puppy relieves himself in the appropriate place, praise him
profusely.
CRATE TRAINING EFFECTIVELY
Crate training is useful for containing the messes made by
very young puppies, and can be effective for those who must be
at work for hours every day and can't be home with their dogs.
However, leaving your dog alone in a crate all day, then taking
him out for only a few hours in the evening before putting him
back in at night can be psychologically stressful. Many dogs
become neurotic, destructive and chronically unhappy when
subjected to this kind of confinement.
If you can't be home with your dog in the day, find someone
to take him for a long walk outside. If that's not possible,
confine your dog to a room with no carpet during the day instead
of a crate. Put down some pee pads and give him some toys so he
doesn't get bored.
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