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Maran Illustrated Dog Training

Only Dog Training Book You Will Ever Need

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How to Crate Train Your Dog

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How to Teach Your Dog to Walk on a Leash and Stop Pulling

How to Housetrain Your Dog

Housetraining means teaching a dog or puppy to associate the urge to relieve himself with going outside. Once trained, he’ll know to relieve himself only during outdoor potty breaks. Without training, dogs have no way of knowing that they shouldn’t relieve themselves inside, which makes housetraining essential for all new owners of dogs or puppies. Even if you get an adult dog who was housetrained in the past, it helps to go through the process again to ensure that his prior training carries over to his new home environment.

How Not to Housetrain Your Dog

Many new dog and puppy owners assume that housetraining involves punishing or reprimanding the dog when he goes to the bathroom inside, then bringing him outside to show him where to go next time. This approach doesn’t work: dogs do not learn retroactively or through negative reinforcement—they must be rewarded at the moment they do the right thing. That way, your dog will repeat the desired behavior—waiting until he’s outside to go—in anticipation of receiving a reward.

A Five-Step Housetraining Method

To follow the housetraining method outlined here, you’ll need a few treats, a leash, and a clicker. It’s best to begin housetraining right after crate training. You can do the two simultaneously, in which case you’d use a pen to confine your dog when necessary, as shown in the following steps.

Between potty breaks, when you can’t keep a watchful eye on your dog, keep him in a crate or an exercise pen.
Look for signs that your dog needs to go, such as sniffing the ground, circling, or scratching the floor. Then put his leash on him and head outside to the potty area. The potty area should be a single spot in your yard (or whatever outdoor area you’re using) that you visit every time your dog needs to relieve himself. Also be consistent in the route that you use to take your dog outside. Following the same route and routine helps reinforce the idea that the potty area should be the only place where your dog goes to the bathroom.
In a calm, friendly voice, use the same command to tell your dog to go. For example, if you say “go potty,” you’ll need to use that command every time you take your dog outside to relieve himself.
Wait for your dog to go, then reward him with a click, a treat, and plenty of verbal praise before bringing him back inside. If he doesn’t go, bring him inside, put him back in his crate for 10 minutes, and then try again.
If you catch your dog relieving himself inside, don’t reprimand him or try to drag him outside quickly. Instead, keep following steps 1–4 above until he begins to associate the outdoors with going to the bathroom (and getting rewards). If he does make a mess inside, be sure to clean the area thoroughly right away, because lingering odors will trigger your dog’s instinct to relieve himself in the same spot next time.

The entire housetraining process usually takes about 2–3 weeks. Even after housetraining, don’t expect your dog’s bathroom habits to be 100% perfect—the occasional accident is inevitable. If you notice that your dog is suddenly relieving himself indoors consistently, it could be a sign of illness, which means you should call the vet.

Adding a Bell Signal to Your Housetraining Routine

If you fail to see the signs that your dog needs to go to the bathroom, he has no choice but to do it inside. If you find it inconvenient or difficult to be on constant lookout for signs that your dog needs to go, consider giving him a “voice” by adding a bell to your routine. When the dog needs to go, he’ll ring the bell to alert you. Though this might sound too good to be true, it’s one of the easiest dog behaviors to train.

Attach a bell to a piece of heavy string or rope, and tie the string around the doorknob of the door through which you usually leave to take your dog out. Some pet stores sell housetraining bells, though any bell to which you can attach a string or rope will do. The bell should have enough space to dangle and ring.
Spread on the bell a little bit of something that your dog loves—a bit of ice cream or peanut butter usually does the trick—and bring your dog near the bell.
When your dog begins enjoying the treat and ringing the bell, give him one of his regular treats, click your clicker, and say “outside” (or any other word that you haven’t yet used in your training).
Take your dog to the potty area, give him the “go potty” command, and give him a click and a treat after he goes.
Repeat these steps, gradually reducing the amount of the treat you put on the bell. With repetition, your dog will begin to associate ringing the bell with having to go to the bathroom, and you won’t need to offer any treat on the bell. From that point on, your dog will ring it whenever he needs to go outside.

Housetraining vs. Paper Training

Paper training is the process of training a puppy to relieve himself on a piece of newspaper or another absorbent surface. New puppy owners often make the mistake of assuming that paper training is a step toward housetraining, when in fact the two are totally different. Paper training is useful mainly for people, such as the elderly or disabled, who cannot take their puppies or dogs outside often.

If you’re like most dog owners and plan to have your dog relieve himself outside only, it’s best to avoid paper training altogether in favor of housetraining. Trying to train your puppy to relieve himself on paper and then training him to go only outside will most likely lead to confusion for your dog and frustration for you.

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