How to House Train Puppy

House training your puppy is not a very difficult task, only if the owner shows some patience, vigilance and gives enough time for the puppy to follow instructions. This article will cover some methods that you can employ for house training your puppy. These house training your puppy methods will help minimize the accidents around the house, but do not expect a miracle overnight. This is a part of dog training and it depends how consistent you are with your training methods. You may require several weeks or even a month to successfully house train your puppy. The following methods will help answer your questions on how to house train puppy.

How to House Train Puppy?

Routine
A daily routine is very important for house training your puppy. You should take your puppy outside on a consistent and frequent schedule. You should make him go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time the next morning. Also, form a habit of going potty after waking up and before going to sleep in your puppy.

You should take him to the same spot that is not too far away from the door, as a bathroom spot. You should take your puppy on a leash directly to the bathroom spot. In the morning, you may want to carry him as you don't want to soil your floor on his way out. Wait till he finishes his job and then take him for a walk, talk to him, play with him, etc. This will help him associate all good things with going to the bathroom. You should use the word like 'go potty' as he is answering nature's call. This will help him associate the words with what he is doing. This will help him understand that you want him to go potty the next time you use the word.

Once he begins to go outdoors for potty, shower him with praises. You can give him a treat and call him a 'good boy' (or good girl). Do this immediately after he finishes his potty and not after he comes back. Reward is very important, as this is the only way he will know good dog behavior and what will earn him your affection. Depending on the age of your puppy, put him on a feeding schedule. Feed him at the same time every day. This will help house training your puppy, an easy task for both of you.

Supervision

You should supervise your puppy at all times. Never ever give him an opportunity to soil the house. You should watch over him all day long, when he is indoors. You can keep him tethered to a leash or keep him behind baby gates. If you see him sniffing or circling, immediately take him out on a leash to the same bathroom spot. Say the word, 'go potty' as he relieves himself and once done, reward him with dog treats.

Confinement

It is not possible to stay indoors all the time to watch over your puppy or take him out with you every time. Even if you are indoors, it may not be possible to keep an eye over the puppy's every move. So it is better to confine him to one area of the house. This area should be big enough for him to stand, sit, lie down and even turn around. You can place him in the bathroom, laundry room or make a boundary in one area with boxes or baby gates. You can even crate train your puppy and keep him in one area. If your dog has remained in one area for several hours, as soon as you come home, take him out and play with him.

Accidents!!

If your puppy has an accident, do not scold him. It is a normal part of the house training your puppy process. If you catch him in the act of relieving himself, then do something to interrupt him, but do not scare him. Then take him out immediately to the bathroom spot and give a treat once he finishes.

If he has already relieved himself, do not punish him. Just clean it up. It's no use taking him to the spot and scolding him for his mistake. It will just make him scared of you. He does not understand punishment and it will do more harm than good. Clean the area thoroughly and make sure you remove the odor and stains, as puppies continue to soil the area that smells of urine or feces.

You need to get everyone in the family involved with the house training your puppy process. When all members of the family follow the same routine, it will be easy to housebreak a puppy. You should take your puppy to the bathroom spot every 30 minutes. Until your puppy develops bowel and bladder control, you should give him access to each room in the house one at a time. You can let him eat, sleep and play when you are around. If you can't watch over him, confine him to one area. Remember, never punish your puppy if you catch him soiling your house. Always praise your puppy when he answers nature's call outdoors. Let him know he is right by praising him. These were some methods on how to house train puppy. As I said earlier, do not expect change overnight. If your puppy does not have any accidents for two to three months at a stretch, consider it 'Mission Accomplished'.