Housebreaking
Housebreaking is one of the leading reasons people choose not to keep their puppies. By following a few easy steps, you can quickly and happily train your puppy to not only eliminate outdoors, but to let you know when he needs to go.

Reinforcing
First, your puppy needs to understand when he is doing something right. Teach him what the word "good" means by pairing that word with a food reinforcement - something small and tasty. Repeat this about 30 times a day for 3 days. Now when your puppy eliminates appropriately, you can say "good" when he is finished and then give a food reinforcement.

Schedules
Remember to keep your puppy on a schedule until he understands what is expected of him. Take your puppy outside to your chosen place when he wakes up, after playing hard and after he eats as well as frequently in between.

Urinating and Defecating are Self-Reinforcing
This means that the act itself is reinforcing to the animal. It feels good to do it and you feel better after you have done it. From the dog's perspective anywhere it urinates or defecates is automatically reinforced. What you want to do is reinforce the choice of substrate. This is best accomplished by waiting until the dog has completed elimination on the appropriate substrate (i.e. the lawn) and reinforcing one time only.

What About Corrections?
There are many problems associated with corrections:

1. Once the animal has "done the deed", it has been reinforced no matter what you do after the fact. This can confuse the puppy or dog.

2. A confused puppy or dog may begin to prefer to eliminate without your presence because ti is concerned about your reaction. The puppy may begin to hide to eliminate. If your pup becomes fearful of you, he may develop major anxiety disorders and possibly aggression if he feels defensive. Many owners that have used correction tell us that their dog will not "go" outside unless they stand there for long periods of time. This defeats the learning process because you need to witness success in order to praise. Also, the dog that does not want the owner present will never give a signal expressing the need to go out.

3. In order for a correction to be truly effective the dog must:

• Know what their behavior should be.
• Be corrected in less than 1 second and just as the behavior begins although this may still diminish the dog's trust

The fact is, you need to catch the dog eliminating on the appropriate substrate and reward it approximately 500 times before a correction could be considered humane because that is the probable number of repetitions that need to occur for a dog to understand what is expected. It is also interesting to note that a properly timed reinforcement for using the desired substrate without the use of corrections is the quickest way to housebreak a dog or puppy because it can then focus on what is necessary to achieve the praise without the need to be concerned about anything else. Dogs, like humans, do what is rewarding.

Be Certain That Your Puppy is Neurological Ready
The young of all mammals must mature in order for the signal that says "full bladder" to reach the brain and be processed to allow time to prepare to urinate. Puppies under 20 weeks of age will many times stop in the middle of an activity, eliminate and then resume the activity. As they age, they will have the ability to "hold it" for reasonable periods of time and will prepare by signaling you, sniffing, etc.

What About Crates?
Crates are wonderful tools as long as they are not over used. If your dog is in the create for 8 hours at night and 8 - 10 hours while you work, it is too long!!! Hire a dog walker or a dependable teen. Begin to allow your dog to sleep out of the crate, preferably near you, as soon as possible. Use a baby gate or close the door to your bedroom to prevent the dog from wandering until it is an adult and trustworthy. Provide water at all times. Dogs regulate their body temperature by panting which makes their mouths dry. It is cruel to withhold water for more than 1 or 2 hours. If dogs are deprived of water, they will tend to drink excessive amounts when it is available. This leads to excessive urination. Never make the mistake of using a crate that is too small or blocking access to part of it. If your dog cannot "hold it" and the area is too small, you will be forcing the dog to be in its waste. This will minimize the dog's natural tendency to be separate from its waste.

BE REASONABLE IN YOUR EXPECTATIONS. BE CONSISTENT IN YOUR APPROACH.
ABOVE ALL ..... BE KIND.