Hartland Animal Hospital - Creature Care

Housebreaking Your Pets

Housebreaking is essential for the complete enjoyment of a house dog. There are two methods of housebreaking: paper training and crate training. I prefer the crate method since the paper method teaches the pup that it's alright to go to the bathroom in the house.

The two main keys to housebreaking is consistency and persistency. Be consistent with the pups schedule. Feed the pup the same amount at the same time of day everyday.

Take the pup outside when he wakes up in the morning, after meals and after naps. When you are not with the pup, keep it in a dog crate. Do not keep the pup in the crate for long periods of time. To figure how long to keep a pup in a crate is to take the pup's age in months and add one. For instance, a four month old pup should not be kept in a crate for more than five hours at a time. If your work schedule won't allow you to let your pup out as often as it needs to go, ask a friend or neighbor to help.

Remember to be persistent with the schedule. Continue this process until the pup is properly housebroken. It usually takes 4 to 6 weeks to housebreak a pup. Some are housebroken sooner and some take longer. So, don't be discouraged and remain persistent and patient.

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Hartland Animal Hospital - 6425 S. Jackson Highway
Horse Cave, KY 42749