Using a Routine to Housetrain Your Puppy
Even though puppy housetraining is a project that requires consistency and cooperation, it is, by all means, very doable. If your housetraining efforts are proving to be less than effective, you need a fresh approach. You need a program that you can apply whether your pup’s target is grass, papers, city cement, or gravel. Rest assured, housetraining your puppy is just a matter of time.
Picking your puppy’s potty place
The first step to housetraining your puppy is to pick her potty place. Because the goal is to teach your puppy to leave her living space to go to the bathroom, outdoors is ideal — or if your goal is to paper-train your dog, taking her out of your living space and into the garage or mudroom is best.
If you’re teaching your puppy to go outside, keep your initial potty area 10 to 20 feet from the door to help your puppy stay focused on the goal of your outings. Take your puppy to her toilet area on a 6-foot leash and wait until she’s pottied to pet, play, or walk her.
City people often have to start paper training until their puppy has received her inoculations. You may also want to choose paper training over taking your dog outside if you have a small dog or indoor lifestyle.
Whatever you choose, many of the same rules apply:
Consistently use the same bathroom spot (inside or out).
Use a word or phrase — such as “Papers” — when you lead your puppy to the area.
After you bring your pup to the area, ignore her until she eliminates.
While your puppy is eliminating, use a word or phrase such as “Get busy.”
Don’t use the potty place for play or interaction.
If you’re paper training, keep the papers away from your pup’s food and water bowls and sleeping areas. Place the papers in a discreet location, such as a corner of the kitchen or bathroom, on a nonabsorbent surface (tile, linoleum, or wood), and make sure they’re easily accessible to your puppy, even when you’re not home.
Establishing a housetraining routine
Your puppy will need to go outside or to her papers to potty after she eats her meal, drinks, and wakes up from a nap, and during long sessions of chewing or playing. Establishing a routine early on can cement her understanding of “holding it” until she reaches her potty place.
After you’ve selected the potty area, follow these guidelines:
Blaze a trail. Always follow the same path to the potty spot, be it papers or outside. Encourage everyone to follow this route. See the following figure for an example.
Credit: Illustration by Barbara Frake
Follow the same path to your puppy’s potty area because consistency breeds understanding.
Withhold attention. Pet your puppy after she’s gone to the bathroom.
Don’t roam.
Say a command while she potties. While your puppy is eliminating, use a second command such as “Get busy!” After a month of saying this phrase while she’s in the process of pottying, your puppy should be able to go on cue.
To put the hurry on your puppy’s housetraining connection, use a clicker with a food reward. The moment your puppy eliminates in the right place, click and then reward her with a treat.
If your puppy doesn’t eliminate within 5 minutes, either carry, crate, leash, or otherwise confine her for 5 to 15 minutes before trying again. Not only does this step prevent an accident, but it also helps your puppy build her bladder muscles and her ability to hold it. Whining, nipping, and frenzied activity are all signs she may need a potty break.
Getting on a potty-time schedule
Just how many potty breaks your puppy needs depends on the puppy's age. Really young puppies (younger than 12 weeks) may need to go outside every hour or two. Older puppies can hold out quite a bit longer.
Use the following general guidelines for your puppy and set up a daily housetraining schedule:
| Puppy’s Age |
Number of Potty Breaks a Day |
| 6 to 14 weeks |
8 to 10 |
| 14 to 20 weeks |
6 to 8 |
| 20 to 30 weeks |
4 to 6 |
| 30 weeks to adulthood |
3 to 4 |
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A-B-C assessment
Checking a dog’s airway, breathing, and circulation.
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animal shelter
1. An animal control agency run by local government to protect people from animals, take in strays, and manage animal issues and problems within the community. 2. A privately run shelter managed by individuals who want to protect, advocate for, and find homes for animals.
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BARF diet
A method of feeding dogs as closely as possible what they would eat in the wild: raw flesh and bones, along with vegetable matter from the stomachs of their prey. The acronym stands for either Bones and Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.
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blow out
A twice-yearly shedding of a dog’s undercoat.
Dogs Glossary
blue slip
An application to register a purebred puppy.
Dogs Glossary
breeder
A person who raises, sells, and often shows dogs of a specific breed. Reputable breeders screen parent dogs in an effort to produce healthy dogs that conform to breed standards.
Dogs Glossary
castrate
The removal of a male dog’s testicles to render him infertile.
Dogs Glossary
clicker
A small hand-held device that makes a sharp cracking sound when pressed. Paired with a food reward, an effective dog-training tool.
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cohesive bandage
A stretchy wrap that clings to itself used to cover and secure gauze bandages without tape.
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come into season
The advent of a female dog’s term of fertility.
Dogs Glossary
dead ring
The stationary ring on a training collar that pulls on the collar, not the dog’s neck.
Dogs Glossary
double coat
Two layers of fur — a top coat of stiff guard hairs and an undercoat that serves as insulation.
Dogs Glossary
dropped ears
The term for hanging or drooping dog ears.
Dogs Glossary
Elizabethan collar
A wide, cone-shaped plastic or cardboard collar that prevents a dog from being able to scratch her head. Used to prevent further injury or hasten healing.
Dogs Glossary
euthanize; put to sleep
To kill an animal to relieve suffering.
Dogs Glossary
fall
Hair that extends over a dog’s eyes.
Dogs Glossary
feathering
Long hair that runs from armpit to paw on the backs of a dog’s legs.
Dogs Glossary
free-feeding
Keeping a constant supply of dog food available so that the dog can decide when and how much to eat. It works best in single-dog households where there’s no competition for food.
Dogs Glossary
heartworms
Parasites that live in dogs’ hearts and cause heart failure. They’re transferred through mosquito bites.
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heat
The period when a female dog is fertile.
Dogs Glossary
heel
A command and position in which a dog walks at your left side staying with you as you change direction or pace.
Dogs Glossary
hip dysplasia
A painful malformation of a dog’s hip socket. Some breeds are genetically predisposed to the condition.
Dogs Glossary
hot spot
A localized area of skin infection. It’s usually round, red, and warm to the touch.
Dogs Glossary
live ring
The floating ring of a training collar. Attach a leash to this ring for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
neuter
A general term to describe either spaying or castrating a dog to render it infertile. Neutering and castrating are often used interchangeably.
Dogs Glossary
pantaloons
The tufts of hair on the backs of a long-haired dogs legs that make him look like he’s wearing bloomers.
Dogs Glossary
pedigree
A diagram of a dog’s ancestors for three or more generations that lists the registered names of the dogs and the titles they earned.
Dogs Glossary
pinch collar
A training collar with interlocking prongs that pinch a dog’s neck when tugged on. Some veterinarians recommend them above all other collars for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
praise
A verbal reward for a dog , such as an enthusiastic “good dog!”
Dogs Glossary
prong collar
A training collar with interlocking prongs that pinch a dog’s neck when tugged on. Some veterinarians recommend them above all other collars for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
pulse
Normal dog pulse is between 70 and 120 beats per minute. The pulse of a puppy ranges from 120 to 160 beats per minute.
Dogs Glossary
puppy mill
A place that supplies puppies to pet stores, usually without screening for possible genetic defects or properly socializing the puppies.
Dogs Glossary
registration certificate
The paper certifying a dog’s registration with an accredited organization.
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registration slip
An application to register a purebred puppy.
Dogs Glossary
release word
A word that lets a dog know that she is free to move.
Dogs Glossary
rescue group
A network of animal lovers who rescue and find new homes for their favorite breeds or animals.
Dogs Glossary
reward
To give a dog a treat for a correct response while he’s still in the desired position.
Dogs Glossary
ruff
The long, thick fur around a dog’s chest, shoulders, and neck.
Dogs Glossary
separation anxiety
A condition in which your dog becomes anxious and stressed when you leave him.
Dogs Glossary
shed
A twice-yearly process of casting off the undercoat in a double-coated dog.
Dogs Glossary
single coat
A single layer of hairs that comprises a dog’s fur.
Dogs Glossary
spay
To remove of both the uterus and the ovaries of a dog to render her infertile.
Dogs Glossary
stripping
Plucking the dead hairs from a dog’s coat.
Dogs Glossary
titer tests
Tests that check a dog’s immunity levels to determine exactly which vaccinations are needed.
Dogs Glossary
top coat
The top layer of a double-coated dog composed of stiff guard hairs that tend to be naturally water-repellant. The top coat protects the dog’s skin and undercoat.
Dogs Glossary
training collar
A collar that enables you to guide your dog and to check her as necessary — a brief, sharp tug tightens the collar around the dog’s neck.
Dogs Glossary
treat cup
A plastic container filled with small treats or dog food. Shake it and give treats from it as a reward as you train a dog.
Dogs Glossary
undercoat
Fleecy or downy fur shorter than the top layer of a double-coated dog. The undercoat serves as insulation.
