House Training a Puppy in a Week?
Is there an easy way to house train? The only way I know of is for us to just put our mind to it and do it. The more commitment we make to it the moment our pup comes home, the sooner it is over and happier everyone is. The longer a puppy is allowed to go in the house, the harder the habit is to break. Deciding right from the beginning that we are going to be seriously committed to letting this dog out EVERY time he has to go and even when he doesn’t have to go, the easier it will be for us and our dog.
The problems I see most of the time include:
- Lack of confinement – too much freedom
- An owner who hasn’t learned the puppy’s natural indication or signal
- Lack of commitment on the part of the owner
- Lack of reward when the puppy does go outside
- Lack of a consequence for going inside.
- Not taking a young pup out enough to PREVENT accidents.
All too often, we bring our puppy home and enjoy his free romping cuteness so much, that we want to give him more freedom then he really should have. We let him explore every room in our house, unsupervised. We let him romp merrily while we fix dinner, answer the front door, or answer the phone. It is that second that our pup finds a suitable place and leaves his mark. If our pup were a human baby/toddler, we would never let her alone for a second. We must think in the same terms for a puppy.
Ways to CONFINE our pup include baby gating off parts of the house, keeping our pup on a leash tied to our waist while in the house, and using a crate or exercise pen to put our pup in when we cannot just exclusively watch and enjoy him.
Secondly, if our pup is not properly supervised, we cannot learn what our pup’s SIGNAL or INDICATION is for going. He may circle around before he squats, sniffing wildly, or become very quiet. Many puppies don’t always bark at an early age so expecting him to bark to tell you he has to go out can be unrealistic. Our pup may need to be TAUGHT a signal we understand.
I teach my pups how to ring a bell hanging from the door. Teaching this signal clearly lets me know they have to go out and I can hear it from all parts of the house. It is not only simple to teach, but fun for everyone!
The COMMITMENT to go out with our puppy and witness the act of going potty outside so we can reward it is one of the most difficult. On freezing mornings, it can be hard to put on a jacket, grab some treats and stand there waiting. But, it has to be done. If we are not willing to go out EVERYTIME and reward the pup with a treat, then chances are our pup will find going in the house the better option. The longer our pup is allowed (yes, I said ALLOWED) to go in the house, the harder house training is.
Every pup should be taken out every ½ hour or more frequently while a pup is awake to go. Pups should be taken out after meals and as soon as they wake up.
All the purely positive training now tells us not to scold a puppy for anything, especially for accidents you don’t witness in the house. I will tell you that every dog knows what THEIR pee or poop smells like. I don’t care if it is the next day when you find the mishap, a puppy will know it is their markings. If you show your pup what they did, then scold them (I did not say hit), then immediately take them out and give them the go potty word you use, then quickly your pup will know that going inside it not a good thing. And, going outside IS a better choice!
If we are 100% consistent, within a WEEK, we can have our pup completely trained. Our goal should be 100% no accidents for a week! If we make that our goal, it CAN happen with prevention by planning, consistency, confinement and LOTS of rewards! If we cannot teach a dog in that period of time, seek professional help immediately. Don’t wait until this bad behavior becomes a habit.
