Neuter or Spay

If you are not planning to enter your dog in conformation competition, neutering or spaying helps ensure successful housetraining.

Neutered males still lift their legs, but are less inclined to mark their territory. They are also less prone to certain cancers and prostate problems that can lead to accidents in older dogs.

Unspayed females ovulate twice a year, on average.

For several weeks before and during the heat cycle they are more prone to mark territory. They are also more vulnerable to bladder problems that can lead to accidents.

Teaching your puppy to eliminate indoors on newspaper does not lead to success in housetraining.

Dogs are place oriented, and once taught to go in a particular place on a particular surface will continue to do so.

Careless newspaper readers are liable to reach for a section they left on the floor only to find it has been used by the family dog.

If you must confine your puppy for more than six or eight hours at a time, or if you live in an apartment with a small dog, consider using a “litter box” for your dog.

A plastic under-the-bed storage container, lid removed, filled with bark mulch will serve this purpose very well.

The mulch absorbs urine odors, and smells and feels like “outside.”

You can confine your puppy in a small room, such as a bathroom, with a baby gate, giving him enough room for a comfy bed, his water dish, and his mulch box.