Housebreaking your Puppy

Housebreaking your puppy is a job that requires consistency, a watchful eye and lots and lots of patience! Puppies are like babies and need to relieve themselves fairly often, especially when they are small. At six months of age and younger, puppies are able to control their bladder about as many hours as they are months old.

Housetraining your puppy can take a few weeks, and even after they have the basic technique down, there will be occasional accidents. Follow our tips and tricks to help the housebreaking process go smoothly, and remember, this won’t last forever!

Routine

Establishing a routine is a great way to speed up the housebreaking process. This provides your young puppy with scheduled times to eat, play and go outside to relieve himself. Take your puppy out at least every two hours to avoid accidents, and always take him out right after he wakes up.

About two hours before bed, pick up your puppy’s water bowl to reduce the chance of having to get up to go out in the middle of the night. If your puppy does wake up during the night, take him outside to eliminate and then head right back to bed. If you turn on all the lights and act like you are getting up for the day, your puppy will want to play.

Supervision

While you and your puppy are inside, don’t give him the chance to have an accident. Be aware of your puppy’s location at all times and try to stay in the same room as him. Once you are paying attention, it is easy to tell the signs that your puppy has to go out! Most dogs will begin sniffing around or head in the direction of a frequently used door when they have to go.

Praise

One of the most important aspects of training your puppy is providing him with praise! Let your puppy know that he are doing a great job when they do their business outside, and never punish him when you find a mess inside. Unless a puppy is caught in the act of eliminating inside, they will not understand what they have done wrong. If you do catch your puppy in the middle of the act, interrupt him by saying “outside” and immediately taking him to his outside bathroom area, then praise when he continues eliminating outside!

Cleaning

Accidents are bound to happen and when they do it is important to be prepared. Purchase an enzymatic cleaner to minimize odors and prevent your puppy from continually sniffing out the same bathroom spot inside. Since urine contains ammonia, cleaning with an ammonia-based cleaner will only attract your puppy to the same spot again.

For more advice on housebreaking your puppy, visit the Humane Society and the ASPCA. Interested in purchasing a poodle pup for your famiy? Contact us online or at 805-748-2095. Good luck in your training!