How to House Train a Dog

Have you just bought a home a little pup as your pet and are worried about it creating a mess in your house? Or is your dog already having 'accidents' and creating a mess all over. Such scenarios are fairly common among dog owners and it can be a real hassle to clean up all the mess, especially if it is on your expensive carpets or beautifully painted walls. So what you need to do to prevent such 'accidents', is to house train your dog.

Apart from toilet training, house training should also cover dog obedience training and leash training. I know it sounds a bit difficult to start training your dog, but trust me it will be worthwhile. House training a dog is best done when it is still a pup, as it is easier then, to get it used to doing its job at an assigned place and behaving well. House training an adult dog can be difficult, but it is not entirely impossible. So if you are wondering how to house train a dog, here are some simple tips to house train your dog.

How to House Train a Dog

House training a puppy will be quite easy but will be a bit time consuming. If you try to house train adult dog, it could be a bit more difficult than training a pup.Before you start toilet training a puppy, you need to know that puppies in general have very less bladder control. Therefore, be patient with it and do not use harsh punishment methods. These training sessions will have to be conducted frequently and you will need to treat the dog with a lot of love and care. Remember, rewarding the dog for good behavior is the best way to house train a dog and punishing it is the worst way. So keep those dog treats handy while house training your dog.

The first most important thing to do is to establish where the puppy would be living in your house, a little corner that is exclusive to it. Usually puppies do not create a mess anywhere close to where they live. So you must get it used to one particular place in the house, that he knows is his. You can also do this by getting him a crate and crate training him.

Toilet Training
Next comes the toilet training. This requires a lot of patience, so do not rush the dog. Give it ample time and forgive the first few weeks of accidents. It is best to take it for a walk in the mornings and this is when it learns to do its job outside. When at home, establish a specific area where it can relieve itself. For a first few days, you might have to accompany it to the place designated. Once it learns and gets habituated to this process, you can allow it to roam free in other places of the house as well.

Obedience Training
Then comes the obedience training and leash and collar training. This is an essential aspect so that good behavior is developed by the dog. Teach it follow instructions and obey commands and reward it whenever it successfully does so. Use a good dog leash and dog collar for leash training. Be in total control of the dog while talking it for walks or outdoors and do not allow it to lead or stray away. Initially the dog will be a little aggressive as no dog prefers to be leashed, but once it gets used to the process, handling it will be easy.

Behavior Training
To train the dog to be friendly with visitors, friends and neighbors, allow it to socialize once in a while. Getting it familiar and allowing it to mingle is the easiest way to house train a dog against aggressive dog behavior with strangers.

And last of all, you will need to be stern with your dogs at times, especially during the duration of dog training, so that it is well trained. That does not mean that you cannot express your love or pamper it, just be firm wherever required and make the training an enjoyable experience for the dog.