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HousebreakingConfidence
TheStressFreeGuidetoHousebreakingYourDogWithout
TheHeadaches
-SecondEdition-
2
BulldogologyPetSolutionsCopyright2016AllRightsReserved
www.bulldogology.net
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TableofContentsTrainingWithTheBasics....................................................................................5
Rewards.............................................................................................................7
FoodTreats........................................................................................................7
Non-EdibleRewards...........................................................................................8
TheBestReward................................................................................................8
Timing................................................................................................................9
PrimaryandSecondaryReinforcements...........................................................11
ConsistencyisKey............................................................................................13
TreatsWon’tBeNeededForever.....................................................................15
HousebreakingBreakthroughs.........................................................................16
FiveFactsBeforeHousebreaking......................................................................17
YourDogCommonScents................................................................................21
CrateTraining..................................................................................................23
PuppyPadTraining..........................................................................................28
It’sAllAboutTiming.........................................................................................30
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HandlingInevitableAccidents..........................................................................39
BeAlertforSpecialCircumstances...................................................................42
AdvancedHousebreakingTips.........................................................................43
Conclusion.......................................................................................................51
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TrainingWithTheBasicsIfyouhaveayoungpuppy,werecommendthatyouwaituntilhe’satleast8
weeksoldtobeginformaltraining.
Beforeyoubegintheformaltraininglessonswithadogofanyage,pleaseplan
tofollowthesekeystosuccess:
• BePatient.Eachdogisunique,andcanonlylearnathisownpace.
Somedogslearnquickly;otherstakemoretime.Patienceisindeeda
virtuewhenitcomestoeffectivedogtraining!
• BeKind.Thisgoeshand-in-pawwith“Bepatient.”Don’tloseyour
temperifyourdogdoesn’t“getit”rightaway,orappearstobeignoring
you.Pleasedonotpunishyourdogfornotlearningquicklyenough.Asa
matteroffact,don’tpunishyourdogatall.(We’llbeteachingyou
effectivewaystostoporpreventinappropriatebehavior—without
punishment.)
• BeFlexible.Ifyourdogisstrugglingtolearn,bewillingtochange
yourtrainingroutine.Thelocationmaybetoodistracting.Thetimeof
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daymaybetooclose(orfarfrom)feedingtime.Thelengthofyour
trainingsessionmaybetoolong(ortooshort).Thetrainingexercises
mayneedtobebrokendownintosmaller,simplersteps.Remember,
eachdogisunique.Beflexibleandwillingtodowhateveryoucanto
helpyourdogsucceed.
• BeGenerous.Begenerouswithyourrewardsandyourtime.Always
rewardyourdog’scorrectresponsesgenerously.Don’tbestingywith
thetreats—he’sworkedhardanddeservesagenerousreward!And
commitampletimetoyourtraininglessons.We’reallbusythesedays,
butthisis“qualitytime”foryouandyourdog.You’llbothenjoyand
benefitfromthelessons,somakesureyourscheduleisadjusted
accordingly!
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RewardsOneofthebiggestkeystosuccesswithpositivereinforcementtrainingis
rewardingyourdogproperly.Thismeansgivinghimsomethinghelovesat
exactlytherightmoment.
Yourfirsttaskistofigureoutwhatkindofrewardwillbestmotivateyour
dog.
FoodTreats
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Alldogsareuniqueindividuals.Mostdogsaremotivatedbyfoodthattastes
andsmellsgoodtothem.Foodtreatscanbeverysmall,whichishandyfor
keepingtheminyourpocketorapouchtouseduringtraining—and
importanttomaintainingyourdog’scaloricintaketohealthylevels.Sothat’s
theformofrewardwe’llbeusingthroughoutthistraining.
Besurewhatyou’regivingyourdogisgoodforhim.Butdon’trelyonthe
packingofstore-boughttreatstotellyou“Yourdogwillloveit!”Strong-
smellingmeatandcheesetreatsareusuallywinners,butmanystore-bought
treatsaremadeprimarilyofotheringredients.Yourdogmaynotappreciate
artificialcolors,tastesorsmells.
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Smallmorselsofcookedchickenareapopularhome-madetreat.Butkeepin
mindthatwhatmotivatesotherdogsmaynotmotivateyours.Experimentand
findoutwhathelovestoeat.
Non-EdibleRewardsWhatifyourdogisn’tmotivatedbyfood(rare,butapossibility)?You’llhave
tofindsomethingelsethatmotivateshim.Youmaythinkacoupleofpatson
theheadareagreatreward,butyourdogmaynot.Hemightnotevenlikeit
(mostdogsdon’t)!Tryscratchinghisbellyorsomeotherformofpetting.
Again,experimenttofindoutwhatyourdogloves.
Anotherformofrewardtoconsiderisplay.Tossingaball,playingtug-of-war,
orplayfullychasingyourdogforafewminutesmaybehisideaofheaven.
TheBestRewardLetyourdogshowyouwhathetrulyloves.He’lldothiswithhisreactionto
therewardyouoffer.Youjustneedtopayattentiontohowheresponds.Just
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becauseheacceptsapieceofkibbledoesn’tnecessarilymeanhelovesit.
Watchhimcarefullywhenyou’regivinghimatreat,petting,orplayingwith
him.Ifhelooksawayorwalksaway,heprobablyisn’tallthatthrilledabout
whatyou’reoffering.Butifhegetsexcited,stayscloseandbegsformore,he’s
showingyou
thathelovesitandwillbewillingtoworkforthatrewardinthefuture.Forinitialtraining,wehighlyrecommendusingafoodtreatasthereward.It’s
theeasiesttoworkwithandgetsthefastestresults…justmakesureyourdog
reallylikesit!
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Timing
Afteryoufigureouttheformofreward,thesecondkeytopositive
reinforcementistiming.Thisiscriticalduringearlytraining:youmustgive
therewardimmediatelyafteryourdogperformsthecorrectaction.This
meanswithinhalf-a-second!Yourresponsetohiscorrectactionmustbeclear
anditmustbeinstant.Ifyoupauseinstunnedamazementthatheactuallydid
somethingright,thensnapoutofitandgivehimatreatseveralsecondslater,
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you’veblownit.Youmusttrainyourselftodeliverinstantgratificationtoyour
dog.Dothisconsistently,andyou’llbeamazedathowquicklyyourdoglearns.
Here’sanotherimportanttipabouttiming:don’tmakeyourtraininglessons
toolong.Likehumans,dogscanbecomeboredbyrepetition.Boredstudents
don’tlearnverywell.Sotokeepthetrainingsessionseffective,don’tmake
themoutlastyourdog’sattentionspan.Eachdogisdifferent,soyou’llneedto
bealertandnoticewhenhisattentionstartswandering.Tryfora10-minute
sessionandseehowthatgoes.Shortenitifnecessary.Don’tlengthenitto
morethan15minutes.Repeatingashortsessiontwoorthreetimesadaywill
bemuchmoreeffectivethanhavingonelongsessioneachday.
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PrimaryandSecondaryReinforcementsTheinstantrewardyouandyourdogchoosewillbeyourprimaryreinforcer.
Aprimaryreinforcerissomethingyourdoginherentlyloves.Inotherwords,
hewasbornlovingit(treats,tummyrubs).
Anotherformofrewardisknownasasecondaryreinforcer.Asecondary
reinforcerissomethingyourdogmustlearntoloveandbemotivatedby.
Praiseisanexcellentexample.Puppiesarenotbornlovingaphrasesuchas
“Goodgirl!”Afterall,it’sjustnoisetothem.Theymustlearntoassociatethat
noisewithlove.
Apopularformofsecondaryreinforcementisclickertraining.Aclickerisa
handhelddevicethatmakesadistinctiveclickingsound.Thatsoundis
basicallyasubstituteforverbalpraise.Whenusedproperly,yourdogwill
learntoassociatetheclickingsoundwithlove.Wepreferusingverbalpraise
versusaclicker,simplybecauseyourvoiceissomethingyou’llalwayshave
withyou.Ifyouprefertouseaclicker,justremembertomentallysubstitute
“click”whenthelessonssayverbalpraiseor“Good!”
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ConsistencyisKey
Regardlessofwhetheryouuseyourvoiceoraclicker,themosteffectiveway
totrainyourdogistouseacombinationofprimaryandsecondaryreinforcers
thatareconsistent.
Ifyou’lluseyourvoiceinsteadofaclicker,chooseaphraseanduseitexactly
andconsistently.Dogsarenotpeople,remember?Wordsarejustnoiseto
them.Theyhavenoideathat“Goodgirl,”“Greatjob,”“WaytogoMolly”or
otherphrasesallmeantheydidtherightthing.Pickyourpraisephrase,and
makesureyou(andothersinyourfamily)usethatexactphraseorword
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everysingletime.
Then,severaltimesaday,sayyourpraisewordorphraseandimmediately
giveyourdogtheprimaryreinforcer(suchasthetreatyouknowheloves).
Doaboutfiverepetitions,twoorthreetimesaday,fortwodays.Youcanalso
useyourpraisewordorphrasewhenrubbingherbelly,whenshe’seatinghis
dinner,oranyothertimeyou’resureshe’senjoyingsomethingsheloves.
Withinafewdays,she’lllearntolovethesecondaryreinforcer(thepraise
phraseorword)andwillbeeagertohearyousayit.
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(Throughoutthetrainingcoursewe’llusetheexampleof“Good,”but
substituteyourownchoiceofsecondaryreinforcer.Remembertouseit—and
onlyit—consistently.)
Duringearlytraining,thecombinationoftheprimaryandsecondary
reinforcerswillbeextremelypowerfulandeffective…moresothanusing
eitherformofmotivationalone.
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TreatsWon’tBeNeededForeverDon’tworrythatyou’llhavetocarrytreatsaroundinyourpocketallthetime
togetyourdogtobehave.Asyourdoglearns,herobediencewilleventually
becomehabitual.Youwon’tneedtoconsistentlyusetreatsorotherprimary
reinforcersforthosebehaviorsbeyondthatpoint.(You’llneedtousethem
consistentlywheneverteachingsomethingnew,though.)Itwillalwaysbea
goodideatocontinueusingthesecondaryreinforcer(“Good!”orwhatever).
You’rebasicallythankingyourdogfordoingwhatyouasked…simple
commoncourtesyisalwaysagoodthing!
We’lltellyouwhenyoucanstartdecreasingtheuseoftreatsorotherprimary
reinforcers.Butfornow,andwheneveryou’reteachingyourdogsomething
new,besuretousebothformsofpositivereinforcementsasinstructed.
OK,nowthatyouknowthebasicsofrewardsandtiming,you’rereadyto
begintrainingyourbestfriend!
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HousebreakingBreakthroughsSuccessfulhousebreakingis,byfar,themostimportantelementofaloving,
lifelongrelationshipbetweenyouandyourdog.
Ifyoudon’tteachyournewbestfriendnottopeeandpoopinyourhouse,he
won’tbeyourfriendforlong!
Fortunately,housebreakingapuppy(oradultdog)isn’tcomplicated.Allyou
havetodoispreventpeeingandpoopinginthehouse,andrewardpeeingand
poopingoutside.Whileputtingthissimpleconceptintopracticeisn’tdifficult,
itdoesrequireyourdiligence,dedication,andpatience.Buttherewardsare
definitelyworththeeffort!
We’llprovidesomegeneralinformationaboutdogsonwhichour
housebreakingtechniquesarebased,explainthebenefitsofpuppypadsor
cratetraining,andthengiveyouthestep-by-stepprocessforhousebreaking
yourdog.
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FiveFactsBeforeHousebreakingHerearefivefactsthatwillguideyourhousebreakingtraining:
Fact1:Adultdogscanbehousebrokenthesameaspuppies.Ifyouadoptanadultdog,youmaynothavetoworryabouthousebreakingif
hehasalreadybeenproperlytrained.
Dogs—eventhesmartestones—donotnaturallyknowit’swrongtogopotty
indoors.Theymustbetrained,andmostadultdogsare.Butyoucan’tassume
thisisthecase.Ifhewasalwayskeptoutdoors,raisedinacageatapuppy
mill,orimproperlytrainedbyapreviousowner,youwillneedtostartfresh
andhousebreakhimusingthesamebasictechniquesasyouwouldfora
puppy.
Adultdogsdon’thavetogoasoftenaspuppies,though,whichwillmakethe
trainingmucheasierforyou.(Ontheotherhand,adultaccidentswillcreate
biggermesses!)
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Fact2:Puppieshavelimitedbladder&bowelcontrol.Apuppyyoungerthan20weeksoldwillneedtogopottyonceeveryhour
whenawake.Averyyoungpuppy(under12weeksold)willneedtogomore
often—every30minutesorevenmorefrequently.
Foranolderpuppy,ageneralrulefordeterminingthenumberofhourshecan
gowithoutgoingpottyistotakehisageinmonthsandaddone.Soafour-
month-oldcouldholditforaboutfivehours.Smallbreedscan’tholditaslong;
largebreedscanholditabitlonger.Remember,thisisageneralrule;your
puppy’scontrolmayvary.
Whensleeping,puppiescanwaitlonger.Butdon’tthinkapuppywhocanhold
itfor6hourswhilesleepingcanholditthatlongwhileawake.Hecan’t.
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Fact3:Dogsliketosleepinacleanarea.
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Ifgivenachoice,dogs,likepeople,willneversleepinanareathatissoiled
withpeeorpoop.Inthewild,“dogs”(wolves,coyotes,foxes,etc.)sleepina
denandgooutsidetorelievethemselves.Theirpupslearntodothesame.
Becausedogswilltrytheirbestnottosoiltheirsleepingarea,yourpuppyis
lesslikelytopeeorpoopinasmall“den.”Confininghimtothat“den”
wheneveryoucan’twatchhimwillguaranteehedoesn’tgetachancetobegin
thebadhabitofgoinganywhereelseinyourhouse.
Fact4:Dogsdobestwhenkepttoaroutineschedule.Feedingyourdogonasetschedulewillhelphimtogopottyonaregular
schedule.Ifyouletyourdogeatanddrinkwheneverhewants,you’llbeless
abletopredictwhenhe’llneedtogoout.Takehimoutonaregularschedule,
too!
Fact5:Punishingadogafterhehasanaccidentinthehouseispointless,and
maydomoreharmthangood.
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Yourdogwillnotunderstandthatyouareupsetaboutsomethingthat
happenedinthepast—evenifitwasjustaminuteortwoago.Hewillthink
he’sintroubleforwhathe’sdoingattheinstantyoudiscoverthemessandgo
ballistic…whetherhe’shappilycominguptogreetyouorsittingquietly.This,
obviously,isthewrongmessagetogiveyourdog.
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YourDogCommonScentsAdogreliesonhisnoseandscenttofind“thebathroom.”Ifadoghasgone
pottyinyourhousebefore,thiswillleavebehindachemicalscentthatsays
“thisisthepottyplace!”Thisscentwillbehardforyourdogtoresist.That’s
whyyoushouldmakesurethereisnoodorofurineorfecesinthehouse
beforebeginningtohousebreakanewdogorpuppy.
Donotuseacleaningsolutionthatcontainsvinegarorammonia(thescentis
tooclosetourinescent).Youcanusebakingsodaorclubsoda…orpurchase
specialodor-eliminatingcleanersatapetsupplystore.
Equallyimportanttocleaningupthescentofpastmistakesismarkingrooms
withthescentofyourhappy“pack.”Adogwillbereluctanttogopottywhere
heandhispack(youandyourfamily)live.That’swhyanunhousebrokendog
whocan’tgetoutsidewilloftenruntoararelyusedareaofthehouse,suchas
aguestroom,togopotty.
Onceyouhaveremovedthescentofurineorfeces,spendtimeineachroom
withyourdog(especiallytheroomsyourarelyuse).Sitonthefloorandplay
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withyourdogineachroomforseveralminuteseachday.Soontheroomwill
bemarkedwithascentthatsaystoyourdog,“thisisano-pottyzone!”
Itwillbedifficulttomarkeveryareaofyourhousethisway,andevenifyou
could,thisismoreofapassivedeterrentthanafoolproofmethodtoprevent
yourdogfromgoingpottyindoors;additionalactionisneeded,especiallyfor
apuppy.
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CrateTraining
Ifyourpuppyisfreetorunalloverthehouse,he’llgopottywheneverhegets
theurgeinsteadoflearningtoholdit.Youcan’twatchhimcloselyenoughall
thetimetopreventthis.Sosethimupforsuccessinsteadoffailure.Eitheruse
puppypadsorstartcratetraining.
RememberFact3:DogsLiketoSleepinaCleanArea.Byconfiningyourpuppy
(ordog)toa“den,”youwillinhibithimfrompeeingorpooping(teachhimto
holdit),sincehewon’twanttosoilhissleepingarea.You’llalsobeableto
accuratelypredictwhenheneedstogopotty:immediatelyafterbeing
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releasedfromconfinement.
Werecommendyoucreateacozydenforyourpuppyoutofadogcrate.
Makesurethecrateisbigenoughforyourpuppyordogtobeabletostand
up,turnaround,andlieonhisside—butnotsobigthatitgiveshimroomto
peeorpoopintherewithoutlyinginit.
Linethecratewithatowelyou’veusedorat-shirtyou’veworn(soyourscent
isonit).Makethecratecomfortableforyourpuppy.
Placethecrateinaquietarea,awayfromdistractions(nottooclosetoa
windoworinahightrafficareaofyourhouse),butnotawayfromhis“pack”
(youandyourfamily).
Somepeoplechoosetoputthecrateintheirbedroom,butthismayinterrupt
yoursleepasthepuppywilllikelywhine(and/orbark)thefirstfewnights.
Beforeconfiningyourpuppytohiscrate,youfirstneedtoteachhimtoenjoy
beinginit.Say“crate”andtossafewtreatsintothecrateandseeifhegoesin
togetthem.
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PraisingYourDogEveryEffort
Praisehimifhegoesinside.Ifhedoesn’tgoinside,putthetreatsonthe
lip/entranceofthecrate,instead.
Graduallymovetreatsfartherintothecrateuntilhegoesallthewayinsideto
getthem.Donotclosethedoor;lethimgoinandoutashepleases.
Makeitafungamebytossingtreatsintothecrateafewtimesinarow,offand
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onthroughouttheday.Say“crate”wheneveryouwanthimtogoin,andpraise
himwhenhedoes.
Afterheappearscomfortablewiththecrateandeagerlyrunsintogetthe
treats,shutthedoorforasecondafterhegoesin…thenopenitandlethim
out.Dothatafewtimes.Thentryshuttingthedoorandleavingitshutasyou
feedhimafewtreatsthroughthedoor.Thenlethimout.
Thenextstepistostuffahollowchewtoy(suchasaKong®)withsomething
delicious.Letyourpuppysniffthestuffedchewtoyandthenplaceitinthe
crate.Shutthedoorwithyourpuppyontheoutside.Usuallyittakesjustafew
secondsforyourpuppytobegyoutoopenthedoorandlethiminside.Say
“crate,”lethimintothecrate,praisehimforgoinginside,andshutthedoor.
Oncehe’sbusylickingthetreatoutofthechewtoy,walkaway.Returnbefore
hefinisheslickingallthegoodiesoutofthetoy,andopenthedoor.Don’tlet
himtakethechewtoyoutofthecrate;takeitfromhim.
Next,tiethefreshlystuffedchewtoytotheinsideofthecrateandleavethe
dooropen.Yourpuppycanthenchoosewhetherhewantstoremainoutside
orgointohiscrateandstartlickingthetreatfromhischewtoy.Mostpuppies
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choosetoresthappilyinsidethecrateandworkonthestuffedchewtoy.He
mayevenfallasleepintherewhenhe’sdone.Closethedoor.
UsingCrateNapsWhenYourPuppyGetSleepy
Speakingofsleeping,you’llalsowanttoputyourpuppyinthecratewhenhe’s
sleepy.Encouragehimtogetintohiscratewithtreatsandbysaying“crate”
whenyounoticehe’sabouttofallasleep.Closethedoorafterhegoesin.Ifyou
findhimalreadyasleep,pickhimupandputhiminside,asgentlyasyoucan.
Closethedoor.
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Withseveralinstancesofthispre-conditioning,somepuppieswillquickly
acceptbeingconfinedintheircrateatnight;otherswillwhineorbarklike
madtobeletout.Sometimesputtingacoveroverthecratewillhelpyour
puppytosettledownandgotosleep.
Ignoreapuppy’simmediatewhiningandbarkingtobeletout,otherwise
you’llteachhimthatwhiningandbarkingisthekeytogettingwhathewants
(verybadidea).Mostpuppieswillsettledownafterafewminutesandgoto
sleep.
Ifhestartswhiningafterbeingquietforawhile,hemayneedtogopotty.You
shouldtakehimoutside,butdon’tlethimoutofthecrateashe’swhining.
Waitamomenttoseeifhiswhiningpauses,andthenquicklyopenthedoor
andtakehimoutside.Ifhedoesn’tpauseonhisown,makesomesortofnoise
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thatwillcausehimtostopwhiningandlisten.Thengethimoutrightaway
beforehestartswhiningagain.
Usethecrateatnightandduringthedaywheneveryou’reunabletowatch
yourpuppyorhavehimoutside.
Donotusethecrateas“punishment.”Ifyouscoldyourpuppyandthenlock
himinthecrate,he’llassociatethecratewithbeingpunished.Youwanthimto
thinkofhiscrateashiscomfortableden—notajailcell.
Followthesesteps,andafterjustafewdaysyourpuppywillconsiderthe
cratetobehissafe,cozydenandwillhappilyrestinside.
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PuppyPadTraining
Puppypadsareagreatwaytohelppottytrainyourpuppyaswell.Youcan
usethisalongwiththeplaypenideathatisabove,butthepuppypadscan
allowyoutoeventuallyletgooftheplaypenandletyourpuppyroamthe
housewhileyouaregonewithouthavingaccidentsallovertheplace.
BulldogologyPuppyPadsaregreatforalldogsandcanhelptotrainyour
puppytojustgoinoneareawhileyou’regone.
1. Selectasuitableareainsideyourhomewhereyourpupwillbe
eliminating.Makesuretoplacethepuppypadwiththequiltedside
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up.
2. Whenyourpetstartstoshowsignsthatitneedstogo,takeyourpet
tothepuppypadandencourageyourpetbyusingcommandswords
(i.e.“Gopee!Goodboy!”)Ifyourpuppyeliminateinadifferentarea
ofyourhome,leadyourpupbacktothepad.Repetitioniskey.
3. Oncethepadisfullabsorbed,pickthepadupfromeachofthefour
cornerstoconcealit,andthencarefullythrowthepadaway.Make
suretowashyourhandsafter.
4. Whenyourpuppybecomescomfortableusingthetrainingpads
regularly,startmovingthepadoutdoorstogethimusedtogoing
outside.
5. Donotpunishyourpetforaccidents-thiscanbeveryfrighteningfor
themandgiveyouhugesetbacksintrainingthepup.Agentlevoice
withpositiveencouragementwillgoalongway.
Thesepuppypadsarenicebecauseovertime,youcangetridofthecrateidea.
Sincethepuppyhaslearnedhowtodotheirbusinessonthepuppypad,they
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willkeepthisinmind,whethertheyareinthehouseornot.Youcantake
themoutofthecrateandletthepuppyhaveabitmorefreedomwhileyouare
gone.Yousimplyleavethepadinacornerthat’sacceptableforthepuppy,and
theywillonlyrelievethemselveshereratherthanalloverthehouse.
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It’sAllAboutTimingSuccessfulhousebreakingisallabouttiming.Yourgoalistohaveyourpuppy
intherightplace(outside)attherighttime(whenheneedstogo);andavoid
havinghiminthewrongplace(inside)atthewrongtime(whenheneedsto
go).
Thiswillbemucheasierwhenyou’reabletopredictwhenyourpuppyneeds
togo.KeepFact2:PuppiesHaveLimitedBladder&BowelControl,inmind.
Usually,puppiesneedtopeerightafterwakingupfromanap,andpoop
withinacoupleofminutesofthat.Ifyoudon’twanttowaitaroundforyour
puppytowakeupanddohisbusiness,youcanwakehimupwhenyouare
readyandthetimeisright.
Anothercriticalelementoftimingisthatyouimmediatelyrewardyourpuppy
fordoingtherightthing(wecoveredthisinourTrainingWithBasics).When
yourpuppygoespottywhenandwhereyouwant,yourimmediateandlavish
rewards(praiseandyummytreats)willteachhimtorepeatthiscorrect
behavior.
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Anewpuppy(ordog)thatisnothousebrokenshouldberestrictedtooneof
thesethreesituationsatalltimes:
1. Insideunderyourconstantandattentivesupervision.
2. Outsidewithyou.
3. Confinedtohiscrate/den.
Situation3iswhereyourpuppyshouldspendmostofhistimeduringthe
housebreakingprocess.
DidyounoticethatwedidNOTincludeasituationwhereyouleaveyourdog
outsideallthetime?Manypeoplemistakenlythinkthatpuppieskeptoutside
willbelesstrouble—afterall,theywon’tbepeeingandpoopinginyourhouse,
andtheywon’tneedyourconstantsupervision,right?Buthereisthereality:
puppiesleftoutdoorsandunsupervisedforlongperiodsoftimeseldom
becomehousebroken.Theytendtobark,chew,dig,andescapefromyour
yard.Outdoorpuppiesalsobecomesoexcitedontherareoccasionswhen
theyareallowedindoors(excitedpuppiestendtopeewithoutwarning),that
eventuallytheyarenolongerallowedinsideatall.Wedon’twantthat.You
shouldn’twantthat.
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Here’showtohousebreakyourfour-leggedfriendoutside:
1. Determinewhereyouwantyourdogtogopotty.It’sbesttopicka
doggytoiletareathat’srelativelyclosetothedoor,soyouandyour
dogdon’thavetoofartogowhenhe’sgottago.Givethelocation
somethought,becauseafterhe’strained,yourdogwillcontinueto
usethisplaceashistoilet.Thisisconvenientforclean-uptime,
especiallyifyouhavealargeyard—andyourfamilywon’thavetobe
waryoflittle“landmines”whenplayingoutsideinthenon-doggy-
toiletareas.
2. Knowwhenyourpuppyneedstogo.Untilyourpuppyistrainedto
tellyouwhenheneedstogooutside(don’tworry,thatwill
eventuallyhappen),youhavetobeanexpertatdeducingthis.
Sometimesapuppywillneedtogowithin5minutesofgoing!Don’t
assumeyoudon’thavetowatchhimjustbecausehe’sjustgone
potty.
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Here’swhenyoushouldtakeapuppyouttogo:
• Immediatelyafterhewakesup.
• Immediatelyafterlettinghimoutofhiscrate/den.
• Every30to60minuteswhilehe’sawake,basedonhisage(seeFact
2).
• Afterheeatsordrinks.
• Whenhe’sbeendoingsomethingforawhile(likechewingonatoy),
andthengetsupandstartslookingaround.
• Whenhestartssniffingthefloor.
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• Whenhegoestoanareawherehe’sgonepottybefore.
• Whenhe’srunningaroundandexcitedmorethanusual.
• Whenhe’slookatorwanderingnearthedoor.
• Whenhe’spacing,whining,orstartstosquat(duh!).Note:Male
puppiessquattopeejustlikefemalepuppies(versusliftingaleg)
untiltheyare4-9monthsold.
3. Keepyourpuppyunderyourconstantandattentivesupervision,or
confinedtohiscrate,whenindoors.Itonlytakesacoupleofseconds
forapuppytosquatandpee,soyoumustwatchhimveryclosely.
Don’tstareathim(it’llmakehimnervous),butkeepaneyeonhimat
alltimeswhenhe’soutofhiscrate.Thiswillbeeasierifyoulimithis
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movements,eitherbykeepinghimonaleashorbyrestrictinghimto
oneortworooms.
Don’tthinkyoucanwatchTV,washthedishes,ordosomethingelseandstill
watchyourpuppy.Ifyoubecomedistractedorpreoccupied,accidentswill
happenandthiswillmakehousebreakingyourpuppyalonger,moredifficult
task.It’syourresponsibilitytotakehimoutsidewhenheneedstogo.
Accidentswillbeyourfault,notyourdogs.
4. Takeyourdogtohisdesignatedtoiletareaeveryhourorwhenever
heneedstogo(seeStep2),whicheverisless,andteachhimtogoon
command.
Everyhour,fillyourpocketwithtreats,releaseyourpupfromhiscrateand
quicklytakehimoutsidetothedesignatedtoiletarea.Encouragehimtogo
quicklybyenthusiasticallycalling“Outside,outside,outside!”(Ifyoutakeyour
time,hemaypeeorpoopenroute.Also,hurryinghimalongtendstojigglehis
bowelsandbladdersothathereallywantstogothemomentyoulethim
standstillandsniffhistoiletarea.)
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Takeyourdogouteveryhourevenifhe’soldenoughtoholditforlongerthan
that.Thispracticeisasmuchtotrainyourdog—intheshortesttime
possible—tousethedesignatedtoiletareaandgooncommandasitisfor
gettinghimoutsideintimetopeeorpoop!
Usealeash(evenifyouhaveafencedyard)toleadhimtothecorrectplace.
Thiswillalsogethimusedtogoingpottywhileontheleash.
Standquietly(don’tstareathim)andwaituntilhebeginstogo.(Ifhestaresat
youinsteadofdoinghisbusinessbecausehesmellstreatsinyourpocket,just
lookawayandpretendtoignorehim;eventuallyhe’llstartsniffingand
preparingtogo.)Whenhedoesstarttogo,quietly(soyoudon’tstartlehim)
say“gopotty.”(Youcanchooseanothercue.Makeitsomethingyouwouldn’t
mindsayinginpublic.Onceyoudecide,besurethatyouandyourfamilyuse
onlythisword/phrase,anduseiteverytimehegoes.)
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Afteryourdogisfinished,immediatelygivehimagenerousamountoftasty
treatsandlotsofenthusiasticpraise.Lavishrewardsmeanquickerresults!
Thesestepsareessential.Ifyoujustopenthedoorandletyourdogrunoutby
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himselftogopotty,thengivehimatreatwhenhecomesbacktothehouse,his
housebreakingwilltakelongerandbelesssuccessful.Yourdogwillthinkhe’s
gettingtherewardforcomingbacktothehouse(versusgoingpotty),and
you’llmisstheopportunitytotrainhimtogooncommand.
5. Spendtimeplayingwithortrainingyourpuppy,ortakehimfora
nicewalk(ifhe’soldenough).Ifyoutakehimoutsidetogo,andthen
quicklybringhimbackinandignorehimafterhedoesso,he’lllearn
that"afterIgo,myfunends!"Consequently,hemaybecome
reluctanttogopottywhenhe’soutside(andendupgoinginside
whenhecannolongerholdit).
Itismuchbettertopraiseyourpuppyforgoingpottyandthentakehimfora
walkasanextrarewardfora“jobwelldone.”Thisextrarewardwillalso
encouragehimtogopottymorequickly.
WhatIfHeDoesn'tGoPottyWhenYouTakeHimOutside?
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Ifyourpuppyenjoysthegreatoutdoorsbutdoesn’tgopottywithinafew
minutes,takehimbackinside,puthiminhiscrate,andtryagainin10
minutesorso.
Repeattheprocessuntilhedoesgo.Yourpuppywilllearnthatifhe
doesn’tgopottywhenyoutakehimoutsidetodoso,he’llbeconfinedto
hiscrateagain(nogo,nofreedom).Eventuallyhewillgointhe
appropriateplaceattheappropriatetime,andyouwillbeabletogive
himappropriaterewards!
Controlwhatgoesinsoyoucanpredictwhenitwillcomeout.
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Whatgoesintoapuppywillcomeoutwithpredictabletiming(dependingon
theageandsizeofyourdog).Feedingyourdogonasetschedulewillhelphim
togopottyonaregularschedule.Generally,apuppywillneedtogopotty
about15minutesaftereatingordrinking.Ifyouletyourdogeatanddrink
wheneverhewants,you’llbelessabletopredictwhenhe’llneedtogoout.
Feedyourpuppyatthesametimeeachday.Leavethefoodthereforten
minutesorso,thenpickitupandputitawayifhehasn’tfinishedit.Apuppy
youngerthanthreemonthsshouldbefedthreetimesaday;olderpuppiesand
dogsshouldbefedtwiceaday.
Donotleavewateroutalldayandnight;putitdownatregularintervalsand
payattentiontohowmuchhedrinks.Don’tlethimdrinkwaterafter7p.m.
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Feedingdryfoodisbetterthancannedfood,whichcontainsmoreliquid.
HandlingInevitableAccidentsIfyoufollowthestepsinthisreport,you’llhavefeweraccidents—butthey
willhappen.Expectthem.Don’tgetupsetatyourdogwhenanaccident
happens.Instead,trytodeterminewhyithappened.
Didyougetdistractedwhenyoushould’vebeenwatchinghim?Didyou
forgettotakehimoutattherighttime?Figureoutwhatyoudidwrong,soit
doesn’thappenagain.
Despitewhatmanypeoplebelieve,dogsdonotintentionallypeeorpoopin
yourhousebecausetheyareangry,lonely,orwantto“getbackatyou”for
something.Dogsdon’tthinkofpeeorpoopassomething“nasty”tobeused
outofspite.Andtheso-calledlookof“guilt”orcoweringin“shame”whenyou
scoldhimisactuallyyourdog’swayofshowingappeasementandsubmitting
toyourobviousanger.
Ifyoudonotactuallycatchyourpuppyintheact,donothing(exceptcleanit
up).
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Donot—repeat—donotrubhisnoseinit,hithim,yellathim,shakehim,or
punishhiminanyway.Dogsdon’tthinkabouttimethewayhumansdo.Your
dogwillnotunderstandthatyouareupsetaboutsomethingthathappenedin
thepast—evenifitwasjustaminuteortwoago.Hewillthinkhe’sintrouble
forwhateverhe’sdoingattheinstantyoudiscoverthemessandgoballistic…
whetherhe’shappilycominguptogreetyouorsittingquietly.
WhatIfYouDoCatchHiminTheAct?Ifyoucatchyourdogsquattingandabouttogopottyinsidethehouse,makea
sudden,surprisingsound—suchasslappingthewall—nottoscarehim,butto
gethisattentionsothathemomentarilystopswhathe’sdoing.Thenurgently
encourageyourpuppytorunoutsidewithyou.“Outside,outside,outside!”
Andfinally,rewardyourpuppylavishlyforgoingpottyintherightplace.
Inanycase,besuretocleanupallaccidentsquicklyandthoroughly.Youmust
eliminateanylingeringscentsoitdoesn’tinviteyourpuppybackforarepeat
performance.
HowLongBeforeHe’sHousebroken?Whencanyousafelystartleavingyourpuppyordogaloneinthehousefora
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while?Itdependsonmanythings,includinghisage,sizeand—most
importantly—yourdiligenceintraininghim!
Ingeneral,ifyoufollowthesehousebreakingguidelines,yourdogshouldbe
makinggoodprogresswithintwomonths.
Butsomedogslearnquicklywhileotherstakemoretime.Graduallyincrease
theamountoftimeyouallowyourpuppytobeindoors,outofthecrate,and
monitorhisprogress.
Adultdogsgenerallyneedtogooutatleastonceeveryfourhours—firstthing
inthemorning,aroundmidday,lateintheafternoon,andbeforegoingto
sleepforthenight.
Ifyoucan’tgetbehometoletyourpuppyordogoutoftenenough,consider
hiringapetsitter.
Expectaccidentsandsetbacks;they’renormal.Continuefollowingtheabove
stepsandbepatient.
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BeAlertforSpecialCircumstancesThereareafewreasonswhyitmightbeparticularlydifficulttohousebreaka
dog.
Dogswhowereraisedinpuppymillsorpetstores,orwhowereregularly
confinedwithouttheopportunitytogopottyawayfromtheirsleepingarea,
willtakelongertohousebreakandrequiremorepatienceandunderstanding
fromyou.
Suddenchangesindogfoodbrandsoroverindulgenceintreatsortablescraps
cancausediarrhea.
Theremaybephysicalreasons,suchasaurinaryinfection.Besuretogetyour
dogcheckedthoroughlybyyourvet.
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AdvancedHousebreakingTips
UsingaClickerAsadogowner,youshouldbefamiliarwiththeclicker.Aclickeriswonderful
notjustforhousetraining,butalsoforallmannersofobediencetraining.Not
bad,consideringit’sjustasmalldevicethatyouholdinyourhandtomakea
sharpclickingorcrackingsound.
Herearesometipstohelpyoulearnhowtousethistoolproperly:
Youuseaclickerwithafoodtreat.Thisismandatory.Youpressittomakea
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singleclick,andthenyoualwayspairitwithafoodtreat.Justtheclicking
aloneisn’tenough,anditwillonlydisappointyourwhenherealizesthere’sno
treatforhim.Remember,whenitcomestohousetraining,consistencyiskey.
Youusetheclickerasasortofsignaltoindicatewhichactionisbeing
rewarded.Youpresstheclickerwhenhedoeshisbusinessinthedesignated
area,andthenyougivehimhistreat.Whenthathappens,hewilllearnwhich
actisbeingrewarded.
Youcanuseitforothertraininggoalsasidefrompottytraining.Forexample,
youcanrewardbehaviors,suchas:
Whenhelooksatyoueverytimeyoucallhisname.Thisisarewardforhim
whenherecognizeshisname.Itwillmakeiteasierwhenyoucallhim.
Whenheactuallysitswhenyousay“sit”.Sometimespupscanberowdy,and
theirbreathingmaynotbeabletohandlealltheactivity.Youcanthenteach
himtojustsitdownandrelax.
Whenyouteachhimtoget“down”.Youjustclickattheprecisemomenthis
elbowshitthefloor.Thisisanotherrestexerciseforyourpup.
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Whenhedropsorgivesanitemhehasinhismouth.Thiscanevensavehim
fromdistresswhenhehassomethinginhismouththatcanchokehim.Andit
savesyoufromdistresswhenhehasyourfavoriteshoeinhismouth.
Whenheentershiscrate.Theuseofacratecanalsohelphimrelax,anditalso
helpswithhousetraining.
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Whenhestopswhiningorbarking.Thisisthesortofbehaviorwhichmustbe
discouraged.Thebestwaytodothatisnotthroughpunishment,butby
immediatelyrewardingthepupwhenhestopsdoingit.
Whenheusesthepuppypads.Rightwhenheusesthepadsforhisbusiness,
clickandimmediatelyrewardhimforproperhousebreaking.
Nowtheuseoftheclickerisnotpermanent.Youcanphaseouttheuseofa
clicker,butthismustbedoneverygradually.Maybeyoucanclick90%ofthe
timewhenyouarehappywithhimbecauseofwhathe’sdone.Thenyoucan
reducethefrequencyastimegoesby.Soonerorlater,hewilldohisbusiness
inthedesignatedareabecausehewantstokeepyouhappy,andbecausehe’s
usedtoit.It’snowahabitforhim,andhedoesitwithorwithoutaclickerora
treat.
Basically,theclickerisanothersignalofaffection.It’slikecuddlingorthe
treatsyougivehimwhenyourpetdoessomethingright.Buttheclick
indicatesexactlywhatbehaviorisbeingrewarded,becauseyouclickitatthe
precisemomenthedoeswhatyouwant.Itallowshimtofocusonthe
particularactyouaretryingtorewardandreinforce.
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UsePositiveReinforcementDogsareverysensitivetohumanemotions.Youshouldnevershoutatyour
puppy.Angerandshoutingcanbequitetraumatictoalittlepup.Intheend,
youareonlyteachingyourpuppytofearyou.
Remember that soiling and peeing are but natural bodily functions. Your
pup should never associate any negative emotions with these natural
functions. Instead of getting angry, take the time to calm yourself. And
instead of shouting, speak in an assertive manner. That way the puppy will
recognize that you are the authority in the pack. The little fella will then
learn to respect your rank.
Since you have shown your pup that you don’t like the mess, you should
clean it up and bring your pup to your chosen relieving area. Right then and
there allow your pup to pee or defecate. When they do as they should then
give them praise. You can even give your puppy a treat to reinforce the idea
that relieving themselves in that place is the right thing to do.
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HousebreakingisJustaMatterofRoutine
Taketimetoobserveyourpup.Duringhousebreaking,findouthowlongit
takesforthelittlefurryfellatodigestthefoodanddrinkandthenbereadyto
relievehimself.Ifyouuseacrate,youwillknowthathewantstogooutto
pottywhenhepawsaround,sniffstheground,whines,andturnsaroundasif
lookingforsomething.
Ifyouseethesebehaviorsthentakeyourpupouttotherelievingareaandlet
himdohisbusinessthere.Ifitwasonlyafalsealarm,thenbringyourpuppy
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backintothecrate.Thatwillhelphimrememberthatwhenit’scratetime,the
onlytimehewillgooutistowhenhehastopeeorwhenhehastodefecate.
Thegoodnewsisthatpuppiescatchontheroutineonewayoranother.You
justneedtobeconsistentandpatientwiththewayyoutreatyourpup.Every
timeyouhaveasuccessfultripoutside,youshouldcelebrateit.Praiseyour
pup,pathim,andplaywithhim.Giveawayatreatifyoustillhavesome.
Otherthanpeeingandpooptimeaftermealhours,notethatsomepuppies
needtogoeveryhouroreverytwohours.Well,thatwillbethecasefor
youngerpups.Olderpupscanholdontoitalotlongerandtheytendtobe
moredisciplined.
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WatchYourEnergyLevels
Astressedpupcanalsobeveryhardtotrainandcontrol.CesarMilan,also
knownastheDogWhisperer,hassaidatonetimethatdogsarealsosensitive
totheirowner’senergylevels.Yourpuppywillsenseifyouarerushing.Itwill
alsosenseifyouarenervous.Itcandefinitelysenseyourimpatience.
Thatmeansyoureallyhavetomindthetoneofyourvoicewhenyougiveyour
commands.Cesarsaysthatasqueakytoneorevenaloudtoneofvoicecan
stressoutyourpuppy,andthatwillmakehousebreakingalotmoredifficult
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thanitshouldbe.
MakeYourPupFeelSafeandLovedAstressedpupwillbeverydifficulttotrain.However,ifitfeelsthatits
environmentissafeandthatheissurroundedbycaringandlovingpeople,
thenitwon’tfeelanystress.Everythingwillfeelrelaxed–everythingisokay,
andit’ssafe.Thiswillalsostrengthenthebondbetweenyouandyourpup.
Thatiswhythefirstchapterofthisbookdealtwithpuppy-proofingyourhome.Thesaferyourhomefeelsforyourpuppy,thebetterandeasieritwill
betotrainhim.
The6TimeRuleOnaverage,yourpupneedstorelievehimselfatleast6timeseachday.That’s
theaveragenumberoftripstotherelievingareathatyouwillhavetomake.It
takespatiencebutitwillbebetterforyouandyourdoginthelongrun.You
cancounteachdayhowmanytimesyouhavetakenyourpupoutside.That
wayyoucantimeeachtripandestimatejusthowmanytripsyoustillneedto
make.
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ChewingandUncontrolledPeeingPupswillchewonanything.Keepimportantthingsawayfromhisreach.Try
topayattentiontotheenergylevelyou’reshowingyourpupespeciallywhen
youstartyourday.Mostpeopleshowalotofaffectionwhentheyseetheir
puppy.
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Thatisamistakeespeciallywhenyou’rehousebreakingyourpup.Thatisnot
whatitsmomwoulddoifshewasraisingthepup.Themommydogwould
showcalmassertiveness–andyoushouldtoo.
So,whenshouldyoushowaffectionforyourdog?Theanswerisafterthepup
hashadsomeexerciseandafterthepuphasshownashredofdiscipline.It’s
thepackorderofthings.Showingexcitedaffectionfirstthinginthemorning
willonlyencourageyourpuptowetthemselvesexcitedly.
Notethattheremayalsobeamedicalissueathandwhenyourpuppees
uncontrollably.Ifthetipabovedoesn’twork,takeyourpuptothevettorule
outanypossibleillness.
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ConclusionIfyou’rehousebreakingapuppy,rememberhedoesn’tknowanythingyet.If
you’rehousebreakinganadultdog,theremaybesomeoldhabitshehasto
“unlearn”first.Bepatient,beconsistent,andbeencouraging.Afewweeksof
dedicatedeffortonyourpartwillresultinalifetimeofcleanfloorsanda
beautifulrelationshipwithyourdog.
Thanksforpurchasingthisbook!Wegreatlyappreciateitaswetookourtime
toputthisawesomeguidetohelphousebreakyourpup.
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