Dog Information And Resources

House Breaking Protocol

The following is the process we have found most effective for housebreaking puppies and dogs.  At the heart of it is limiting our dogs to their only option of eliminating outside. To accomplish this we will need to crate our dogs when we are unable to keep a close eye on them. Below are the steps as if we are starting in the morning with our puppy or dog having been in the crate overnight.

Taking out to potty:

1. Remove your puppy from the crate, put on a leash and collar and immediately take them outside to potty.
2. Take them out on leash to the place you want them to potty, this can be, but does not have to be, the same place used each time.
3. Stand in one spot. Do not roam around the yard, or go for a walk.
4. Give a command letting them know it's time to potty, we usually use “go potty”
5. Allow 5 minutes for your dog to potty. If they get side tracked or off task, remind them what they are supposed to be doing with another “go potty” or interrupt whatever they have found to do to amuse themselves, by giving a gentle “no” with a slight tug on the leash and repeat “go potty”
6. If/When they start to potty repeat your potty command over and over while they are pottying. Try to stop repeating your command just before they stop going.
7. When they have done their business or the time has elapsed then take them in. Do not allow play time during potty sessions. If you want to play, then take them back in for a couple minutes and then come back out as a separate session.

If they have done all their business when taken out, then they can be free around the house with only a limited amount of focus on them for a period of time that is approximately ½ of the total amount of time that they have shown you they can regularly hold it. If you are just starting and are unsure, our rule of thumb for puppies is 1 hour per month of age or for adult dogs (over a year old) starting at two hours. This limited amount of focus does not mean they have run of the house.

So a puppy 6 months old should be able to hold it for around 6 hours when awake and active, but we would only allow them minimal supervised free time for 3 hours.  

After the minimal supervised free time has elapsed we will need to start the process over again. When your dog is showing you it can regularly hold it for the minimally supervised free time, then bump the time by about 30 minutes. 

If they do not potty or only do one when you take them out:

We have two options in this situation: 

1. They can be left out of the crate and you keep a high level of attention on them.
2. Place them back in the crate.  

If you keep them out, you must keep enough focus on them that they can’t sneak behind the couch or into another room and have an accident. I usually recommend attaching them to you with a leash or use an x-pen or baby gates to limit roaming.

In either case you will need to start taking them back out to potty every 30 minutes to an hour and rely on the above protocol to decide the amount of minimally supervised freedom we can give them, if any.

If you catch them pottying in the house:

If your dog has snuck off to potty and you catch them in the act, clap your hands loudly and give a stern “No!”.  Then quickly take them out and start the potty process to give them a chance to go.

If you come across an accident after the fact:

Clean up the mess.  There is nothing you can do at this point to reprimand your dog that they will associate it with pottying in the house.

Enrichment stimulates your dogs mind and body, keeps them busy, learning, engaging in activities that use their senses and can provide an outlet for the specific drives for their breed.

There are all kinds of things that you can do with your dog to provide enrichment. Below I will list some ideas but you can also do an internet search for....dog enrichment ideas. 

Dog food puzzles

Hiding treats around the house and yard for your dog to find

Snuffle mats

Licky mats

Teaching tricks

A nice walk through the woods on a long leash to allow exploring and sniffing

Rotate toys

Training

Game of tug with rules

Game of chase and catch with a flirt pole