Things You'll Need
- Leash
- Collar
- Treats
- Enzymatic stain remover
- Cloths
- Crate
Instructions
Leash and Outdoor Elimination
Closely supervise your new dog or puppy at all times for the first few days it comes home. Take your dog outside on a leash as frequently as you can and wait until it eliminates outdoors. Be proactive, and don't wait until it looks like it is about to urinate in the house. Keep your dog on a strict schedule. Take your dog to the same spot each time.
Take puppies out immediately after eating, waking from a nap, playing or drinking water. Pace with your puppy and encourage it to "Go Potty" back and forth. Teach it to understand that elimination is the first order of business out the door, and longer walks will come after it goes potty.
Praise your dog as soon as it goes potty. Take a small treat with you and offer it immediately after the dog has eliminated. Show your enthusiasm and approval with a happy tone to your voice so that it will associate the praise with the potty. Be consistent with getting the dog to potty in the spot and with the praise.
Clean up any accidents with an enzymatic pet stain remover to remove odor that may encourage your dog to potty there again. Follow manufacturer's recommendations for application directions. Keep the dog away from that area until the carpet is dry.
Continue to watch and closely supervise your dog until it can hold its bladder for several hours.
Crate Training
If you adopt a dog that has a crate or can borrow a crate large enough for the dog to turn around and stand in, you can crate train a dog for free, too. Place the crate in a kitchen or centrally-located area, not in a basement or place you can not see it. Keep the crate in your bedroom at night if possible.
Begin by gently placing the dog in the crate for short periods of time. Take it to go potty outside. After play time, crate it for a nap. Every hour, or longer as the dog ages, take it out to potty. Increase the time it stays in the crate. Use this method to prevent accidents and reward positive behavior with a lot of praise. Make sure every interaction with the dog and the crate is a pleasant one.
Keep the dog in the crate when it must be alone, for up to three or four hours. You must prevent your dog from making mistakes in the crate, or else it will continue to mess in the crate.
Paper Training
Paper training is most commonly used with puppies but can be effective with adult dogs, as well. Select a room in which to paper train your puppy, such as a bathroom or laundry room, preferably with tile or vinyl flooring. Place many layers of newspaper in one corner of the room.
Say "papers" and take your puppy to the newspapers. Praise it immediately when it eliminates on the paper. Make this a regular schedule in the morning, after napping, playing, and before bed at night. Be consistent on the times.
Remove soiled papers, and replace with free sheets. Clean underneath the pile of papers daily.
Reduce the papered area after one or two weeks, allowing it to have unpapered surfaces so it knows the difference between paper and floor.
Restrict your puppy to the papered area of the floor by erecting barriers, if necessary, if the room is too big. Keep your puppy confined to the papered area unless it is sleeping, eating, or being having supervised playtime.