The Bane of All Dog Owners...... POTTYTRAINING

Housebreaking is a tedious job that takes constant supervision. That phrase is the basis of the entire housebreaking experience: constant supervision. Even when you are at your most frustrated, remember these key points:

Puppies have to go potty after they finish eating, sleeping, playing and drinking. As you can see, puppies have to go potty after any change in activity at all.

If you cannot keep your puppy under constant supervision, this might be a good time for you to try a crate.

Male puppies will be housebroken, but you will probably find they are starting to pee in the house again at around six months of age. This is his puberty, and it is not an accident. He is claiming everything around him as his. You must train your dog to understand that it does not belong to him, it belongs to you. I am not recommending that you pee on your possessions first. When I catch my boys trying to claim things in the house, I literally shout NO and look him in the eyes and say No, this is MINE;. It seems silly but it works (probably the NO part works better than the rest...but you gotta do what you gotta do.)

Important: unless you catch your puppy IN THE ACT of going potty, you cannot punish your dog. Puppies (and older dogs too) will not link the punishment with the crime, hence the need for constant supervision. If you punish them without catching them in the act, they will NOT know why they are being punished and will be less likely to respond when you call them after punishment.

If you are having continuing issues in housebreaking with your puppy, consider having your pup checked for medical issues. Even minor medical issues can interfere with his ability to hold his potty, and could actually be the cause of the problem.

As a final tip based on all my years of experience: always keep Simple Solution (an enzyme based cleaning product) in your house. I believe so strongly in this product that I include coupons in every puppy pack. Simple Solution uses enzymes to kill bacteria and makes sure that your puppy is not attracted back to the same spot. After years of use, I can truly say that this works better than anything else I have tried. If you cannot afford to purchase Simple Solution, another hint/trick is that hydrogen peroxide will also break down enzymes (however the possibility of damage to your belongings is much higher with hydrogen peroxide, so use it at your own discretion).