The main problem with housetraining a dog is encouraging him to eliminate where you want and when you want. If you fail to house-train your pet, you’ll end up with a house, furniture, and furniture that smells like a doggy potty. This is not pleasant for you or your dog. Remember that dogs, by nature, are a neat animal. They do not like to use their living space as a potty. Very young pups instinctively know to defecate only outside of their living space.

Training should start when you first bring your puppy home. Try a box or basket covered with newspaper and plastic wrap. The “puppy pads” that are now available really work well, especially if they are properly scented. The training area can be as simple as several sheets of newspaper on the floor away from the living space. When we brought our 3-year-old Yorkie home from the Puppy Rescue League, he was very nervous around us. We didn’t know what to look for when he wanted to go. As a result, he made a couple of mistakes. We soon learned that when he wanted to go out he would get nervous and come up to my wife and hit her leg with his nose. Since we observed this and acted when he indicated that he had to go he has made no mistakes in the house. The best way to learn dog signals from him is through careful observation. If he observes a particular behavior just before he leaves, he will interrupt his pattern and take him outside. This will pay off greatly in the long run. Remember to give him lots of praise when he does it outside. A smart pup will soon get what you want him to do. Even adult dogs will eventually learn to go outside, even if they have not been trained to do so in the past.

If your dog makes a mistake and goes inside, you’ll need to get rid of the scent. There are many products on the market that are specifically designed to do this. Check with your local pet dealer. If you can’t get rid of the scent, your dog will want to defect again in the same area. It’s just his nature.

While house training a dog, you need to be vigilant about the cleanliness and hygiene of the environment. This will help prevent infections or other health related problems. If you need additional information, it can be found at www.House-Training-A-Dog.net.