The Five Secrets of Housebreaking

More dogs are given away every year due to housebreaking failure than any other behavior problem. Housebreaking is fairly easy if you follow the five rules.

Rule #1 - Anytime your dog is in the house with you he needs to be watched like a hawk!

Rule #2 - If you can't keep an eye on your dog at all times, then you must confine him. This means putting him in a crate so your new pet will not make a mistake.

Rule #3 - Is to establish a place outside (a specific spot) where the dog will go to eliminate. In conjunction with this I also teach a verbal command so your pet will learn to eliminate on command. When you see that your dog has a need to go, immediately rush him outside to your specific spot. The command I use is "go potty".

Rule #4 - The key to successfully housebreaking your dog is to buy and use an odor neutralizer or an odor eliminator in your house to prevent a negative behavior pattern from forming. These are products you can buy on the market. You must remove any scent remaining from the accident.

Rule #5 - Your pets' feeding and watering schedule must be very rigorous and consistent, the same time every day, which will result in your dog needing to go out and eliminate at the same time every day. For some dogs this will be immediately after eating or drinking. For other dogs it may take a while. As for watering, I do not recommend free access to water, until the dog is completely 100% housebroken. If you give your dog free access to water when in the house you will never develop any consistency in terms of knowing when he has to urinate. If you follow these five steps, you will be on your way to having a completely housebroken dog in 10 to 15 days. Dennis Dalia, Training Director, Southwest K-9 Academy at 941-255-4115.