Dog Training Housebreaking Tips Continued

Get dog housetraining methods and practice with your pooch.

See also dog housetraining tips and dog housetraining issues

Want more tips on housebreaking your dog?  Read on for the next of dog training housebreaking tips. 

The second part of housebreaking your dog is to associate a word to the desired dog housetraining behavior. 

When you’re outside and your dog picks a spot and goes to the bathroom, you will want to say something so he can associate that behavior to a word.

Pick any word you’d like to use for your dog to potty on command. We suggest that it be a word that you don’t use for anything else and also a word that you won’t be embarrassed saying in front of others. For lack of better words, “potty”, “make” or “pee-pee” will work just fine.

You can use the same term for both dog housetraining behaviors. Associating your dog’s bathroom activity to a specific word will help you tremendously.

We cannot tell you how many times we’ve been on a car trip or stuck in a thunderstorm where this training tip has come in handy. Using a word for your dog’s bathroom activity is also helpful if you have a dog who likes to smell every single tree before he eliminates on one of them.

Here's how to do housebreaking training with your dog 

1.       While your dog is in the process of eliminating, say the potty word several times. *This links the potty word with his elimination.

2.       When he is done, move on to praising your dog (See Praise.)  

3.       Keep using the word whenever your dog is in the process of going to the bathroom.  

4.       Over time, your dog will associate that word with the action of eliminating. 

5.       Then, you will be able to command your dog to potty whenever you’re outside and the opportunity arises.  

Praise the Desired Housetraining Behavior

After your dog has eliminated outside, you need to praise him like crazy. Give him kind words, cuddles and treats. Keep in mind that your reaction to his behavior is going to teach him that it is good to go outside. Give him enough encouragement and he’ll know that going outside is the best thing he can do. When you got a dog, you probably never thought you’d be getting so excited over a pile of dog poo outside, but doing so will help your dog to learn what you want him to do and where you want him to do it.

Continue to praise your dog whenever he eliminates in the proper place. Do this until he is completely housebroken.