Christos Varsamis

House training is one of the most important parts of training
any dog to be a valued part of the family. As with many other
aspects of dog training, the best way to house train a dog is to
use the dog's own nature to your benefit. The great thing about
dogs, and the thing that can make house training much easier, is
that dogs are instinctively very clean animals. Dogs would
rather not soil the areas where they sleep and eat. In addition,
dogs are very good at developing habits regarding where they
like to urinate and defecate. For example, dogs that are used to
eliminating on concrete or gravel will prefer to eliminate there
rather than on grass or dirt. It is possible to use these
natural canine habits when house training your dog. Setting up
the training area The first step in house training your dog is
to set up your training area. A small, confined space such as a
bathroom, or part of a kitchen or garage, works best as a
training area. This method of training differs from crate
training. Crate training is great for puppies and small dogs,
but many larger dogs find a crate too confining.



It is important for the owner to spend as much time in the
training area with his or her dog as possible. It is important
for the owner to play with the dog in the training area, and to
let the dog eat and sleep in that area. The dog should be
provided with a special bed in the training area, anything from
a store bought bed to a large towel to a large box. At first,
the dog may eliminate in this area, but once the dog has
recognized it as his or her own space, he or she will be
reluctant to soil it.



After the dog has gotten used to sleeping in the bed, the owner
can move it around the house, relocating it from room to room.
When you are not with your dog, the dog should be confined to
the training area.



Setting up the toilet area The second part of house training is
to set up the toilet area for the dog. It is important for the
dog to have access to this place every time he or she needs to
eliminate. It is also important for the owner to accompany the
dog each time until he or she gets into the habit of eliminating
in the toilet area. This will ensure that the dog uses only the
established toilet area.



A set feeding schedule makes the house training process a lot
easier for both the owner and the dog. Feeding the dog on a
regular basis will also create a regular schedule for the dog's
toilet habits. Once you know when your dog is likely to need to
eliminate, it will be simple to guide the dog to the established
toilet area.



Once the dog has established a toilet area and is using it on a
regular basis, it is very important to not confine the dog
without access to the toilet area for long periods of time. That
is because if the dog is unable to hold it, he or she may be
forced to eliminate in the training area. This habit can make
house training much more difficult.



Continuing the house training process After the dog is
consistently eliminating in the toilet area and not soiling the
training area, it is time to extend that training area to the
rest of the home. This process should be done slowly, starting
with one room and slowly expanding to the rest of the house. The
area should only be extended once you are sure of the dog's
ability to control its bladder and bowels.



When you first expand the training area to a single room, let
the dog eat, play and sleep in that room, but only when
supervised. When it is not possible to supervise the dog, place
it back in the original training area. Then, after the dog has
accepted the room as an extension of the original training area,
the area can be extended.



Speeding up the process If this process is too lengthy for your
needs, it can be speeded up, but it is important to proceed
cautiously. It is easier to take your time up front than to
retrain a problem dog later. One way to successfully speed up
house training is to praise and reward the dog each and every
time it uses the established toilet area. It is also important
not to punish the dog for mistakes. Punishment will only confuse
the dog and slow down the house training process.



About the author:


Christos Varsamis is a Marketing Consultant. Sign for your Free
15 day Success E-course at http://www.settinglifegoals.com . Get
your Free E-courses "How to Create Minisites That Make Money in
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