Nobody wants their furniture and carpet soiled by the family
pet! Help your dog develop good habits from the beginning.
While housetraining your friendly canine, remember to be
patient and kind, but firm.
Two prominent tasks are to establish both a “den”
or a special bed just for your dog, and a depositing area.
The bed can be a beach towel, an open crate, or a store
bought doggie cushion. Dogs are naturally clean animals,
thus once he knows that this is his sleeping area, he won’t
be too eager to soil it. Keep this special bed in the same
area until your dog learns that it’s his place to
sleep. Then you can move it around the house, bringing it
to whatever room you are in. Until completely housetrained,
your dog should always be monitored and kept close to you,
because if he does deposit inside the house just once, it’s
more likely to become a habit.
So confine him to his bed while you’re not in the
near vicinity. Simply close the crate door, or move the
towel to the room you’re in. You can also place the
towel next to a piece of furniture and leash him to it.
But a dog shouldn’t be left leashed and unsupervised,
so it’s a safer option to tie the leash to yourself!
Your dog won’t mind the companionship going around
the house, and you’ll be spared an unexpected “surprise”
in the hallway.
The toilet area should also be established at the same
time during training. Keep your dog on a regular feeding
schedule, so that you’ll have a better idea of when
your dog will need to deposit. Because the area you set
aside for that purpose should always be available at the
time your dog needs it! Take him out there consistently
and often. When he does go outside, pet him approvingly.
Once your dog has successfully established the habit of
depositing in his toilet area and has stopped soiling his
den, then it’s time to extend the “den”
or comfortable bed area to the rest of the house. Start
with one room. Allow your dog to have free reign of one
room at a time, but only when you are completely sure that
his bladder and bowels are empty. Under your supervision,
allow your dog to sleep and play in the room. When you have
to leave the room, always confine your dog again to the
bed. Eventually, your dog will accept the room as an extension
of his “den” and thus will not soil it. Then
you can move to the next room.
When mistakes happen, if your dog has an accident, remember
not to reprimand. This will confuse your dog, and will slow
down the housetraining process. But you can offer treats
and encouragement when he soils in his deposit area.
It takes effort and time, but if you do it correctly, your
dog will be housetrained soon enough!
