PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE, AND A NECESSITY New puppy owners want their puppy to learn one thing as quickly as possible, and that is where it should and should not go to the bathroom. Housebreaking is the most important thing you can teach your puppy. Using certain training tools, lots of praise, and being consistent will help your puppy learn rapidly, but remember to also be patient! MESSINESS IS NOT NEXT TO DOGLINESS Puppies have very short memories. If they have finished going to the bathroom in a corner of your living room and you catch them after the fact, then it is too late to do anything that will make it think is okay to go there again. Never put their nose in it! They will not understand that it was wrong to mess in the house but can lead to them messing in the very hidden places or eating their mess, which is not something you want to encourage! If you catch the puppy starting to mess, say no in an angry tone, but do not yell at the puppy. Grab it quickly and go outside. If the puppy then goes to the bathroom outside, give it lots of praise after it is done as a reward. A small treat can also be given as an award, along with some play. KEEP IT ON A SHORT LEAD Most owners will make the mistake of letting the puppy have too much freedom in the house so they cannot observe when the puppy needs to go, as puppies will give signals like circling and sniffing an area when they are ready. It is beast to keep the puppy in a small area or even better to keep it on a six foot leash that you need to keep a hold of at all times. This way you can observe the puppy for any signs that it needs to go out and then take it out before any accident occurs. The important thing is not to let the leash go so you end up chasing the puppy, which could make the puppy fearful or shy of you. When you cannot keep a good eye on the puppy, place it in a crate. Crate training is the best way to housebreak your puppy. CRATE TRAINING 101 Puppy owners sometimes fell they do not want to use a crate because they don’t want to “cage” their puppy, but puppies don’t think of a crate as a cage. To them, the crate becomes their den, a safe and secure place for them. The crate should only be large enough for a puppy to turn around and lie down comfortably. It should have something soft to lay on like a dog blanket that fills the floor space available. A toy that is only offered when the puppy is in the crate is a good idea, and even a small treat can be given to entice the puppy into the crate the first few times before it gets to know the crate as its home. Also use a command like, ”crate” so they will learn to go inside on command. The crate should never be large enough that the…
