This article will offer simple dog house training tips to make housebreaking positive and successful. Tools such as crate training and clicker training make the process go much more smoothly. A regular feeding schedule helps regulate elimination and helps you set your dog up for success and reward.
Crate Training
Utilizing a crate or dog carrier can make housebreaking much simpler. It's important to introduce your dog to the crate with treats, a blanket, and toys in the crate before closing the door on him. Give him time to think of the crate as his safe place and his own little cave. A dog will not eliminate where he sleeps unless he is very ill so while he is in his crate, he won't pee or poop.
Once he likes the crate, you can put him in and close the door. A rule of thumb is that a puppy under 3 months of age should only be in a crate for an hour at a time. Then he can stay in the crate for an additional hour for each month older that he gets but never more than 4 hours at a time, 6 at the most.
You can keep the crate in an area where other members of the family are so that the dog doesn't feel isolated. After the appropriate amount of time, if you take the dog outside for 5 to 10 minutes, he will most likely eliminate. Then you can reward the behavior and play with him before returning him to his crate. After 3 weeks with no accidents, you might be able to try having your dog out of his crate for longer and longer periods of time.
Clicker Training
Clicker training works as an adjunct to interrupting unwanted behaviors and rewarding desired behaviors. The owner carries the clicker at all times during training. One sound accompanies a negative consequence like a time out or putting on the leash to interrupt off leash fun. Another sound accompanies any reward such as giving treats or praise. Consistency is key in creating a strong association between the sound and the positive or negative consequence. The sound works as an amplification of the negative or positive consequence to increase the dog's learning.
In housebreaking, the clicker can accompany a loud sound that interrupts the dog when he is beginning to go in the house. Some clickers are connected to the collar and the sound accompanies a mild but annoying shock that the dog gets from the collar. The most powerful part of clicker training, though, is the sound that the dog associates with a reward.
Using a Feeding Schedule To Support Housebreaking
The best feeding schedule is consistent and works in tandem with trips outside to eliminate. A dog will often need to eliminate first thing in the morning so let him out before feeding him breakfast. Then breakfast feels like an added reward for going outside if you do it right after he eliminates. Most dogs will need to eliminate again 20 to 30 minutes after eating. If you put the dog in his crate for that amount of time after breakfast, you're sure to have success with him eliminating outside a half hour later.