Housebreaking a dog is the first thing that comes in the mind of a new dog owner. A dog has to be given some kind of basic obedience training from early age and housebreaking is the most important out of them.  Dogs are basically habit forming animals and once they get into a routine, they form a habit out of it which is relatively harder to change. So it makes more sense to train them right from the beginning to avoid and confusion and problems later.

An important part of training is to let your dog know about what is to be done in a certain situation. Training is a form of communication between the dog and his owner.  You may have to tell him at first, slowly he will start relating things. You should have some basic knowledge about dog behavior which will help you train your dog easily. There are many tricks you can use for housebreaking a dog. Mark a spot where your dog can go and relieve himself and take him to that spot whenever he has to go for it. Usually he will feel the need to for potty or urination, when he wakes up from sleep or after the meals.

Keep a fixed time and slowly get him to follow a schedule. Slowly he will start relating that place and his timing for his toilet time. This is the basic fundamental of housebreaking dogs, you can use their sense of smell to your advantage in this training. Training a puppy is easier than housebreaking older dogs as older dogs already have some kind of a routine or a habit which you will have to break first for new ones.  A well trained dog can form a healthy relationship with his owners as both the dog and his owner start to know each other in a better way.

Basic Potty Training for DogsHouse training a dog can be almost as stressful as potty training a toddler.  It can actually be even more stressful, there is no reasoning with a dog.  If you want to train your puppy, there are a few things that you can do to make it seem a bit less stressful.  The first thing you have to do is go out and buy some small little reward treats at your local pet store.  You will need these for positive reinforcement.Establish RoutinesJust like a child falls into a routine with daily activities, so does a dog.  The first thing you are going to have to do is to establish a routine during the day.  A puppy can usually hold its bladder one hour for every month it is old.  So, if your puppy is five months old than you cannot expect him or her to hold his bladder for more than five hours.Take Frequent Potty BreaksYou are going to have to take your puppy outside frequently to go to the bathroom.  They are going to have to get used to going to the bathroom outside.  The more you are outside the more they will get used to going to the bathroom outside of your home.  You may want to keep this in mind when you are deciding the best time to get a new puppy.  Someone is going to need to be around during the training phase.Pick a Special SpotIt will be helpful to you and to your neighbors if you pick a special potty spot outside.  Try to pick one place to take your dogs to the bathroom rather than always going for long walks.  You should also try to use words such as “potty” or “bathroom” when you go out so they can associate the words with the action.   You can play with them outside or go for longer walks when they have already gone to the bathroom.Try Rewards for Doing the Right ThingMake sure you reward your puppy when they do a good job.  Keep some small treats in your pocket and when they go to the bathroom outside, reward them.  Positive reinforcement is the best way to go.  It is important to remember that your puppy is probably going to make some mistakes as it learns.  Coming to terms with this from the beginning is a good idea.  You should also remember that screaming at a puppy who has had an accident while you were away is not effective.  Their minds are just not wired to associate what they did hours ago to your outrage as you stand in front of them.  Try to catch them when they do the RIGHT thing and then give them praise.  Just like a person, they’ll respond a lot better.

Stop Puppy Biting

It is natural for puppies to bite and gnaw on your hands, feet, shoes, and even electrical cords. Biting is the way that puppies explore and learn about the world, just like how human babies stick everything in their mouths. Though it is natural, biting puppies are a nuisance and those sharp puppy teeth are painful. Learning how to stop a puppy from biting will relieve you of pain and even save you money on items the puppy may destroy.

Yelping Method

As a puppy plays and bites on its littermates, other puppies let out yelps with the bites are too painful. Play stops after a yelp, as the biting puppies instinctively know that they have hurt a littermate. Letting out a high-pitched, puppy-like yelp alerts the puppy that they are being too rough when they play with you. This method is a great way to teach a puppy if you have small children, you can even get your children to play along.

Ignoring Method

Another way to stop puppy biting is to get up and walk away from the puppy when the biting begins. Puppies desire your undivided attention when they are awake, and biting is one way they will try to grab your attention. You will notice that litters of puppies bite on one another for play and attention when they are bored. Completely walking away from the puppy and letting the puppy know that biting does not receive attention is another effective method of stopping biting puppies; a method that a mother dog uses as well.

Chew Toys

Teaching the puppy what is okay to chew and bite on will also teach the puppy to stop biting you and other items you want to protect. The chew toys give puppies an item to focus their energy and chewing urges on. To teach the biting puppies what they should chew on, offer the chew toys when they begin to bit or gnaw on your fingers, toes or other items.

Mother Dog Method

A mother dog immediately administers discipline when biting puppies become painful or just annoying. Sometimes the mother may walk off and ignore the puppy, though other times she will show dominance to cease the biting. One way that dogs show dominance is through biting; the mother dog will bite the biting puppies on the backs of their necks to cease puppy biting. Giving the puppy a hard squeeze on the back of the neck will teach dominance without causing the puppy pain.

Here is a very good video demonstrating the “yelping” method…