The key to housetraining success is being able to predict when your dog needs to go, getting her outside in time, and then rewarding her for doing the right thing in the right place. This gets her in the habit of pooping and peeing outdoors.
To prevent mistakes, make sure your dog's closely supervised when she's not in her crate or playroom. Even one mistake can set back the housetraining process.
In order for housetraining to work, everyone who handles your dog must understand and follow the same program. Any Inconsistency will easily confuse her.
Note: If your dog has an accident, don't punish her. Just clean up thoroughly and be sure to watch her more closely next time.
Steps to fail-proof housetraining
1. Take your dog out of her crate for at least six bathroom breaks a day. Put her on a leash to take her outside so she's less likely to be distracted.
If she goes right away: Praise and reward her immediately by giving her high quality treats (we recommend three liver treats--you don't want to under reward), then take her for a walk or let her play off leash.
If you don't have a fenced in yard, let her let play inside your home for a while. Activity can stimulate the bladder, so keep an eye on her and run her right back outside if she shows signs of wanting to go to the bathroom again, like sniffing or circling.
Once she's had some time to romp, put her back in the crate with her chew toy until the next bathroom break.
If she doesn't go: Give her some water, put her back in the crate for 15 to 30 minutes before taking her out again.
Note: At this age, your dog can last a full work or school day in the crate--during the housetraining process only! But don't leave her for more than 6 to 8 hours. It's better to have someone stop by in the middle of the day to give your dog a break and some exercise. If that's not possible make sure you exercise your dog in the morning before leaving him in his crate for the day, and that you come home as early as possible to take him out again.
2. Gradually increase the time your dog stays outside her crate--but only if you're willing to watch closely and run her outside as soon as she shows signs of wanting to go again, like sniffing or circling.
3. Put her in herplayroomif you have to leave for longer than she can hold it. When you get home, immediately take your dog outside. If she goes to the bathroom, reward her with supervised free time in the house or yard. Then put her back in the crate, and start the cycle over again until it's bedtime for both of you.
4. Expand the number of rooms she can visit when she can get through one week with no accidents.
5. Continue to gradually expand her roaming zone. After another accident-free week, give her more space to run around in, and so on. If she has an accident, it's back to a short (one to three days) of crate training, and the cycle begins again.
Some small dogs may use an indoor toilet for life. If you want your dog to be among them, plan on keeping him in the playroom when you're away for at least the first 12 months of his life to reinforce his training. But even if your dog continues to use an indoor doggy toilet, he'll appreciate a mid-day visit.
DogTime tip: Each dog is different. Some gallop ahead in their understanding and physical development while others are content just to poke along. If your dog's a quick study, go ahead and quickly extend her free time outside the crate. If, on the other hand, she has more than one accident a week, she's getting too much freedom too quickly. Every time that happens, return to the intensive crate training phase to give her more time to learn and grow.
Troubleshooting
If your dog is taking way too long to be housetrained:
Identify the source of the problem. Here are the most common obstacles to a housetrained dog.
A health problem. It's not uncommon for a urinary tract infection or some other ailment to make housetraining next to impossible. If you're having serious housetraining problems, ask your veterinarian to check your dog's health.
Too much water. Ask your vet how much water your dg needs and let her know if your dog drinks excessively. If nothing is wrong, limit her water to the daily recommended amount.
You're carrying your dog to her outdoor toilet instead of walking her outside. This is often a problem with small breeds.
Too much free time in the house with not enough supervision. Your dog shouldn't have any unsupervised free time in the house during housetraining. Period. If you're having trouble keeping an eye on her, tether her to your belt or to a table near you, or keep her confined in a crate or playroom until you have time to pay close attention.
Failing to make sure she empties her bladder before coming inside. You must be there to see your dog go so you know her bladder is empty before bringing her inside. Don't leave your pooch in the yard unattended!
Rewarding your dog with free time in the house even if she didn't potty outside. Don't cave in! If your dog hasn't gone to the bathroom after five minutes outside, preferably on leash, return her to her crate and try again later.
Your dog has had so many accidents in the same spot she's convinced the area is her private indoor toilet. If this is the case it may take longer for you to convince her to go outside. After all, wouldn't you find it hard to use an outhouse after years of indoor plumbing? The solution for this problem is to make sure your dog has no access whatsoever to the area she's using as a toilet. Gate it off, close a door if you can, or watch your puppy like a hawk.
If your dog consistently eliminates in her crate:
This usually happens because a dog was somehow forced to pee or poop in her living quarters. Maybe she was trapped in a crate for several days, or tied up in a yard. Dogs with this type of background often do best if you forego the crate and tether her with a short rope to your belt, or to a nearby table, and then double the frequency of your trips outside.
Be sure to offer enthusiastic praise every time she goes in the right place. Above all be patient; it's not her fault she was forced to learn such a bad habit in the first place.
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