One of the most common questions that I get asked is how I go about housetraining my dog.
There seems to be some popularly held beliefs out there when it comes to dog house training that need to be addressed.
This article will highlight some of the main mistakes that many new dog owners make and how to avoid them.
Don't fall into these traps.
Instead, when housetraining your dog, make sure to do it the right way and I can assure you that both you and your dog will be much happier for it.
Rule #1: Never give your puppy free reign over the entire house while you are housetraining them.
Make sure you confine them to a smaller section of the house, where you can supervise them and interact with them.
Supervision is key.
Rule #2: Never punish or scold your puppy for an accident, especially if you don't catch them doing it.
This will confuse them and they will think that they are being scolded for whatever they were doing when you started scolding them.
This ultimately can cause unwanted behavioral problems.
Rule #3: Never punish your puppy for accidents or rub their nose in it.
This is something many people tend to do, but what they don't understand is that this will also lead to more problems.
When puppy housetraining, if you catch them in the act, you'll want to quickly pick them up and carry them to wherever you want them to go.
Be calm about it and don't raise your voice or yell at them.
Just say "no" sternly.
Rule #4: Do praise your puppy when they eliminate in the right spot.
Positive reinforcement will help the house training process.
Rule #5: Do Put them on a routine for both eating and taking them out to go to the bathroom.
If you leave food and water out all of the time, this will make their bathroom times very sporadic and it will be harder to housetrain them.
Make sure to take them out in the morning, after meals, and before bedtime and every few hours in between these times.
These are a few of the basic rules I always apply when housetraining my dog.