Housebreaking tips for new puppies

PUPPIES are adorable but require a lot of attention so here are some tips to help with housebreaking your puppy. 

Feed your puppy a superior brand of dry puppy food. Don’t give him scraps or change brands and avoid tinned food as it loosens stools making housebreaking more difficult.

An hour after eating, most puppies will defecate so you can control the time based on your feeding schedule.

In order to housebreak your puppy supervise him closely at all times, especially when outside his crate or newspaper covered area. When he starts sniffing the floor, circling or running around, he’s giving signs so bring him immediately to your designated area.

 If your puppy defecates in the wrong place, stop him by saying NO in a loud assertive tone. Apply deodoriser so he will not go there again. Potty place must be free of distractions: your pup must not consider play a part of potty.

When your puppy is left home alone it’s recommended he’s placed in a crate or confined area. Confinement is good to keep your puppy safe and prevent housetraining accidents but it should not be used as a form of punishment.

In a puppy’s daily life, there is a thing called temporary ‘Safety Zone.’ It’s the time owners can trust the puppy to hold his urine after he has defecated or was taken for a walk.

To know your puppy’s safety zone, you should record for several days your puppy’s urinating and defecating schedules then deduct 15-30 minutes from the period of minimum interval between elimination. Don’t let puppy drink a lot of water during that time to make the safety zone work. Grey zone and danger zone are those outside this safety zone.

Don’t return from a walk until your puppy defecates. Before your puppy has the chance to soil on his crate or your floor, make sure to take him outside first thing in the morning. 

Puppies treasure company like humans do. It is vital that your puppy gets to interact with lots of friendly people. Family or friends can visit your home if your puppy is not immunised yet. However, if your puppy already has the necessary vaccines, it is a must to let him interact with the outside world. Every good deed must come with a reward especially for puppies. If your puppy feels that you are satisfied with his good behaviour, then he will feel happy too.