Housetraining a young puppy really involves training the humans! The old methods of rubbing the pup's nose in the mistake, spanking with a newspaper, and shouting at the confused little guy didn't work very well in the past and they aren't at all necessary now. We understand a lot more about training and about canine instinct these days, and the new methods are a whole lot more effective and are much kinder to the dog. With a little patience, vigilance, and commitment, you'll probably have a housetrained puppy within a few weeks. He got a pretty good start here, but you'll need to finish the job, and the more consistent you are, the faster your puppy will learn. As with all training, the keys are:

1. Be as consistent as you can
2. Never, ever lose your temper.

The reason you are able to housetrain a dog but not a pony is den instinct. This is an instinct carried over from the wild and it is the reason we are able to live with dogs as closely as we do. A dogs will not willingly soil the place where he sleeps. From birth, puppies leave their beds and littermates and go as far away as possible to eliminate. The concept behind housetraining is to teach the dog that your house is his den.

By setting your puppy up to succeed rather than fail and by learning to communicate with him, you can get him housetrained in a reasonably short time. Here are some suggestions.

1) Puppies do best on a very consistent schedule. Feeding on a relatively strict schedule helps male elimination times more predictable. Even if you plan to "free feed" later, during the housetraining period, you'll really need a feeding schedule. Do not leave food available at all times unless you want him to go to the bathroom at all times!

2) Our general rule here is: When the feet hit the floor, the puppy hits the door! He will need to go out:

– first thing in the morning
– after eating or drinking
– after sleeping
– any time he comes out of his crate or another enclosure
– last thing at night

3) Supervise! Don't give your puppy the chance to have an accident. He should be watched at all times when he is indoors. Keep him in the room where you are. Watch for signs that he needs to eliminate, like sniffing around or circling. When you see these signs, immediately take him outside to his bathroom spot. If he eliminates, praise and give him a treat. When you're unable to watch your puppy, he should be in his crate or in an area with newspapers.

4) Don't scold or punish your pup for accidents. The younger the puppy, the less control over his functions. When he has to go, he has to go! If you catch him in the act, don't let him finish. Pick him up, say "no" calmly, and take him outside. Wait until he finishes, then praise. If you don't catch him in the act, it's too late to even correct him. Just clean it up. Showing him the spot and fussing at him, rubbing his nose in it, or losing your temper will only make him fear you or fear eliminating while you are around. When you clean up the accident, be sure to use an enzyme cleaner such as Simple Solution or Nature's Miracle. Otherwise he will read the scent as a men's room sign!

5) Carry the puppy outside at first. He may not make it otherwise. Set him down where you want him to go and then just wait until he goes, praise and treat, and then take him in. Always go out with your puppy, even if you have a fenced yard. Just because he's put outside doesn't mean he knows what he is supposed to do out there! You need to be there to say, "Way to go!" when he...goes.

6) Teach your puppy to go on command by saying "go potty" or "hurry" (or whatever you want to use) just as he starts to relieve himself. Praise with enthusiasm when he is done.

7) A puppy should only be expected to "hold it" for as many daytime hours as he is months old, plus one. When he's eight weeks (two months) he can go three hours between bathroom breaks. (At three months, he can go four hours. You can double these times for night when he is sleeping.) At six months, seven hours...and on up to eight hours. No dog should be asked to go longer than nine hours without eliminating. These are general guidelines...all puppies are different!

8) If you will be away for longer than his maximum time, don't leave your pup in the crate. If he's forced to soil the crate, you are teaching him a very bad habit. Instead, put the crate with the door removed or propped open in the kitchen or bathroom, with the door closed or a baby gate up. You can also use an exercise pen for confinement rather than giving him run of the whole room Cover the floor with newspapers. If you do this several days in a row, he will begin to use one particular area and you can gradually reduce the area covered in newspapers to that one part of the floor.

9) One of the trickiest parts of housetraining comes at the very end: learning to read his signal to go out. It seems they are all different. Judy runs back and forth between us and the door. Ivy stands placidly at the door and stares at it. Chase used to just climb up in my lap. Maggie whines or barks. Phoenix seems to just wait patiently till the scheduled time. Any time your puppy seems agitated, try taking him out, asking with enthusiasm, "Do you want to go out?" Eventually the two of you will learn to communicate about this very important matter. Never tease him with the "out" question by not following through though...if you ask about "out," take him out.

10) Expect accidents. They happen. If you are vigilant, they won't happen too often, but keep the puppy out of areas and situations where an accident would be a disaster.

It takes a little longer to housetrain if you combine newspaper training with going outside. However, it's kinder to the puppy (and to your floors!) to provide a newspapered area if you are not going to be able to get him outside frequently enough.

Some breeds can be difficult to housetrain. Toy breeds can be a real challenge in this department and you may want to try a litter box for them. Puppies purchased from pet shops or from breeders who did not encourage clean bathroom habits are also difficult. Please remember that your little guy really does want to please you and don't lose patience. Most errors in housetraining really are those of the owner!