EFFECTIVELY HOUSEBREAKING YOUR PUPPY

One of the most challenging things about dogs is their habit of answering the call of nature almost anywhere they feel like it. Your bedroom rug, the living room sofa, your Persian carpet; anywhere seems as good a place as any for your little pup to go cool his bladder on.

If you just brought your pup home therefore, buckle up and get ready to save your upholstery and carpets by means of a simple method we call Housebreaking.

Now, here’s what housebreaking is all about. We humans tend to visit the bathroom when we feel the need. However, our pooches don’t have mother potty training them at the age of 1, and hence they tend to treat everything like a big ol’ bathroom. And that would be ok if we were dogs perhaps but most humans tend not to like that sort of thing. So what we have to do is potty train our doggies ourselves. And this training, to cut a long story short, is what we call ‘housebreaking’.

Now, first of all, remember:

• No pup is able to keep from relieving himself till about 12 weeks of age. Your attempts at training your dog therefore must begin before this.

• Most puppies need to engage in bathroom related activities approximately 6-7 times a day.

• Every time your dog seems to be following its tail rather slowly, and doing giddy rounds around a non-descriptive area put your shoes on to take it out cause it’s getting ready to relieve itself.

• Take your dog out every time it has a meal because food immediately puts pressure on its colon and bladder.

The first lesson in housebreaking, ‘communicate with your dog’. Make sure you let your dog know that you don’t like him going all over the living room loud and clear. No there isn’t any need to use violence; just a loud “NO’ should do the trick. For best results catch him in the act so that he has no problem in associating the rebuke with the exact action.

Keep a keen eye on your pooch. As soon as he looks like he could do with a visit to the great outdoors take him out. Once he relieves himself at the right place pat him to show how much you appreciate the fact that he didn’t go all over your favorite rug. Give him a treat, and an appreciative nod and he’ll know.

See, dogs are like politicians, always eager to please. They will do anything to get cuddled and patted by their masters, thus it’s normally easy to make them do things your way. You want him to relieve himself outside? Show him how happy you are when he does so and he’ll do it always. Give him a friendly pat and he’ll bound off to be at it everyday. For your part make sure you know your dog’s habits, build your routine round his, try and find out what his usual urinating or defecating times are, is it after dinner? Before going to bed? Or right in the morning? Take him out accordingly.

Proper communication will ensure your pooch's proper health and your peace, and of course a clean bedroom rug.

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