Housetraining a puppy is pretty simple. Simple, yes. But not necessarily easy. Here’s the simple part: get the puppy outside frequently, limit her house freedom to only the room you are in, watch her like a hawk, and make liberal use of the crate when you can’t watch her.
Here’s Caysun’s (almost 11 week old, Labrador pup) daily schedule:
5:30a Up and outside for a long pee.
5:35a Back in the crate for a snooze.
7:15a Back up and outside for a quick pee.
7:30a Breakfast time. (Fed in the crate while I shower).
7:45a Outside for pee and poop.
7:50a Play hard with Ike, running, jumping and wrestling. In the same room as me, where I can watch her.
8:10a After 20 minutes of play, time for another pee break.
8:15a Kitchen time with me and the other dogs while I drink tea and eat breakfast.
8:45a Another pee/poop break.
8:50a More play time with Ike in my office, where I can watch her.
9:30a Naptime!
11:00a Outside for a pee and poop break. If you’re keeping track, this is the 6th time outside this morning! Every pee/poop session has been productive. And better yet: no accidents inside! Yay!
12:00p Lunch fed to Caysun in her crate. Then naptime!
2:30p Awake and ready to go! Outside for pee/poop break.
2:35p Play time in my office with Ike.
3:00p Pee break!
3:15p Play, play, play!
4:00p Pee/poop break outside.
5:00p Dinner in her crate. Naptime in her crate while I prepare dinner.
6:30p Out of her crate and outside to pee/poop.
7:15p Pee/poop break outside. Then Play! Where we can watch her.
8:00p Pee/poop break outside. Then more play time.
9:30p Last trip outside to pee and poop, then down for the night, in her crate.
2:00a Sleepy trip outside to pee (she wakes me by whining in her crate).
That’s 14 trips outside for pee breaks. Some days I’m out of the office more, and then she’s crated while I’m gone. She’s been ok for 4-hour stretches, as long as she’s crated.
The moral of this story: get your puppy outside a lot! As much as possible for structured pee/poop sessions. What’s a structured session? You take your pup on leash to the bathroom area of your lawn. Stand there and wait for him to go. Don’t wander the yard with him. Don’t take him on a neighborhood walk. Stand there and simply give him about a six foot radius. When he goes, praise him and have a little puppy potty party! Then play with him outside. Celebrate your success!
Yep, your puppy has trained you very well! 🙂
“Stand still with the dog on the leash for potty breaks” is some of the best advice I’ve ever been given regarding potty training! (Added bonus to this method: for those of us with Nosework dogs, it makes a very clear distinction between the times when you are popping your dog out for a quick pee and the times when you are out searching; our body language for each scenario looks totally different to the dog!)
Yes, indeed! Knowing a puppy’s schedule is key to housetraining! I’m a great owner — I get her out as often as possible. Not many accidents in the house when I’m on duty. Check out the post about when my husband’s on duty, though. Not so good. 😉
Yes, I need to do a post about getting your dog to go to the bathroom on cue. That’s essential, I think! Especially if you want to get into dog sports, such as Nose Work! 🙂
I was very lucky. My boss let me bring Honey to work with me to aid in housebreaking. I don’t think we had more than half a dozen accidents during her housebreaking.
It broke my heart when she was entirely housebroken and didn’t have the excuse to bring her to work anymore.
I learned with Honey how house training is a great way to bond with your puppy. It’s all about paying attention.
Your schedule would probably be a real eye-opener to lots of people. It should be attached to every puppy adoption application.
I remember the days in the front yard with Elka as a puppy! She had a deep fondness for the spindly pine trees that we had out there, which left her little nose pine scented. I was, unfortunately, nowhere near as diligent as you, so it took us awhile (And we didn’t crate)
I just stumbled across your blog and it’s so informative and fun to read! Are you planning to make any posts about how to teach bite inhibition? My sister recently got a dog, and he’s quite the biter.
Great info! I agree with Pamela – this should be required reading before people are allowed to bring a puppy home. 🙂
Oh, so NICE to be able to bring a pup to work — on so many different levels. Yes for the housetraining, but also great for the socialization. And of course, for the company for you! 🙂 Yes, it’s definitely all about paying attention. And just a few weeks of 100% attention will get most people a long way toward house trained. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment!
Hi Annie, yes, thanks for the reminder. I was so focused on house training, I forgot to write about anything else! Bite inhibition is a big one and I’ll cover it. Stay tuned. (And thanks for your comment!)