It is not unusual that housebreaking a puppy can induce feelings of anxiousness and worry, but the truth is, it does not have to be a stressful process neither for you nor your puppy.
This really is a situation where nature is working in your favor from the get go. As puppies are born they naturally eat and relieve their bowels inside the den and their mother cleans up after them. In location where puppies eat, sleep and live there is never a scent of urine and as they are growing they learn to use the outside simply by imitating their mother.
This is the way in which dogs are conditioned to eliminate outside. In most puppies at the age of between 2 and 4 months old this behavior gets adopted naturally.
Also, a puppy has a remarkably efficient and extremely fast digestive tract. 5 to 30 minutes after a meal the puppy will need to defecate. This allows you to maintain regular trips outside. Therefore the puppy’s’ digestive tract is another natural in-built plus for housebreaking.
When housebreaking a puppy, in the early days it is important that the puppy has a place to relieve themselves that they feel safe at and that has a familiar look and smell to it. Scent acts like a trigger to the dog’s psyche and they will often relieve themselves at repetitive locations. Use this in your favor.
As we always speak of energy, remember that energy is a significant factor in housebreaking too. Nervousness and impatience on your end can stress the puppy which will result in opposite from the desired effect. When the puppy needs “to go” you should avoid creating distractions such as “encouraging” with loud voice or squeaky tones (or any for that matter). It doesn’t help. It distracts. So don’t do it.
Remaining consistent in housebreaking is important in building habits so in the morning, first thing, bring your puppy outside and to the same general area. Albin Gurklis said “repetition is the mother of learning”, and indeed it is so.
Of course, once the puppy has successfully “done the deed” it is time for a reward. It does not have to be a surprise party nor a banquet. It can be a quiet acknowledgment or a treat and the message will arrive at the right address.
Do not, ever, punish your puppy for anything that they can associate with bodily functions. No one, not a human nor a dog should be traumatized because they could not hold it in. Stay calm and assertive, silently remove the puppy from the place of the “accident” to the place where you want them to go and leave it at that.
When housebreaking is done well and correctly it should never be turbulent. It should simply be a matter of throwing in a little extra work into helping your puppy with adjusting to schedules in first weeks of arriving to your home.
All things associated with housebreaking have to be stress free. A puppy is a joy and as human babies learn slowly and require patience, so do puppies. Treat them with love and respect that they deserve.
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