Housebreaking Adults and Puppies
Everyone's main concern when bring home a dog is housebreaking. The number one question I get asked is, "How do I housebreak?"
From the time they are between two and three weeks old our puppies are put on a pee pad. As soon as they are able to walk I put a pee pad right next to their bed. Believe it or not they will go to the pad to potty. Not 100% if the time, but more often than not. It's not because they are geniuses (although I'd like to think they are!), it's because their natural instinct is to NOT pee where they sleep and eat. Using this method takes advantage of that instinct. As they grown the space between their sleeping area and pee pad grows too. Once they are six weeks old they come out to our kitchen with the rest of our "pack". They still have a pee pad and by eight weeks of age most are using it about 80% of the time.
After they come to their new homes here is what I suggest. When you aren't holding, cuddling or playing with her keep her in an area with hard floors. I prefer the kitchen because my house has an open floor plan and even though they are in the kitchen they don't feel isolated. Gate off the door to keep her in the area you've selected. Put a pee pad down on one side of the room and bed, food and water down on the other. That way she learns there is a place for potty and a place for eating and they are separate. Make sure to offer many outside breaks, especially when the dog is young. A good rule of thumb is a puppy can only hold it one hour for every month of their age. So four months = four hours. Very young puppies can not be expected to hold it at all, especially in small breeds where the bladder is tiny. When she is outside don't just leave her out there alone. Stay with her and praise her when she's goes potty. Remember that young dogs can't go on command, so it may take her awhile to get things moving. :) Gradually you will be able to see that she is getting the hang of it. If she has accidents, or areas where there has already been an accident, I suggest Nature's Miracle (get it at any pet store). It's an enzyme based cleaner and it eats the stain away and most importantly removes the odor. Even if you or I can't smell it, it's there. That's why a dog will return to the same spot over and over again. Eventually you will begin to see that she's using the pads and you can trust her with more freedom in the house. (By eventually I mean several weeks). Keep a watchful eye on her and be sure to quickly correct any mistakes she has. Some people put the pad in front of the door they want the dog to go out when they have to go potty. If you can make that work in your home that's a great place to put the pad. Then she will get used to going to that door for potty. The process takes a long time, and people usually give up before their dog is fully housebroken. That's why they continue to have accidents.
I've had great success with this method and so have many of my new owners. Those who have chosen to use another method have not have so much luck with housebreaking. Good luck!
From the time they are between two and three weeks old our puppies are put on a pee pad. As soon as they are able to walk I put a pee pad right next to their bed. Believe it or not they will go to the pad to potty. Not 100% if the time, but more often than not. It's not because they are geniuses (although I'd like to think they are!), it's because their natural instinct is to NOT pee where they sleep and eat. Using this method takes advantage of that instinct. As they grown the space between their sleeping area and pee pad grows too. Once they are six weeks old they come out to our kitchen with the rest of our "pack". They still have a pee pad and by eight weeks of age most are using it about 80% of the time.
After they come to their new homes here is what I suggest. When you aren't holding, cuddling or playing with her keep her in an area with hard floors. I prefer the kitchen because my house has an open floor plan and even though they are in the kitchen they don't feel isolated. Gate off the door to keep her in the area you've selected. Put a pee pad down on one side of the room and bed, food and water down on the other. That way she learns there is a place for potty and a place for eating and they are separate. Make sure to offer many outside breaks, especially when the dog is young. A good rule of thumb is a puppy can only hold it one hour for every month of their age. So four months = four hours. Very young puppies can not be expected to hold it at all, especially in small breeds where the bladder is tiny. When she is outside don't just leave her out there alone. Stay with her and praise her when she's goes potty. Remember that young dogs can't go on command, so it may take her awhile to get things moving. :) Gradually you will be able to see that she is getting the hang of it. If she has accidents, or areas where there has already been an accident, I suggest Nature's Miracle (get it at any pet store). It's an enzyme based cleaner and it eats the stain away and most importantly removes the odor. Even if you or I can't smell it, it's there. That's why a dog will return to the same spot over and over again. Eventually you will begin to see that she's using the pads and you can trust her with more freedom in the house. (By eventually I mean several weeks). Keep a watchful eye on her and be sure to quickly correct any mistakes she has. Some people put the pad in front of the door they want the dog to go out when they have to go potty. If you can make that work in your home that's a great place to put the pad. Then she will get used to going to that door for potty. The process takes a long time, and people usually give up before their dog is fully housebroken. That's why they continue to have accidents.
I've had great success with this method and so have many of my new owners. Those who have chosen to use another method have not have so much luck with housebreaking. Good luck!