Housebreaking is so Hard to Do (but shouldn't be)

Housebreaking your new puppy is going to take patience. You should begin to housebreak as soon as you bring your new puppy home. Puppies need to relieve themselves approximately six times a day. A puppy should be taken out immediately after each meal since a full stomach puts pressure on the colon and bladder. A puppy is not physically able to control the muscle that allows him to "hold it" until he is about 12 weeks of age. Before this time, good housebreaking routines should be practiced to avoid having your puppy urinate and defecate all over your house. Watch for signs of urination or defecation, such as turning in circles. Take your puppy out often. Using a crate or confining your puppy to a small part of the house that has easy clean up floors are some ways to ensure your puppy does not urinate all over your house. It is much harder to housebreak a puppy if he smells is urine in places you do not wish him to relief himself.. Housebreaking Your New Puppy Housebreaking your new puppy is going to take patience. You should begin to housebreak as soon as you bring your new puppy home. Puppies need to relieve themselves approximately six times a day. A puppy should be taken out immediately after each meal since a full stomach puts pressure on the colon and bladder. Good housebreaking routines should be practiced to avoid having your dog urinate and defecate indoors. Watch for signs, such as turning in circles. Take your dog out often. Crate training or confining your puppy to a small area that has easy clean up floors can help your dog not urinate all over your house. It is much harder to housebreak if the dog smells urine in the places he shoudn't be "going." There are many different methods in which you can housebreak your pet. Whichever way you choose, it is important to understand your dog. They want to please so the trick is to make them understand what you want from them. Dogs don't think the way we do. When you are unhappy with your dog, he thinks that whatever it is doing at the exact moment you show disapproval is the thing that is upsetting you. For example, if your puppy goes to the bathroom on your floor and you show your disapproval too late, say 4 or 5 minutes later, he will think that the mess on the floor is bad. He will not realize the act of going on the floor is what you are angry at. The dog will do his business, see the mess and thus become worried that you are going to be unhappy. This is the reason so many dogs will relieve themselves in the same place contiunually and look really guilty about doing it, yet they continue to do it. More on this subject in future posts....