Tips for Housebreaking Your Puppy
Housebreaking a puppy can be one of the most frustrating parts of being a puppy parent.
No one wants to have to constantly clean up accidents in their home, and that’s why housebreaking a puppy can be incredibly frustrating. Housebreaking takes time and patience, but our puppy training classes in Milwaukee can give you the information and skills you need to successfully housebreak your puppy. In addition to attending one of our classes, there are a few tips you should consider when housebreaking your puppy, including:
#1. Crate train your puppy.
In order to housebreak your puppy, you need to help them understand that they should wait to do their business outside, but how do you stop a puppy from going when they need to? Investing in a crate and crate training your puppy can make the entire process a lot easier. The crate should be big enough so that your puppy can turn around and lie down comfortably, but not so big that they will urinate or defecate inside of it.
#2. Stick to a schedule.
As a general rule, a puppy can only hold it for as many hours as they are months old. For example, if your puppy is three months old, you should take him or her outside every three hours. However, keep in mind that every puppy is different, and if your puppy can’t make it that long, don’t make them wait the full three hours. Also, puppies will typically need to go out about 15 minutes after drinking, eating, exercising, playing or napping, so make sure you pay close attention to what they are doing throughout the day.
#3. Expand their space gradually.
When housebreaking your puppy, it’s best to confine them to a small area to begin with, like a crate. Once your puppy is able to stay accident-free in their crate or other confined area, give them a little more space. As the weeks go by, keep giving your puppy more and more space in your home. If they start having accidents, go back a step until your puppy is accident-free once again.
#4. Avoid relying on pads and newspapers too much.
It’s not always easy to keep up with a puppy’s housebreaking needs, and it’s tempting to set up some newspapers or pads in your home so that, if your puppy does have an accident inside, they have a safe place to do so. But unfortunately, this only leads to confusion, and it teaches your puppy that it’s okay to go inside. It’s much easier to teach your puppy to go outside in the first place than it is to train them to go inside on a pad and then outside.
Housebreaking a puppy can be frustrating, but we hope that these tips will help. Get the additional advice, training and support that you need to properly housebreak your new furry friend with Sit Means Sit Milwaukee. We offer a variety of puppy training classes and free, in-home consultations. Contact us today to schedule your puppy’s consultation!