House Training

Schedule & Routine

• Take your dog out
  • First thing in the morning
  • After they wake up from any naps
  • after eating
  • Interrupt play time to take them out
• If you see them wandering around the house actively sniffing, especially near the areas they usually have accidents, take them out. 
• When they pee/poops, lots of praise and reinforcement!
  • Make it a party – don’t worry about embarrassing yourself
• Take them out every 20ish minutes to go to the bathroom when first starting the routine
  • Use a timer to remind yourself
• If they don’t go they should be supervised when you bring them back in
  • Crate them if they already have a positive association with their crate
  • Keep them with you using a leash
  • Don’t forget to set your reminder alarm!

Accidents

Accidents happen. Don’t make a big deal, especially if you catch them in the act. Yelling or making a loud noise to get your dog to stop may cause them to be fearful of eliminating in front of you. Instead, try to get their attention and bring them outside to finish.

Clean up the mess with a cleaner like Nature’s Miracle. For hardwood floors, try Simple Solution.

Eventually you’ll notice the signals when they need to go out. They may go sit by the door or come and stare at you. 

Managment

• Use gates to prevent your dog from accessing areas of the home where they have accidents.
• Keep all doors closed. Bedroom, bathroom, offices, etc

Potty Pads

Potty pads might be convenient for us, but are confusing for our dogs. Dogs can develop a preference for where they like to eliminate. Some things that might look and feel like potty pads: bed sheets, pillow cases, t-shirts, even newspapers left by the door to go out with the recycling.

An alternative would be an indoor potty area using fake turf. It looks and feels like grass and is easy to clean. And it doesn’t look or feel like your bed linens!