I just got a new puppy who likes to pee in the house. What are your best methods for housebreaking a new dog? Thanks!!
For a puppy, I think crate training works the best. What kind of puppy, and do you have a crate?
StG
A simple method that works is to keep an eye on the dog when he is in the house. When you see him start to pee, say "No!’ in a firm voice and carry him outside.
In a short while he will go to the door and whine when he needs to go.
In the meantime, he should not be allowed access to areas of the house where his urine can cause damage or be difficult to clean. (Carpets).
I’ll second both of the above. When you’re not actively watching the dog, or when you’re not home, put him in a crate. Don’t worry, he won’t think of it as a “cage”, but as a “den”. Wolves live in dark holes and they like the safe feeling of being enclosed. Of course, they also have brothers and sisters to keep them company when Mom’s away, so he may be lonely. Stick a nice cuddly blanket or sweatshirt in there, and a ticking clock can help sooth him, too. He’d really like something of yours that smells like you, so a worn, unlaundered sweatshirt would be best.
Never use the crate as a punishment place. It should always be his happy safe place. As he gets older, he’ll go in there when he wants to be alone, which is extra great if you have kids - they can be taught that he’s not to be bugged when he’s in his crate. And I can’t emphasize enough how pleasant it is to come home to a crated dog. He hasn’t chewed anything or spilled the milk you forgot about and left on the table or left a pile in the living room or knocked over a potted plant. You come home happy, he’s happy to see you, and you enjoy the rest of the day together.
Then, when you are around to supervise, watch him closely. When he begins to crouch, say, “No! Outside!” in a sharp, firm, but not mean voice. Make it low-pitched. Try to sound as much like a dog barking as possible. That’s how a mama dog teaches - with low pitched WOOF!. (A high pitched yap is how a baby calls for his mama or indicates pain, and is stressing to dogs, so keep your voice low.) Then pick him up and quickly take him outdoors. I’ve had good success with hanging a bell next to the outside door. When we go out, I ring the bell with the pup’s paw. Eventually, he’ll learn to ring the bell himself to tell you he needs to go out.
When you get outside, say “Outside!” in a warm, friendly tone, set him down and let him do his business. Praise him and give him a treat when he does, repeating, “Outside! Yes, outside! Yay, outside!” Just generally make peeing outside the most fun thing EVAH!
And repeat. And repeat. And repeat. Some dogs take longer than others. Basset hounds are just about the worst. Pugs are about the easiest, in my experience.
We also had success with going outside every time the puppy ate or drank. We’d wait till she was done, praise her for eating (she had a “thing” about not eating for a while there) then immediately go outside, where there was no playing until she peed. Big, big praises for peeing outside.
Now, we can pretty much get her to pee on demand - for example, if we’re about to leave her home alone we can go outside and tell her to go potty and she does. Then we say “ok time for your cage” and she goes right in, peacefully.
I just housetrained a headstrong rescued pit bull puppy.
We went with total positive methods – no punishment at all.
When she went in the house, immediately we’d soak paper towels in it, scoop up the dog, take her outside, put the towels down where she was supposed to go, and made sure she sniffed them --we did NOT rub her nose in them punitively, but if she didn’t seem interested in sniffing them, I’d direct her head toward them…then praised her mightily.
This method, combined with crating her while we’re away (someone comes at lunch, so she’s never crated more than 4 or 4.5 hours) and aggressively taking her out – every 2 hours minimum – worked very well.
Basically, if you’re comfortable or involved in something, that means you have to stop and take the puppy out.
When she got pretty good, we let her sleep outside the crate, although she slept in the crate for the first several weeks. She has a dog bed in our bedroom.
She got diarrhea three times so far. The first time, she jumped up and planted her feet on the front door, and I rushed her out and she went everywhere. The second time, she did mess the living room, but I think she tried to wake me and I slept through. The third time, she woke me at 4:00 am, jumping up and putting her paws on the edge of the bed, staring at me urgently. I rushed her outside.
Of course we didn’t punish her for the mess when she was sick.
I may be looking throuh rose-colored glasses, but I don’t see much reason to involve punishment and shame. She learned pretty well, and no bad feelings were involved.
Sailboat
Doggie yum yums and a claw hammer.
If you don’t put anything in, nothing comes out.
Crate, schedule, praise, regular trips outside, more crate, and about $100 worth of Nature’s Miracle.
The way we did it for our Guide Dog puppies was crate training, and taking them out often and telling them to “do your business” - starting by saying it when they went. They soon associate the words with going, and will go on command. It’s quite a sight on an outing to see eight guide dog puppies all going at the same time.
Intelligence helps also. We puppy sat one of our breeder dog’s puppies, and she was so smart that she was tapping on the door to go out at 8 weeks.
Another vote for crate training here.