House-training your puppy
House training rarely presents a problem with puppies
who have been reared under normal conditions. A puppy reared with its
mother until 6 or 7 weeks of age will have learned to move away from his
sleeping area to go to the toilet. Puppies instinctively want to be clean
and very few puppies will soil their sleeping area if given the choice.
A young puppy needs to urinate and defecate frequently
because he has a very small bladder and bowel. This gives you as a puppy
owner plenty of opportunity to praise your puppy for performing in the
right area, allowing him to learn quickly. Do not punish your puppy for
doing wrong. It is your responsibility to ensure that you take your puppy
to the chosen toilet area as frequently as he needs to go, generally as
soon as he wakes up, after every meal and at hourly intervals. Take your
puppy outside. Wait with him until he performs. Then praise him by giving
him a snack or playing with him. While he is learning, it is essential
that you wait with him, so that you can praise him at the correct time.
Establish only one area to be used as the "toilet
area." Place food and water bowls near the door used to reach the
toilet area. Feed your dog on a regular schedule. Agree on a method that
all family members will use consistently. Take your dog to its toilet
area on a frequent and regular basis. A puppy's need to urinate and defecate
is frequently stimulated after eating, drinking or chewing, upon awakening
and after play periods. During these periods, take your dog outside and
urge it toward the toilet area. Stand next to it and praise it profusely
when it eliminates on the spot. Most dogs learn their spot in a few days
and will begin to go toward it. Once this behavior is learned, proceed
with training your dog not to eliminate in the house. Keep your pet inside
with you. Watch him carefully for signs that precede elimination (sniffing,
circling, squatting). Distract him by immediately taking him to the toilet
area. Praise him for eliminating there.
Young puppies will inevitably have accidents.
It is important to ignore these, and clean them up well so that the smell
does not linger. This may encourage him to repeat the performance on the
same spot. Do not scold your dog for mistakes, but rather reward him when
he is correct, and he will soon want to go outside.
When you discover an accident, you can show disapproval
if the dog notices it, too. Exhibit disapproval by speaking in a stern,
deep voice and shooing the dog out to the toilet area. 
Clean
up the mess in the dog's absence and place it in the toilet area. Confining
a dog to a run or fenced yard is not an effective method of housetraining.
Your presence and praise immediately following elimination is essential.
Punishment (rubbing your dog's nose in the mess or swatting with newspapers)
is negatively reinforcing and usually ineffective. It is better to make
your expectations clear and reward desired behavior. Training to newspaper
is not recommended unless you plan to establish paper as a permanent toilet
area. Some people choose to do this with toy breeds.
A dog suffering from diarrhea can't control bowel movements and will probably
have accidents in the house. If you've adopted an adult dog who has been
house trained, he may still need some refresher training. Expect a few
mistakes in the first few days. Offer the same consistent training as
you would with a puppy.
To avoid nighttime accidents, it's recommended
to have your dog sleep in a crate until house-training has been completed.
If you must leave a pet alone who isn't reliably house-trained, confine
him to a crate or a part of the house where accidents can be easily cleaned
up. Be sure to provide a comfortable place to rest if he doesn't have
access to his sleeping area.
In some cases, it is possible to train your dog to urinate
and defecate on command. As he performs, add the words that you choose
such as "be quick" or "busy." Your dog will then build
up an association of the word with the action. Only say the words as he
is actually performing. Toileting on command is very useful since dog
owners have a duty to prevent their dogs from going indiscriminately.
Teaching your dog to go in your yard before you leave your home can help
to prevent accidents in parks or on sidewalks. Also, always ensure that
you carry a pooper-scooper or baggie so that if your dog does defecate
in a public place, you can clean up.
