Mark and Sandra Richardson just adopted a 5-month-old black Golden Retriever puppy from the local rescue group. The group informed Mark and his wife that the dog was already housetrained. But the couple quickly learned otherwise.
“When we drove up to our house, my wife took the dog directly to the backyard to relieve himself,” Mark says, “He sniffed around, urinated a little and then wanted to play, so my wife brought him in the house. Within 5 minutes he had urinated again and before we could get him back outside, he pooped!”
Although many puppy owners have difficulties teaching housetraining skills, it really doesn't have to be a difficult process. Housetraining is the process by which you teach your dog to eliminate when you want it to and where you want to – and to refrain from eliminating at any other time or place.
Sounds simple? Actually, it can be, and it is – so long as you stick with the tried and true basics of approach. Housetraining does not have to be frustrating or overwhelming.
Start With A Schedule
Dogs are creatures of habit and a schedule will help your puppy develop good housetraining skills much more quickly. You can establish a schedule that takes your own needs into account as long as you realize that almost all puppies and older dogs will need to relieve themselves when they first wake up after a night's sleep or a nap, after they eat or drink, and after playtime.
An 8 to 12 week-old puppy may need to go outside when first waking up in the morning, after eating breakfast, after playing at mid-morning, then again at about noon. If the puppy naps, it will have to go out when it wakes up, then again at mid-afternoon. A schedule like this should continue all day.
As the puppy grows and matures, it will develop more bowel and bladder control, and you can increase the length of the intervals between trips outside. However, increase this time between potty trips gradually. You want to set your dog up for success (no accidents), not failure.
By 8 to 9 months of age, a dog that has been housetrained using a consistent, realistic schedule will need to go outside first thing in the morning, at noon, later in the afternoon, after dinner and before bedtime.
However, keep in mind that all dogs, no matter what their age, have their own unique needs. Some will have to go outside more often; others will be able to hold it longer. During the housetraining process, you'll need to learn your own dog's particular needs, strengths, and weaknesses.
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