House Breaking 101

Good example of a crate proportioned to the dog's size.

     House breaking issues is the #1 reason people hire me as a dog trainer.  It is also one of the most common issues that causes owners to send their dogs to shelters.  Many people get dogs with out giving serious consideration to the work that is involved with house breaking a new dog.  The truth is, living within 4 walls is unnatural for dogs despite how domesticated they have become and it is up to us as humans to show them how to live in a home.  It is also important to realize that whenever a family brings in a new dog into a home, there are going to be accidents.  To me, house breaking is more than just training a dog not to eliminate in the house.  House breaking is training a dog how to live in home with rules and boundaries.  That means training a dog not to eliminate in the house, not to chew and destroy anything in the house, not to bark excessively and to train a dog to behave in a way that is considered appropriate to the owner.  If you are considering getting a new dog and you can't come to terms with the fact that these issues are going to occur during the process of training, it is probably a better idea that you don't get a dog.  Try getting a hamster.
     Now follow these simple rules to help house break your dog.  If you have any questions or if you think you need help house breaking your dog, contact us.

1. Get a high quality crate that is appropriate for your dog's size.  Your dog only needs room to stretch it's body and turn around freely in the crate.  Dog's do not like to eliminate in areas where they rest or sleep.  If you get a crate that is too large, your dog will eliminate in one side of the crate and rest in the other.  If you get a crate that is too small, your dog will be uncomfortable.  Don't worry, crates aren't inhumane.  If you desensitize your dog to the crate properly, it will learn to love it. Never use a crate as a punishment or as a time out.

2. Keep your dog in the crate unless you can directly supervise your dog until it has been fully house broken.  This does not mean you can leave your dog in the crate all day.  Keep in mind puppies can go with out relieving themselves for about an hour for every month of age until they reach about 8 months.  So follow this rule of thumb when trying to determine how long it is appropriate to leave your dog in the crate.

3. Also keep in mind that dogs usually have to relieve themselves after they eat, sleep and exercise.  So make sure you provide a walk after these activities.

4. Make a dog walking and feeding schedule and stick to it!  Dogs love routines and if you follow it consistently, your dog will develop an internal clock that will let them know it is time to eliminate.  Make sure you provide food and water at the same times every day.  Do not leave food and water out all day for your dog to eat and drink.  It may seem cruel but as long as you are providing enough food and water, your dog will not go hungry or thirsty.  It may be difficult to maintain a schedule if you work full time so if you can, hire a dog walker to help you with walking and feeding.

House breaking pads slow down the house breaking process.

5. Unless your dog can't be outside for health reasons, do not use house breaking pads.  These pads slow the house breaking process and sometimes they make it impossible to house break your dog.  All they do is make the dog feel it's o.k. to eliminate in the house.  If you give your dog a nice, warm and soft surface like a wee wee pad in your home to relieve it's self, what incentive does your dog have to relieve it's self on a hard sidewalk? Also lets be honest.  Soiled housebreaking pads can be gross!

6. Keep your dog's living area clean.  If your dog can smell areas in your home where it has eliminated in the past, it will have even more of an urge to do it again.  Your dog can smell odors that we can't detect.  There are products that can help eliminate these odors.  One of my favorite products is nature's miracle.

7.  If your dog is out of the crate and you are supervising it (which you should be) and it begins to relieve it's self in the house, it is important that you startle your dog.  The most important thing is that you catch them in the act.  This is why it is important to supervise your dog every time it is outside of the crate unless the house breaking process has been completed.

When house breaking a dog, everyone in the dog's family must be on the same page and work together.  You also must be consistent and go at it 100 percent.  If you put in 50 percent effort, you'll get 50 results!