HOUSEBREAKING

It is a myth that small dogs are more difficult to housebreak than their larger counterparts, completely untrue.  But... it IS true that more small dogs are not housebroken, this is not because they any more difficult to train, but because people tend to baby them, they are afraid to be stern and discipline them, plain and simple.  You must discipline your 8 lb.dog just as you would an 80 lb. dog.  I cannot stress this enough! Housebreaking is really not that difficult, it is a lot of work at first, but if you do it correctly in the first place, you will only have to do it once.  The first thing you will need is a crate.  The crate will encourage the puppy to hold it until let out, as dogs do not like to eliminate where they sleep.  The puppy should be in the crate at all times when not supervised until COMPLETELY HOUSEBROKEN.  The crate needs to be only large enough for the puppy to lay down comfortably.  I suggest the Midwest iCrate. It is affordable, and comes with a divider that you can move back as the puppy grows.  CLICK HERE TO VIEW MIDWEST CRATES You can purchase them at PetsMart, Petco, and most other pet stores.  It is really quite simple.  Until your pup is housebroken, it should be in one of five situations: 1) In a crate 2) In your arms/on your lap 3) outside 4) on a leash (it is a good idea to have the dog on a leash even in the house for the first few weeks, so you can be sure he/she is not sneaking behind the couch to leave you a present. 5) directly in your vision, meaning, you are with the pup and not taking your eyes off it. By doing this, you create a situation where the dog is never able to go potty in the house without being caught, reprimanded, taken to the proper spot, then praised when they finish the job where they are supposed to.  You will learn to recognize the signs when the pup is thinking of going.  They will usually sniff the floor and zig-zag before peeing and sniff the floor then walk in circles before pooping.  When you catch your dog getting ready to go in the house yell "NO" very loudly, at this point they will usually just kind of freeze up.  Scoop them up, take them to the place you want them to go.  Be patient, they are going to need a while to get their head back in the game.  As soon as they go potty in the desired location, give them a treat and SHOWER them with praise and affection.  Seriously, it is that easy. You pup will almost always have to go potty as soon as it wakes up.  When you get the pup out of the crate, weather it be in the morning after a full nights sleep, or after the afternoon nap, CARRY them out to the spot you want them to go.  Do not let the pup walk, it will most surely just go on the floor as soon as it leaves the crate. Feed your pup on a regular schedule, weather it be two or three meals a day, this will help it go potty on a regular schedule.  Pull up food and water 2 hours prior to bed (when the pup is put into the crate for the night).  Last person in the house to bed should take the pup out one last time, then settle it into the crate.  First person up should take it out ASAP.  If your pu is very young, say 8-10 weeks, then it really may not have the capacity to hold it for a full 8 hours at night.  Don't get mad and reprimand your puppy for going in the crate.  If they go in the crate, it means they REALLY could not hold it.  By 12 weeks, it is not unreasonable to assume they can go 8 hours without going potty.  If you follow these directions, it should only take about 2 weeks to have your pup completely housebroken.  It is just like raising a child, consistency and discipline are all you need.