How to Housebreak Your Puppy - A Simple Potty Training Guide

If you've just become a dog owner, the first thing you must learn is how to housebreak your puppy. Your puppy needs to learn the house rules of where and when he can tend to his business. Other than the most obvious advantage of having a cleaner home, your new puppy will thrive in his new environment much better with rules to follow and schedules to keep. Dogs are pack animals and will naturally look to the alpha dog,this means you, to set the standards of acceptable behavior. Follow this simple guide and you will learn how to housebreak your puppy with ease.

Eight to twelve weeks old is considered the optimal age to begin the housebreaking process.
Crate training is one of the easiest ways to housebreak your puppy. A crate may remind you of a cage. A good crate will have see through bars, a locking door and be large enough for your puppy to comfortably move around inside. Placing your puppy in his crate should never be used as punishment since this will give your puppy the wrong idea and make housebreaking him more difficult. Your puppy's crate should be a pleasant place that he can play and sleep. The crate serves the same purpose as den would for a wolf. Puppies should never be left locked in their crate more than two hours at a time.

Natural instincts tell a dog that they shouldn't pee where they sleep. Unless you leave your puppy locked in his crate longer than he is able to hold it, your puppy won't eliminate in his crate. A good rule of thumb is that the maximum time a puppy may be left in his crate is about one hour for every month of age, but no dog should be left in their crate for more than four to five hours without being let out for a potty break.
Designate a single door for your puppy's outdoor bathroom use. Take your pet in and out of the same door every time. This will be the door your dog learns to go to when he needs to use the bathroom. Establish a bathroom routine and take your puppy out as close to the same times as possible every day. Your puppy will eventually learn when it's time to go to the bathroom and when he must wait.
If your puppy is allowed to to roam freely in your house, watch closely for signs that he may need to use the bathroom. Your puppy may suddenly begin to sniff the ground and circle an area or he might stare at the door you usually use to take him outside. These are signals for you to take him outside immediately. If you catch your puppy doing his business in the house, stop him by grabbing his collar and pulling up on it. Tell him, "NO" in a gruff voice and take him outside to finish his business. Praise your puppy in a pleasant voice when he finishes his business outside. Never punish your puppy for having accidents if you don't catch him in the act as this will only confuse him.
When your puppy relieves himself outside, use a single two or three word phrase such as, "go now" and then praise him. "Go now" will be the words that will train your puppy to go on command. If applied consistently, "go now" will be the words that will stick in his mind and trigger him to do his business. Soon he will do his business every time he hears those words from you. The trigger words you choose are not nearly as important as applying the technique consistently.
Always use a stern voice when giving your puppy and important command you expect him to obey immediately. Although your puppy will truly understand little of your actual words, he will understand the tone and pitch in your voice. If the tone of your voice is usually soft and sweet, switching to a stern or gruff tone will cause your puppy to really pay attention to any command you give him. Conversely, when you praise your puppy, remember to use a happy tone with a high pitch and say his name often. Use the same type of voice that you would use to praise a small child. While it may sound stupid to you, your puppy will be thrilled and anxious to please you again. Praise and encouragement work wonders because your puppy wants you to be happy with his behavior.
The final tip for learning how to housebreak your puppy is to have patience. Although you want your puppy housebroken as soon as possible, losing your temper won't get the job done. Giving up before your puppy realizes what he's supposed to be doing will only cause frustration for both you and your puppy. Keep your cool and apply the housebreaking techniques consistently.
Accidents happen, so don't complain about cleaning up puppy pee during the initial training period. Use common sense to avoid recurring accidents. To avoid having your puppy pee during the night, take up his water bowl about one or two hours before bed and let him outside to relieve himself just before bedtime. For puppies that always seem to leave you stinky presents during the night, take him outside just before bedtime and set your alarm so you can take him out a bit earlier in the morning. It will take time to adjust your puppy to your schedule, but with patience you can learn how to housebreak your puppy.

Rebecca Welch is a successful webmaster and freelance writer for How-To-Train-Your-Puppy.com. Did you find the how to housebreak your puppy guide useful? Learn more about how to train your puppy.