Housebreaking The Dog
When families get a dog and bring him into the home, he is not just a pet to watch the house or guard property but a member of the family. As a member of the family, there are rules that should be followed. One basic rule is to keep the home clean. This is where the need for housebreaking comes in. But one must keep in mind the kind of dog he they are bringing home: a new puppy or an older dog that may have come from a shelter or a previous family.
For a puppy, it is important to let it know its surroundings and being new in the world and not in the just in the household, there would be so many factors that may distract him as he is just being introduced to them. But a good rule of thumb when housebreaking or even training in general is to praise when praise is due and show disapproval immediately if something is done wrong to reinforce and instill the message in the mind of the puppy. When the puppy relieves himself in a place that is not proper, immediately show your disapproval for they won’t remember if it’s told the next day or five minutes later. But owners must aid in the learning such as bringing them out after meals to relieve the bladder pressure and praise them when they do their thing in the right places. Crate training is a very good method as it keeps them in one place and it is just big enough for them to comfortably lie down. Dogs usually do not like wetting their area of rest. Once the puppy is seen running in circles, it’s the signal to take them out. As time passes, they will be accustomed to having to go out to take a leak and not indoors.
For older dogs, it may be a challenge to some. Other factors have to be taken into account when wanting to housebreak the dog. They will be having a new environment like how the puppy experiences it for the first time, but the older dog may have had a bad past with a previous owner and the style implemented by the new owner might make them withdraw or shy away. The rule of thumb of praising still applies. Since they have better bladder control, they may adjust to an eliminating schedule by taking them out at specific times of the day. However, crate training can still be used with older dogs.
Dogs have the innate need to please their owners. Owners that show compassion, patience and understanding will win their dogs over no matter what age.
