Quickie Guide To House Training Your Dog

May 29th, 2008 · No Comments

Yellow Lab Dog Loves Bully Sticks Dog Treats

Dogs need to be trained properly in order to know when and where it’s acceptable to go to the bathroom. As with any type of dog training, you must be consistent. Dogs learn by routine. Change the routine and you’ll confuse your dog. A confused dog will likely have an accident. First, understand that dogs don’t instinctively know where to urinate or defecate. They need to be taught. Below, you’ll learn how to house train your dog so it will never be confused about where to “go” again.

Give Your Dog Its Space

Some owners use a crate. We prefer to establish an area of the house that the dog can call its own. Remember, dogs are clean. They don’t want to soil themselves or the area in which they eat and sleep. Give your dog its own space. That’s the first step in house training because it helps your dog learn that going to the bathroom inside your house is unacceptable.

Create A Bathroom Zone

The next step is to create a bathroom zone. Whenever your dog needs to urinate or defecate, lead it to its bathroom zone. Through routine and repetition, it will become clear to your dog where you expect it to use the bathroom. Don’t leave your dog unattended if the zone you’ve created for it is somewhere in your yard. Your dog could easily beginning eliminating in other areas. If that happens, it will develop a habit (and thereby, a new zone).

Provide A Consistent Diet

Dogs aren’t cats. You can’t simply put an enormous bowl of food in front of it and expect it to pace itself. Keep its diet consistent. Feed it at regular times throughout the day. Then, encourage a normal elimination routine. Take your dog to its bathroom zone 10 minutes after its morning meal. Establish that schedule.

One quick note: if your dog has an accident, don’t punish it. A lot of owners think they need to stick the dog’s nose in its waste for it to learn the lesson. That’s ridiculous. It will only teach your dog to fear you. House training your dog requires diligence, patience and consistency. Before long, your dog will know where to go, when to go and when to be back in the house.