One of the daunting challenges of dog ownership, especially for first-time owners, is the task of house training. If you equip yourself with some rudimentary knowledge and have a positive attitude, it’s a lot easier than many make it out to be.

Arriving Home

As soon as you bring your puppy home, take him outside. The excitement of the car journey along with the unfamiliar sights, sounds and faces, will have him want to go to the toilet anyway – so if you can orchestrate his first toilet break so that it occurs outside, instead of inside, then so much the better, and not just from the view of short-term hygiene, either – the more your puppy relieves himself inside, the more likely he is to continue doing it inside the house.

The homecoming is an excellent opportunity for you to set a precedent for toilet behavior!

• Take him to your designated toilet area, and put him down on the grass.

• Wait while he sniffs around – don´t pet or play with him just yet, because you don’t want him to make an association between his toilet area and games. He has to learn that this part of the yard is for toilet breaks only.

• When he begins to relieve himself, say the phrase you want him to associate with toilet breaks: “Go pee” or “potty time” or whatever works best for you. It’s better if that phrase is short and easily recognizable – and remember to use the same voice inflection every time, so that your dog can easily memorize what the phrase means.

• When he’s done, make a big fuss of him. Shower him with praise and affection, and give him a small treat.

When you take your puppy inside the house, the house training regime you’ve decided upon should start immediately.

What is crate training?

Crate training is accepted as one of the most effective and efficient ways of house training your puppy quickly.

Crate-training is essentially the use of a small indoor kennel (the crate) to confine your young puppy when you’re not actively supervising him.

How does crate training work?

Crate training is based on all dogs’ inherent dislike of soiling the area where they sleep. By restricting your puppy’s movement to his sleeping space, he will instinctively “hold it in” until he is let out of the crate, as long as you don’t leave him in there too long, of course!

It is important that the crate is of the correct size. If it’s too big, he will be able to use one end as a bed and the other end as a toilet, which will defeat the whole purpose of the exercise!

How do I choose a crate?

As a general guideline, it is most cost-effective for you to choose a crate that’s big enough for him to grow into. It should be big enough for an adult dog to stand up in, comfortably without crouching, and be able to turn around, and stretch out inside – but no bigger (so that he doesn’t choose one part as his bed, and one part as his toilet!)

An adult dog is considerably larger than the puppy, so it will most likely be necessary for you to use a barrier to reduce the internal size of the crate. A wire grille or board will do just fine.

Alternatively, you can use a cheap crate, (or make one yourself) and replace it with a larger model as your puppy grows.

Using the crate for house training

Crate training works like this. Your puppy is kept in the crate at all times, unless he is sleeping, eating, outside with you going to the toilet, or being played with (active supervision.)

You’ll need to be consistent, or else it won’t work: you can’t let your puppy wander off through the house, unless you’re focusing your complete attention on him.

If you allow him access to the house before he is properly house trained, you will be encouraging him to relieve himself inside the house – and remember, every time he does this, it’ll be easier for him to do it again (and again … and again …)

Sample schedule of a morning’s crate training

07:00am – Wake up. Take your puppy outside with you for a toilet break.

07:25 – Breakfast time.

07:45 – Take him back outside for another toilet break (remember, you must accompany him.)

07:50 – Play-time! Let your puppy out of his crate and actively play with him.

08:45 – Go outside for another toilet break.

08:50 – Put the puppy back in the crate for a nap.

11:00 – Puppy goes outside with you for a toilet break.

11.05 – Playtime! Take the puppy out of the crate and play with him.

12:30 – Lunch time.

12.45 – Take puppy outside with you for a toilet break.

13:00 – Puppy goes back in the crate for a nap.

… and so on throughout the day.

How long does crate training take?

Crate training generally takes between one and two months (depending on the breed of your dog and how much time you are prepared to spend on the training process.) As the puppy gets older, you can begin to reduce the amount of time spent in the crate – but beware of doing this too soon!

Other crate training rules

- Your puppy probably won’t be too happy about going in the crate the first few of times he uses it. He will want to be outside, being showered with affection and attention, and will want to be with you, but it really is for everybody´s good. In a surprisingly short time, he will come to accept the crate as his own personal haven where he can go to relax and get a couple hours’ uninterrupted sleep. It’s important to persevere: do not respond to any whining or crying.

- The best place for the crate to be is in the hub of the household: usually the living area or the kitchen, or anywhere where people tend to congregate. Just because he is in the crate doesn’t mean he can’t still feel like part of the family. It is important for your puppy not to feel isolated or excluded from family life.

- The crate should be a welcoming and inviting place for him to go. Lay a couple of thick blankets or towels on the floor, and put a few toys and a chew or two inside the crate as well. The door should be open at all times, unless he is inside, of course, in which case it should be securely closed.

Some toilet facts about puppies that will come in handy.

• Puppies’ bladders and bowels are so small and weak that they have only a very small window of opportunity between knowing that they need to go, and having that need become an immediate reality. Because of this, it’s imperative that you take him outside as soon as he wakes up. He will let you know that he needs to go out by pawing the door and whining, and also within ten minutes of eating or playing.

• His behavior will indicate when he needs to go outside. This will include sniffing the ground and circling. Again, because he is only little, so he won’t exhibit these warning signs for very long. As soon as he starts, take him out straight away. It is better to have an unnecessary trip to the yard than an unnecessary wet patch (or pile) on the carpet!

• The maximum amount of time that a puppy can be crated at one time is figured out using the following equation: the puppy´s age in months, plus one. So, a three-month old puppy can be crated for a maximum of four hours. However, this is likely to be physically uncomfortable for him, not to mention hard on him emotionally and psychologically. It is tough being cramped up with nothing to do, so you should really take him out at least once every two hours during the day. If he is sleeping, of course, just let him sleep until he wakes up naturally.

For a more in depth look at house training, as well as a great deal of useful information on canine behavioral problems and the most effective training techniques, check out “The Ultimate House Training Guide.” It’s the complete dog-house-training guide..

You can find out more about the “Ultimate House Training Guide” for your dog here.