David asks…

How to House Train a Dog?

I’m getting a dog Thursday and I want him to be a house dog. But I need help with potty training him, house train him. What’s the fastest way to train him Any Ideas. Please I Need Help, this is my 1st dog.

Anna Walker answers:

You’re going to need to be patient and consistent with your potty training. There are no two ways about it. Potty training takes time and effort.

Your dog will learn with repetitive success and positive reinforcement from you.

1. Take your dog outside to potty every 2 hours minimum. His bladder is small and this frequency also aids in the training

2. After every successful potty outside, give LOTS of praise immediately after with “Good Boy”. Then give him a treat.

3. If you catch him in the act making in the house, give a stern “No” and bring him outside. If he makes outside afterwards, give him a “Good Boy” and a treat.

4. Do NOT scold your dog for an accident in the house after the fact. Don’t rub his nose in it, it will only confuse him.

5. As your dogs bladder size increases, he’ll be able to hold it in longer but for the first 3 weeks, you’ll need to take him out every 2 hours.

6. Don’t give him water at least 2 hours before bed and walk him right before bedtime.

For an exact step by step tutorial, check out the housebreaking article here:
http://www.dog-training-works.com/housebreaking.html

Joseph asks…

Can you train a house trained dog to use wee-wee pads ?

How can you train a house trained dog to use wee-wee pads ?I have two dogs; both which go to the same corner in the house to their business. Can I get them onto wee-wee pads while still maintaining their house training?

Anna Walker answers:

We tried this and it worked for our dog. Take the pad and put it over the pee spot. I know gross but it will soak up the pee and the smell and then lead them to it a few times. After awhile they will know this is where you want them to go and keeping the pad in the same spot should ensure continual use.

Sharon asks…

How to we house train a dog who already has bad habits?

We have a male dog (Terri Poo) who is about 1 year old. We tried to house train and we failed. So we keep him outside all day. However, my son can’t sleep at night if he is not in his room. The problem is that we can’t get him to stop peeing in the room. We have tried, taking him out early and letting him in late. There has been times when he just went outside and then back inside and does his business inside, as if he had never gone outside. One more strange thing, he tends to do his business right in front of the door. We might be moving soon to an apartment complex, we don’t want to leave him behind because of my son, so what can we do to train him before we move?

Anna Walker answers:

You need to try crate training the dog. So many people “give up” on their dogs, tis why the shelters are full.
Crate training is the easiest way to train them.
Anytime you leave the dog alone, and at nite while he sleeps, he goes into the crate. As soon as you wake up, take he out to do his business. Before you put him in the crate, take him out.
You have to stick to it or he will never learn.

Jenny asks…

How strict and how stern does your voice need to be to house train a dog?

I have never had a dog really listen to me. I am not very strict. My voice is not that stern. So, How strict and how stern does your voice need to be to house train a dog. This is a small dog.

Anna Walker answers:

Your voice doesn’t need to be stern at all, because the object in housetraining a puppy is to never give them the opportunity to make a mistake. If you’re training correctly, you keep the puppy in the room with you every minute and if you can’t watch them, they’re crated.

So, you take the puppy out often – after a nap, long drink, hard playing, if it looks restless or if it hasn’t been out for a while. Tell him “go pee” and give a ton of praise the split second he does.

No stern voice required at all. If the puppy has an accident, quietly clean it up. If you catch him in the act, take him out and praise for finishing outside.

Charles asks…

Is it hard to house train a dog?

Is it hard to house train a dog, and how do you do it?
It sounds hard, and I think it would be really hard. I want an inside dog, but I wouldnt want one if it cant be toilet trained.

This question might make me sound stupid, but I have never house trained a dog before and was just wondering how do you do it?
If you have an inside dog that you have house trained, how did you do it?

Thank you (:
Not as in to use the toilet, as in to go outside. obviously.

Anna Walker answers:

Hi,

The keys to good housetraining include:

Using a crate to prevent accidents and make it more likely that your pup will eliminate when you take her outside; and
Rewarding your puppy handsomely whenever she does the right thing in the right place. Punishing your pup for mistakes can actually make housetraining harder. Here are more training tips:

http://lnk.nu/dogtime.com/ry4.html

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