House breaking a puppy is a very important part of raising a well-behaved dog. It will teach your puppy good habits and it is the stepping stone to a well trained dog.
It will normally take 4 to 6 months to housebreak a puppy, sometimes longer; depending on your puppy's breed, habits and health. Keep in mind that not every puppy is the same, so you have to be patient and consistent. Also be ready when accidents happen, because they will.
When starting to housebreak a puppy it is important to keep the puppy in an as much a regular schedule as possible.
They will need to pee several times a day, so it is important to take your puppy out regularly. As a general rule, you need to take your puppy out every two or three hours, as well as after eating, sleeping and while playing.
It will take your pup several minutes to do his business, so wait for your puppy to finish and give lots of praise when done.
ACCIDENTS WILL HAPPEN
Remember puppies are babies and they can’t hold their pee for long, because they are too young to control their bladder or to know they can't pee inside the house.
Do not be disappointed when an accident happens, just keep working on the housebreaking process and chill out.
Now if your puppy peed inside your home and you didn't catch him in the act, it's too late for discipline. Still, there's work to do.
First of all, do not yell at your puppy and definitely do not rub your puppy's face on its pee. This won't help either you or your puppy.
If caught in the act, correct with a firm NO and take him outside to finish.
Either way, clean thoroughly and use an enzymatic deodorizer to completely eliminate urine odor.
SO HOW LONG CAN A PUPPY 'HOLD IT'?
Whilst an adult dog needs to pee an average of 3 to 5 times a day, puppies will need a break much more often.
Generally speaking, they can hold it up to one hour per every month of age (so a three-month-old puppy can wait up to three hours to pee)
It’s important not to take this advice too seriously, because this will depend on your puppy's breed, size, health and habits.
The following is a general guideline as to how your puppy's ability to 'hold it' will change.
Puppies 8-10 weeks need to pee every hour or less.
Puppies 10-12 weeks: 2 hours is the longest a puppy can 'hold it' at this stage.
Puppies 3-6 months: At this point, you can start to consider the one hour per month rule.
Puppies 6 months and older: By now, most puppies have the ability to 'hold it' for up to six hours.
Remember this is just a general guideline. Keep in mind that being forced to hold their pee for too long is not only uncomfortable, but it can lead to accidents and serious health problems, like urinary tract infections or stones.
LEAVING YOUR PUPPY FOR 8 HOURS OR MORE
Now If you're anything like me, you just can't spend the whole day waiting for your puppy to go pee. You need to go to work or school
So what's one to do? As mentioned earlier, try to keep your puppy on a schedule. Take your puppy out to pee when you wake up, before leaving for work, when arriving home, before going to bed and every two to three hours.
ASK FOR HELP
If it is not possible for you to check on your puppy every two or three hours, ask a friend to pop in to give your puppy a comfort break or leave you pup with a friend or neighbor who is willing to help.
Still not possible? Then keep your puppy in a large enough area that is safe and that can hold your puppy's belongings (toys, bed, water bowl) and a spot for training pads.
Encourage and praise your puppy to use the pads when needed. Then when left alone, it'll head for the pads instead of
soiling their bed.
YOUR PUPPY'S WATER INTAKE DURING HOUSETRAINING
Although it is important to make sure your puppy has unrestricted access to fresh and clean water during the day. It is necessary to change this rule a little bit when housebreaking your puppy.
Thus you will need to remove your puppy’s water bowl at night. As a rule of thumb, you will have to remove both,food and water bowls about two-to-three hours before bedtime. This gives you a chance to take your pup out for one last break before settling in for the night.
One last thought on this, remember housebreaking your puppy is just a phase and it won't last forever. So be patient. All the hard work will be more than worth.
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