Tuesday, September 4, 2012

How to housebreak a dog

By Jerry Welsh


House training or potty training is an effective and necessary training method that is aimed at preventing the dog from making accidents inside the house and guiding the dog to eliminate in the designated area. In spite of the fact that dogs are well loved by all the members of the family, no one would want to clean the mess that the dog leaves everywhere. Potty training is expected to be a challenging task but a clever and resourceful pet owner can accomplish this task easily. As with any other kind of training undertaken to modify the behavior of the dog, the success of house breaking will depend more on the dog owner rather than on the dog.

When you take home a puppy from the breeder you have to be aware that your new pet has to undergo potty training. As with any other kind of training, the task of housebreaking the pet would be easier if started while the dog is still a puppy. Any person that have had the opportunity of living in a home with dog will notice that these animals form habits.

Dogs that have soiled a particular area will return to the same place over and over again to defecate or urinate. Your job is to prevent the dog from forming the habit of using the carpet or other areas of the home as its bathroom. This task would be difficult for pet owners that are not at home most of the time. The good news is that dogs generally take about a week to establish a routine.

The first thing that must be done is to designate an area to be the dog's bathroom. Suitable areas can be the garage, a corner of the bathroom or in the yard. Be aware that dogs need to relieve themselves after waking up, after eating and before going to bed at night. A pat or a praise given after the dog has eliminated in the correct place will make the dog repeat the good deed again. Dogs that are not confined in a crate can have accidents inside the house thus you need to be very observant of the signs that the dog wants to relieve himself.

Dogs make wonderful companions but these animals are entirely dependent on their owners. Thus if you have set your heart in getting a dog, you must be ready to take on the huge responsibility of providing care and undertaking the various trainings that will make the dog a valued member of the family




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