How to House Train a Dog

How can I house train my dog?

House training a dog can be quite easy as long as you follow the rules explained here. Of course we can’t say you’re going to be able to house train your dog in 2 or 7 days, it really depends on your efforts, consistency, and the breed of the dog.

 

So, what’s the best breed to train for house breaking?

Dominant breeds are usually harder to train because they can be really stubborn and of course, dominant. That means they will try to do what they want, and not what the owner wants. On the other hand, less dominant breeds, like German Sheppards, are quite easy to train due to their tendency to wanting to please their owner. It’s quite common to train a German Sheppard to be house trained in less than 4-5 days. But when you try to train an American Pit Bull Terrier, it will probably take 7-8 days to accomplish that, not because they are less intelligent, no, they are very intelligent dogs, but also very stubborn.

 

How much time will I need to spend to house train my dog?

As we’ve seen in the previous topic, this will depend on the breed of the dog, if you live in an apartment or house and your dedication and consistency efforts.

 

Be prepared to be next to your dog for the next 7-8 days until you’re sure he is perfectly stable in the house training task. That means that you’ll probably have to take a small vacation to teach your new puppy. Remember, it’s a small price to pay if that means you won’t have any problems in the next 12 to 14 years with your dog having “accidents” in your house. And it’s also a great opportunity to connect to your dog, especially in those “scary” first days.

 

What are the relevant factors that affect the house training of my dog?

Well, there are several factors that really affect the speed at which your dog will learn this basic task.

 

BREED OF THE DOG

Has we’ve seen, the degree of dominance of a breed will influence the training of your dog. Please have this in consideration when you go out and choose the breed of your new puppy.

SEX OF THE DOG

A male dog is always more difficult to train than a female. This happens because a male dog has a strong urge to mark its territory. And the most important territory to him will be the inside of your house.

WHERE YOU LIVE

If you live in an apartment, things will be a little bit harder for you and your dog, nothing impossible to accomplish, but a little bit harder. You have to think ahead and check the places your dog will have to use to do its stuff, and will have to take him outside every day, several times a day for 12-14 maybe more years.

If you live in a house with a backyard, things will be a lot easier. You just have to open the door for the dog to go outside, or if you have a doggy door in your kitchen, even better, no work or worrying for you. Although it will be easier for you, don’t despise the fact that you’re wasting an opportunity to be with your dog and teach him a little bit more enforcing your domain over him.

BREEDER OF THE DOG

This may seem a little strange, but it will affect the training of your dog more than you probably think. A good breeder won’t sell you a puppy with genetic problems or urinary diseases that will completely destroy all your house training efforts. A good breeder will make sure your puppy is well socialized with humans, so that he won’t be terrified the first time he sees you, and runs away peeing all over your house.

SPAYED OR NEUTERED

A spayed female or neutered male, will also affect your house breaking efforts because the sexual drives will be diminished to the point where it won’t affect your dog’s behavior. They won’t mark their most important territory…the inside of your house.

AGE OF YOUR DOG

This is quite an important issue, because an old dog will learn a bit slower than a very young dog. There are also health factors that might influence the dog training because a senior dog might have urinary insufficiency or some other related problems. But if health problems aren’t an issue, there won’t make much of a difference in your training, as long as you take the time and make consistent efforts.

To be able to teach your dog this important task of not peeing everywhere you must be the Alpha Leader or dog chief, there’s no way a dog will ever respect you or obey if he doesn’t consider you the indisputable leader. Also you must have in consideration that a little puppy doesn’t understand any command yet, so he will analyze your body language, and behave accordingly. If you show anger, the dog will immediately react with hostility and defensive behaviors, because that’s what his instinct will command him to do. If you’re contradictory and unable to establish a habit, the dog will be confused and won’t be able to follow the pattern you desire.

 

If your desire is to prevent your dog from going to a specific area inside your house, you could check some wireless dog fences like the PIF 300 or something similar. This devices are not a substitute for proper training, but they can give you a good help, when you're not around to check on your dog.

 

As we've seen along this post, How to house train a dog doesn't have to be difficult and troublesome. As long as you follow these simple rules, you'll be fine.