Secrets Revealed - House Training a Puppy

Congratulations. You have a new puppy. Soon, you will have to deal with house training him. You want him to be an obedient and lovable puppy, so this will take some work. Most people consider a puppy to be house trained when he doesn't have any mishaps in the house for two or three months.

The first thing to think about is getting your puppy outside. You want to be on a schedule. Take him outside often, after his nap, after he plays, and after he has his supper. You should choose a location that's not too close to the door, but not so far it seems impossible for him. If you walk him around or take some time to play with him after he does the job, he will relate the duty to good things.

If he suffers a mishap, take the towels you use to clean up the mess to the spot where he is supposed to do his duty. This smell will help your puppy identify the place. You also want to use words like "Do your duty," when the puppy is doing his duty. These words will remind him what he is supposed to do.

Be sure to praise your puppy and applaud him when he does his duty. You might even want to offer him a prize. You can give him a small piece of meat of a piece of doggie cookie. You want to praise him and offer him the prize right after he does his duty - this is one of the keys to successfully house training a puppy. This way he will understand he has done a good job outdoors. Don't wait till you get back inside to heap on the praise and prizes.

You need to put your puppy on a feeding schedule that is recurring. Puppies usually need to feed about three or four times each day. If you feed your puppy at the same time each day, it will be easier to keep him on a schedule for elimination. That will make housetraining more pleasant for the two of you.

Don't allow your puppy to make his duty inside your house. You have to watch him all the time if you keep him indoors. Baby gates make a great way to keep him in sight. You should watch for clues that he needs to go outside. He might do some sniffing or circle around. If you see these signals, take him outside right away. Praise him for doing his duty the right way.

Sometimes when house training a puppy it helps to keep your puppy in an area where he is confined in a small space. He won't want to make a mess there. Let this space be just ample enough for him to stand up, lie down, and turn about. It could be a section of your bathroom or your laundry room. You might want to block it off with a baby gate or some boxes. You could also try to train him in a crate. After he has been confined for awhile, take him outside so he can do his duty.

You should anticipate that your puppy will probably have a mishap in the house. This is customary for housetraining. If you catch him in the act, you can do something like make a loud noise or swish a cloth in his face. Then take him to the correct spot immediately. Praise him if he does his duty then.

Try not to punish the puppy if he has a mishap inside. Just clean it up. Don't bother rubbing his nose in it, yelling at him, or doing anything to make him afraid to do his duty in your presence - these negative actions are not going to aid you in house training a puppy. Puppies don't understand punishments, even if it's only seconds after they complete the bad act. It's more important to clean up the spot, because puppies like to keep soiling places that smell like urine and feces.

You and your puppy can have a great relationship once you get the hang of housebreaking him. It takes a lot of patience and commitment. You can do it if you trust yourself and trust your puppy. Soon he'll have the skill mastered and you'll be a very proud owner of a marvelous dog. For additional tips on house breaking a puppy I have provided a couple of links below.

Craig Clemins is a long time dog enthusiast. For more great tips and advice on house training a puppy visit http://www.dog-solutions.com.

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