For those looking for tips on house training and housebreaking a dog, here is a complete beginners dog training guide to it! Housebreaking a dog is not difficult. It does, however, take time and commitment.
The sooner you decide that you are going to have an indoor dog the better. Many people don't decide this right away and as a result they start trying to train an outdoor dog to be an indoor dog too late.
If you're reading this and have barely had your dog with you, then this is great. You can easily change their habits. Older dogs, however, that have lived outside their entire lives are much more difficult to housebreak.
I had an outdoor dog that was in the back yard for ten years. Then my mother (I was a kid at the time) decided she was going to train him to be an indoor dog. She didn't realize that house training and housebreaking a dog that is well established in his ways is hard. Very hard. I think she quit not because the task was impossible but because the task required lots of commitment.
The same holds true if you're trying to train an older dog established in his or her ways. It's not impossible but it is more difficult than learning how to housebreak a puppy.
Deciding What is Okay and What Isn't
The first step in housebreaking a dog is deciding what your limits are for the house. Will you only allow your dog to live downstairs in a two-story house? Will you want them to stay out of certain rooms and sleep in another room?
All of these questions need answering as you are going to use these needs and create a training plan out of them.
Puppy obedience training - Getting them to Listen
House training a dog is a multiple step process. It isn't like just teaching your dog one trick. There are many layers to the process. The first step is to get them to listen to you when you want.
A good way to do this is to first teach them how to sit and the powerful word "no". If you haven't trained your pet these two commands, get started! They will be used for the rest of your pups live!
Here Is a General List of Training Requirements for Having an Indoor Dog:
1. Your pet must be potty trained
Having an indoor dog that poops on the carpet is not an option unless you enjoy cleaning the carpet multiple times a day and having it stained in every spot possible! Dog potty training is not hard, but does take some time.
2. Getting them to avoid the trash can
Many dogs love raiding the trash can. Training them to avoid it and understand that it's bad to be around there is a must unless you want your garbage knocked over and torn through every day.
3. Training Them to Have Kitchen Etiquette
Untrained dogs jump onto tables or put their paws on the top and look to see if there's any food on there. This is poor manners and since you're eating on the table, kind of gross as well.
4. No Chewing
Indoor dogs can tend to have chewing problems especially if they're puppies. You'll definitely want to make sure your indoor dog doesn't chew everything up
5. Completely Remove All Dog Aggression
Having an aggressive dog that lives indoors is a completely unacceptable thing. If your dog has aggression problems, fix those before letting him or her be indoor.
6. Get Your Dog Friendly With Other Indoor Pets
If you already have indoor dogs then there is another level of house training necessary
Quite a Lot, Isn't It?
There is quite a lot to be done in order to house train a dog successfully. The key is to take it one step at a time. I recommend starting with housebreaking a dog as nobody likes cleaning up feces or pee. It's also the most destructive to your house.
