Housebreaking Confidence - Bulldogology...5 Training With The Basics If you have a young puppy, we...

HousebreakingConfidence

TheStressFreeGuidetoHousebreakingYourDogWithout

TheHeadaches

-SecondEdition-

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BulldogologyPetSolutionsCopyright2016AllRightsReserved

www.bulldogology.net

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TableofContentsTrainingWithTheBasics....................................................................................5

Rewards.............................................................................................................7

FoodTreats........................................................................................................7

Non-EdibleRewards...........................................................................................8

TheBestReward................................................................................................8

Timing................................................................................................................9

PrimaryandSecondaryReinforcements...........................................................11

ConsistencyisKey............................................................................................13

TreatsWon’tBeNeededForever.....................................................................15

HousebreakingBreakthroughs.........................................................................16

FiveFactsBeforeHousebreaking......................................................................17

YourDogCommonScents................................................................................21

CrateTraining..................................................................................................23

PuppyPadTraining..........................................................................................28

It’sAllAboutTiming.........................................................................................30

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HandlingInevitableAccidents..........................................................................39

BeAlertforSpecialCircumstances...................................................................42

AdvancedHousebreakingTips.........................................................................43

Conclusion.......................................................................................................51

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TrainingWithTheBasicsIfyouhaveayoungpuppy,werecommendthatyouwaituntilhe’satleast8

weeksoldtobeginformaltraining.

Beforeyoubegintheformaltraininglessonswithadogofanyage,pleaseplan

tofollowthesekeystosuccess:

• BePatient.Eachdogisunique,andcanonlylearnathisownpace.

Somedogslearnquickly;otherstakemoretime.Patienceisindeeda

virtuewhenitcomestoeffectivedogtraining!

• BeKind.Thisgoeshand-in-pawwith“Bepatient.”Don’tloseyour

temperifyourdogdoesn’t“getit”rightaway,orappearstobeignoring

you.Pleasedonotpunishyourdogfornotlearningquicklyenough.Asa

matteroffact,don’tpunishyourdogatall.(We’llbeteachingyou

effectivewaystostoporpreventinappropriatebehavior—without

punishment.)

• BeFlexible.Ifyourdogisstrugglingtolearn,bewillingtochange

yourtrainingroutine.Thelocationmaybetoodistracting.Thetimeof

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daymaybetooclose(orfarfrom)feedingtime.Thelengthofyour

trainingsessionmaybetoolong(ortooshort).Thetrainingexercises

mayneedtobebrokendownintosmaller,simplersteps.Remember,

eachdogisunique.Beflexibleandwillingtodowhateveryoucanto

helpyourdogsucceed.

• BeGenerous.Begenerouswithyourrewardsandyourtime.Always

rewardyourdog’scorrectresponsesgenerously.Don’tbestingywith

thetreats—he’sworkedhardanddeservesagenerousreward!And

commitampletimetoyourtraininglessons.We’reallbusythesedays,

butthisis“qualitytime”foryouandyourdog.You’llbothenjoyand

benefitfromthelessons,somakesureyourscheduleisadjusted

accordingly!

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RewardsOneofthebiggestkeystosuccesswithpositivereinforcementtrainingis

rewardingyourdogproperly.Thismeansgivinghimsomethinghelovesat

exactlytherightmoment.

Yourfirsttaskistofigureoutwhatkindofrewardwillbestmotivateyour

dog.

FoodTreats

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Alldogsareuniqueindividuals.Mostdogsaremotivatedbyfoodthattastes

andsmellsgoodtothem.Foodtreatscanbeverysmall,whichishandyfor

keepingtheminyourpocketorapouchtouseduringtraining—and

importanttomaintainingyourdog’scaloricintaketohealthylevels.Sothat’s

theformofrewardwe’llbeusingthroughoutthistraining.

Besurewhatyou’regivingyourdogisgoodforhim.Butdon’trelyonthe

packingofstore-boughttreatstotellyou“Yourdogwillloveit!”Strong-

smellingmeatandcheesetreatsareusuallywinners,butmanystore-bought

treatsaremadeprimarilyofotheringredients.Yourdogmaynotappreciate

artificialcolors,tastesorsmells.

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Smallmorselsofcookedchickenareapopularhome-madetreat.Butkeepin

mindthatwhatmotivatesotherdogsmaynotmotivateyours.Experimentand

findoutwhathelovestoeat.

Non-EdibleRewardsWhatifyourdogisn’tmotivatedbyfood(rare,butapossibility)?You’llhave

tofindsomethingelsethatmotivateshim.Youmaythinkacoupleofpatson

theheadareagreatreward,butyourdogmaynot.Hemightnotevenlikeit

(mostdogsdon’t)!Tryscratchinghisbellyorsomeotherformofpetting.

Again,experimenttofindoutwhatyourdogloves.

Anotherformofrewardtoconsiderisplay.Tossingaball,playingtug-of-war,

orplayfullychasingyourdogforafewminutesmaybehisideaofheaven.

TheBestRewardLetyourdogshowyouwhathetrulyloves.He’lldothiswithhisreactionto

therewardyouoffer.Youjustneedtopayattentiontohowheresponds.Just

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becauseheacceptsapieceofkibbledoesn’tnecessarilymeanhelovesit.

Watchhimcarefullywhenyou’regivinghimatreat,petting,orplayingwith

him.Ifhelooksawayorwalksaway,heprobablyisn’tallthatthrilledabout

whatyou’reoffering.Butifhegetsexcited,stayscloseandbegsformore,he’s

showingyou

thathelovesitandwillbewillingtoworkforthatrewardinthefuture.Forinitialtraining,wehighlyrecommendusingafoodtreatasthereward.It’s

theeasiesttoworkwithandgetsthefastestresults…justmakesureyourdog

reallylikesit!

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Timing

Afteryoufigureouttheformofreward,thesecondkeytopositive

reinforcementistiming.Thisiscriticalduringearlytraining:youmustgive

therewardimmediatelyafteryourdogperformsthecorrectaction.This

meanswithinhalf-a-second!Yourresponsetohiscorrectactionmustbeclear

anditmustbeinstant.Ifyoupauseinstunnedamazementthatheactuallydid

somethingright,thensnapoutofitandgivehimatreatseveralsecondslater,

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you’veblownit.Youmusttrainyourselftodeliverinstantgratificationtoyour

dog.Dothisconsistently,andyou’llbeamazedathowquicklyyourdoglearns.

Here’sanotherimportanttipabouttiming:don’tmakeyourtraininglessons

toolong.Likehumans,dogscanbecomeboredbyrepetition.Boredstudents

don’tlearnverywell.Sotokeepthetrainingsessionseffective,don’tmake

themoutlastyourdog’sattentionspan.Eachdogisdifferent,soyou’llneedto

bealertandnoticewhenhisattentionstartswandering.Tryfora10-minute

sessionandseehowthatgoes.Shortenitifnecessary.Don’tlengthenitto

morethan15minutes.Repeatingashortsessiontwoorthreetimesadaywill

bemuchmoreeffectivethanhavingonelongsessioneachday.

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PrimaryandSecondaryReinforcementsTheinstantrewardyouandyourdogchoosewillbeyourprimaryreinforcer.

Aprimaryreinforcerissomethingyourdoginherentlyloves.Inotherwords,

hewasbornlovingit(treats,tummyrubs).

Anotherformofrewardisknownasasecondaryreinforcer.Asecondary

reinforcerissomethingyourdogmustlearntoloveandbemotivatedby.

Praiseisanexcellentexample.Puppiesarenotbornlovingaphrasesuchas

“Goodgirl!”Afterall,it’sjustnoisetothem.Theymustlearntoassociatethat

noisewithlove.

Apopularformofsecondaryreinforcementisclickertraining.Aclickerisa

handhelddevicethatmakesadistinctiveclickingsound.Thatsoundis

basicallyasubstituteforverbalpraise.Whenusedproperly,yourdogwill

learntoassociatetheclickingsoundwithlove.Wepreferusingverbalpraise

versusaclicker,simplybecauseyourvoiceissomethingyou’llalwayshave

withyou.Ifyouprefertouseaclicker,justremembertomentallysubstitute

“click”whenthelessonssayverbalpraiseor“Good!”

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ConsistencyisKey

Regardlessofwhetheryouuseyourvoiceoraclicker,themosteffectiveway

totrainyourdogistouseacombinationofprimaryandsecondaryreinforcers

thatareconsistent.

Ifyou’lluseyourvoiceinsteadofaclicker,chooseaphraseanduseitexactly

andconsistently.Dogsarenotpeople,remember?Wordsarejustnoiseto

them.Theyhavenoideathat“Goodgirl,”“Greatjob,”“WaytogoMolly”or

otherphrasesallmeantheydidtherightthing.Pickyourpraisephrase,and

makesureyou(andothersinyourfamily)usethatexactphraseorword

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everysingletime.

Then,severaltimesaday,sayyourpraisewordorphraseandimmediately

giveyourdogtheprimaryreinforcer(suchasthetreatyouknowheloves).

Doaboutfiverepetitions,twoorthreetimesaday,fortwodays.Youcanalso

useyourpraisewordorphrasewhenrubbingherbelly,whenshe’seatinghis

dinner,oranyothertimeyou’resureshe’senjoyingsomethingsheloves.

Withinafewdays,she’lllearntolovethesecondaryreinforcer(thepraise

phraseorword)andwillbeeagertohearyousayit.

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(Throughoutthetrainingcoursewe’llusetheexampleof“Good,”but

substituteyourownchoiceofsecondaryreinforcer.Remembertouseit—and

onlyit—consistently.)

Duringearlytraining,thecombinationoftheprimaryandsecondary

reinforcerswillbeextremelypowerfulandeffective…moresothanusing

eitherformofmotivationalone.

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TreatsWon’tBeNeededForeverDon’tworrythatyou’llhavetocarrytreatsaroundinyourpocketallthetime

togetyourdogtobehave.Asyourdoglearns,herobediencewilleventually

becomehabitual.Youwon’tneedtoconsistentlyusetreatsorotherprimary

reinforcersforthosebehaviorsbeyondthatpoint.(You’llneedtousethem

consistentlywheneverteachingsomethingnew,though.)Itwillalwaysbea

goodideatocontinueusingthesecondaryreinforcer(“Good!”orwhatever).

You’rebasicallythankingyourdogfordoingwhatyouasked…simple

commoncourtesyisalwaysagoodthing!

We’lltellyouwhenyoucanstartdecreasingtheuseoftreatsorotherprimary

reinforcers.Butfornow,andwheneveryou’reteachingyourdogsomething

new,besuretousebothformsofpositivereinforcementsasinstructed.

OK,nowthatyouknowthebasicsofrewardsandtiming,you’rereadyto

begintrainingyourbestfriend!

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HousebreakingBreakthroughsSuccessfulhousebreakingis,byfar,themostimportantelementofaloving,

lifelongrelationshipbetweenyouandyourdog.

Ifyoudon’tteachyournewbestfriendnottopeeandpoopinyourhouse,he

won’tbeyourfriendforlong!

Fortunately,housebreakingapuppy(oradultdog)isn’tcomplicated.Allyou

havetodoispreventpeeingandpoopinginthehouse,andrewardpeeingand

poopingoutside.Whileputtingthissimpleconceptintopracticeisn’tdifficult,

itdoesrequireyourdiligence,dedication,andpatience.Buttherewardsare

definitelyworththeeffort!

We’llprovidesomegeneralinformationaboutdogsonwhichour

housebreakingtechniquesarebased,explainthebenefitsofpuppypadsor

cratetraining,andthengiveyouthestep-by-stepprocessforhousebreaking

yourdog.

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FiveFactsBeforeHousebreakingHerearefivefactsthatwillguideyourhousebreakingtraining:

Fact1:Adultdogscanbehousebrokenthesameaspuppies.Ifyouadoptanadultdog,youmaynothavetoworryabouthousebreakingif

hehasalreadybeenproperlytrained.

Dogs—eventhesmartestones—donotnaturallyknowit’swrongtogopotty

indoors.Theymustbetrained,andmostadultdogsare.Butyoucan’tassume

thisisthecase.Ifhewasalwayskeptoutdoors,raisedinacageatapuppy

mill,orimproperlytrainedbyapreviousowner,youwillneedtostartfresh

andhousebreakhimusingthesamebasictechniquesasyouwouldfora

puppy.

Adultdogsdon’thavetogoasoftenaspuppies,though,whichwillmakethe

trainingmucheasierforyou.(Ontheotherhand,adultaccidentswillcreate

biggermesses!)

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Fact2:Puppieshavelimitedbladder&bowelcontrol.Apuppyyoungerthan20weeksoldwillneedtogopottyonceeveryhour

whenawake.Averyyoungpuppy(under12weeksold)willneedtogomore

often—every30minutesorevenmorefrequently.

Foranolderpuppy,ageneralrulefordeterminingthenumberofhourshecan

gowithoutgoingpottyistotakehisageinmonthsandaddone.Soafour-

month-oldcouldholditforaboutfivehours.Smallbreedscan’tholditaslong;

largebreedscanholditabitlonger.Remember,thisisageneralrule;your

puppy’scontrolmayvary.

Whensleeping,puppiescanwaitlonger.Butdon’tthinkapuppywhocanhold

itfor6hourswhilesleepingcanholditthatlongwhileawake.Hecan’t.

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Fact3:Dogsliketosleepinacleanarea.

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Ifgivenachoice,dogs,likepeople,willneversleepinanareathatissoiled

withpeeorpoop.Inthewild,“dogs”(wolves,coyotes,foxes,etc.)sleepina

denandgooutsidetorelievethemselves.Theirpupslearntodothesame.

Becausedogswilltrytheirbestnottosoiltheirsleepingarea,yourpuppyis

lesslikelytopeeorpoopinasmall“den.”Confininghimtothat“den”

wheneveryoucan’twatchhimwillguaranteehedoesn’tgetachancetobegin

thebadhabitofgoinganywhereelseinyourhouse.

Fact4:Dogsdobestwhenkepttoaroutineschedule.Feedingyourdogonasetschedulewillhelphimtogopottyonaregular

schedule.Ifyouletyourdogeatanddrinkwheneverhewants,you’llbeless

abletopredictwhenhe’llneedtogoout.Takehimoutonaregularschedule,

too!

Fact5:Punishingadogafterhehasanaccidentinthehouseispointless,and

maydomoreharmthangood.

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Yourdogwillnotunderstandthatyouareupsetaboutsomethingthat

happenedinthepast—evenifitwasjustaminuteortwoago.Hewillthink

he’sintroubleforwhathe’sdoingattheinstantyoudiscoverthemessandgo

ballistic…whetherhe’shappilycominguptogreetyouorsittingquietly.This,

obviously,isthewrongmessagetogiveyourdog.

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YourDogCommonScentsAdogreliesonhisnoseandscenttofind“thebathroom.”Ifadoghasgone

pottyinyourhousebefore,thiswillleavebehindachemicalscentthatsays

“thisisthepottyplace!”Thisscentwillbehardforyourdogtoresist.That’s

whyyoushouldmakesurethereisnoodorofurineorfecesinthehouse

beforebeginningtohousebreakanewdogorpuppy.

Donotuseacleaningsolutionthatcontainsvinegarorammonia(thescentis

tooclosetourinescent).Youcanusebakingsodaorclubsoda…orpurchase

specialodor-eliminatingcleanersatapetsupplystore.

Equallyimportanttocleaningupthescentofpastmistakesismarkingrooms

withthescentofyourhappy“pack.”Adogwillbereluctanttogopottywhere

heandhispack(youandyourfamily)live.That’swhyanunhousebrokendog

whocan’tgetoutsidewilloftenruntoararelyusedareaofthehouse,suchas

aguestroom,togopotty.

Onceyouhaveremovedthescentofurineorfeces,spendtimeineachroom

withyourdog(especiallytheroomsyourarelyuse).Sitonthefloorandplay

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withyourdogineachroomforseveralminuteseachday.Soontheroomwill

bemarkedwithascentthatsaystoyourdog,“thisisano-pottyzone!”

Itwillbedifficulttomarkeveryareaofyourhousethisway,andevenifyou

could,thisismoreofapassivedeterrentthanafoolproofmethodtoprevent

yourdogfromgoingpottyindoors;additionalactionisneeded,especiallyfor

apuppy.

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CrateTraining

Ifyourpuppyisfreetorunalloverthehouse,he’llgopottywheneverhegets

theurgeinsteadoflearningtoholdit.Youcan’twatchhimcloselyenoughall

thetimetopreventthis.Sosethimupforsuccessinsteadoffailure.Eitheruse

puppypadsorstartcratetraining.

RememberFact3:DogsLiketoSleepinaCleanArea.Byconfiningyourpuppy

(ordog)toa“den,”youwillinhibithimfrompeeingorpooping(teachhimto

holdit),sincehewon’twanttosoilhissleepingarea.You’llalsobeableto

accuratelypredictwhenheneedstogopotty:immediatelyafterbeing

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releasedfromconfinement.

Werecommendyoucreateacozydenforyourpuppyoutofadogcrate.

Makesurethecrateisbigenoughforyourpuppyordogtobeabletostand

up,turnaround,andlieonhisside—butnotsobigthatitgiveshimroomto

peeorpoopintherewithoutlyinginit.

Linethecratewithatowelyou’veusedorat-shirtyou’veworn(soyourscent

isonit).Makethecratecomfortableforyourpuppy.

Placethecrateinaquietarea,awayfromdistractions(nottooclosetoa

windoworinahightrafficareaofyourhouse),butnotawayfromhis“pack”

(youandyourfamily).

Somepeoplechoosetoputthecrateintheirbedroom,butthismayinterrupt

yoursleepasthepuppywilllikelywhine(and/orbark)thefirstfewnights.

Beforeconfiningyourpuppytohiscrate,youfirstneedtoteachhimtoenjoy

beinginit.Say“crate”andtossafewtreatsintothecrateandseeifhegoesin

togetthem.

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PraisingYourDogEveryEffort

Praisehimifhegoesinside.Ifhedoesn’tgoinside,putthetreatsonthe

lip/entranceofthecrate,instead.

Graduallymovetreatsfartherintothecrateuntilhegoesallthewayinsideto

getthem.Donotclosethedoor;lethimgoinandoutashepleases.

Makeitafungamebytossingtreatsintothecrateafewtimesinarow,offand

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onthroughouttheday.Say“crate”wheneveryouwanthimtogoin,andpraise

himwhenhedoes.

Afterheappearscomfortablewiththecrateandeagerlyrunsintogetthe

treats,shutthedoorforasecondafterhegoesin…thenopenitandlethim

out.Dothatafewtimes.Thentryshuttingthedoorandleavingitshutasyou

feedhimafewtreatsthroughthedoor.Thenlethimout.

Thenextstepistostuffahollowchewtoy(suchasaKong®)withsomething

delicious.Letyourpuppysniffthestuffedchewtoyandthenplaceitinthe

crate.Shutthedoorwithyourpuppyontheoutside.Usuallyittakesjustafew

secondsforyourpuppytobegyoutoopenthedoorandlethiminside.Say

“crate,”lethimintothecrate,praisehimforgoinginside,andshutthedoor.

Oncehe’sbusylickingthetreatoutofthechewtoy,walkaway.Returnbefore

hefinisheslickingallthegoodiesoutofthetoy,andopenthedoor.Don’tlet

himtakethechewtoyoutofthecrate;takeitfromhim.

Next,tiethefreshlystuffedchewtoytotheinsideofthecrateandleavethe

dooropen.Yourpuppycanthenchoosewhetherhewantstoremainoutside

orgointohiscrateandstartlickingthetreatfromhischewtoy.Mostpuppies

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choosetoresthappilyinsidethecrateandworkonthestuffedchewtoy.He

mayevenfallasleepintherewhenhe’sdone.Closethedoor.

UsingCrateNapsWhenYourPuppyGetSleepy

Speakingofsleeping,you’llalsowanttoputyourpuppyinthecratewhenhe’s

sleepy.Encouragehimtogetintohiscratewithtreatsandbysaying“crate”

whenyounoticehe’sabouttofallasleep.Closethedoorafterhegoesin.Ifyou

findhimalreadyasleep,pickhimupandputhiminside,asgentlyasyoucan.

Closethedoor.

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Withseveralinstancesofthispre-conditioning,somepuppieswillquickly

acceptbeingconfinedintheircrateatnight;otherswillwhineorbarklike

madtobeletout.Sometimesputtingacoveroverthecratewillhelpyour

puppytosettledownandgotosleep.

Ignoreapuppy’simmediatewhiningandbarkingtobeletout,otherwise

you’llteachhimthatwhiningandbarkingisthekeytogettingwhathewants

(verybadidea).Mostpuppieswillsettledownafterafewminutesandgoto

sleep.

Ifhestartswhiningafterbeingquietforawhile,hemayneedtogopotty.You

shouldtakehimoutside,butdon’tlethimoutofthecrateashe’swhining.

Waitamomenttoseeifhiswhiningpauses,andthenquicklyopenthedoor

andtakehimoutside.Ifhedoesn’tpauseonhisown,makesomesortofnoise

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thatwillcausehimtostopwhiningandlisten.Thengethimoutrightaway

beforehestartswhiningagain.

Usethecrateatnightandduringthedaywheneveryou’reunabletowatch

yourpuppyorhavehimoutside.

Donotusethecrateas“punishment.”Ifyouscoldyourpuppyandthenlock

himinthecrate,he’llassociatethecratewithbeingpunished.Youwanthimto

thinkofhiscrateashiscomfortableden—notajailcell.

Followthesesteps,andafterjustafewdaysyourpuppywillconsiderthe

cratetobehissafe,cozydenandwillhappilyrestinside.

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PuppyPadTraining

Puppypadsareagreatwaytohelppottytrainyourpuppyaswell.Youcan

usethisalongwiththeplaypenideathatisabove,butthepuppypadscan

allowyoutoeventuallyletgooftheplaypenandletyourpuppyroamthe

housewhileyouaregonewithouthavingaccidentsallovertheplace.

BulldogologyPuppyPadsaregreatforalldogsandcanhelptotrainyour

puppytojustgoinoneareawhileyou’regone.

1. Selectasuitableareainsideyourhomewhereyourpupwillbe

eliminating.Makesuretoplacethepuppypadwiththequiltedside

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up.

2. Whenyourpetstartstoshowsignsthatitneedstogo,takeyourpet

tothepuppypadandencourageyourpetbyusingcommandswords

(i.e.“Gopee!Goodboy!”)Ifyourpuppyeliminateinadifferentarea

ofyourhome,leadyourpupbacktothepad.Repetitioniskey.

3. Oncethepadisfullabsorbed,pickthepadupfromeachofthefour

cornerstoconcealit,andthencarefullythrowthepadaway.Make

suretowashyourhandsafter.

4. Whenyourpuppybecomescomfortableusingthetrainingpads

regularly,startmovingthepadoutdoorstogethimusedtogoing

outside.

5. Donotpunishyourpetforaccidents-thiscanbeveryfrighteningfor

themandgiveyouhugesetbacksintrainingthepup.Agentlevoice

withpositiveencouragementwillgoalongway.

Thesepuppypadsarenicebecauseovertime,youcangetridofthecrateidea.

Sincethepuppyhaslearnedhowtodotheirbusinessonthepuppypad,they

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willkeepthisinmind,whethertheyareinthehouseornot.Youcantake

themoutofthecrateandletthepuppyhaveabitmorefreedomwhileyouare

gone.Yousimplyleavethepadinacornerthat’sacceptableforthepuppy,and

theywillonlyrelievethemselveshereratherthanalloverthehouse.

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It’sAllAboutTimingSuccessfulhousebreakingisallabouttiming.Yourgoalistohaveyourpuppy

intherightplace(outside)attherighttime(whenheneedstogo);andavoid

havinghiminthewrongplace(inside)atthewrongtime(whenheneedsto

go).

Thiswillbemucheasierwhenyou’reabletopredictwhenyourpuppyneeds

togo.KeepFact2:PuppiesHaveLimitedBladder&BowelControl,inmind.

Usually,puppiesneedtopeerightafterwakingupfromanap,andpoop

withinacoupleofminutesofthat.Ifyoudon’twanttowaitaroundforyour

puppytowakeupanddohisbusiness,youcanwakehimupwhenyouare

readyandthetimeisright.

Anothercriticalelementoftimingisthatyouimmediatelyrewardyourpuppy

fordoingtherightthing(wecoveredthisinourTrainingWithBasics).When

yourpuppygoespottywhenandwhereyouwant,yourimmediateandlavish

rewards(praiseandyummytreats)willteachhimtorepeatthiscorrect

behavior.

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Anewpuppy(ordog)thatisnothousebrokenshouldberestrictedtooneof

thesethreesituationsatalltimes:

1. Insideunderyourconstantandattentivesupervision.

2. Outsidewithyou.

3. Confinedtohiscrate/den.

Situation3iswhereyourpuppyshouldspendmostofhistimeduringthe

housebreakingprocess.

DidyounoticethatwedidNOTincludeasituationwhereyouleaveyourdog

outsideallthetime?Manypeoplemistakenlythinkthatpuppieskeptoutside

willbelesstrouble—afterall,theywon’tbepeeingandpoopinginyourhouse,

andtheywon’tneedyourconstantsupervision,right?Buthereisthereality:

puppiesleftoutdoorsandunsupervisedforlongperiodsoftimeseldom

becomehousebroken.Theytendtobark,chew,dig,andescapefromyour

yard.Outdoorpuppiesalsobecomesoexcitedontherareoccasionswhen

theyareallowedindoors(excitedpuppiestendtopeewithoutwarning),that

eventuallytheyarenolongerallowedinsideatall.Wedon’twantthat.You

shouldn’twantthat.

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Here’showtohousebreakyourfour-leggedfriendoutside:

1. Determinewhereyouwantyourdogtogopotty.It’sbesttopicka

doggytoiletareathat’srelativelyclosetothedoor,soyouandyour

dogdon’thavetoofartogowhenhe’sgottago.Givethelocation

somethought,becauseafterhe’strained,yourdogwillcontinueto

usethisplaceashistoilet.Thisisconvenientforclean-uptime,

especiallyifyouhavealargeyard—andyourfamilywon’thavetobe

waryoflittle“landmines”whenplayingoutsideinthenon-doggy-

toiletareas.

2. Knowwhenyourpuppyneedstogo.Untilyourpuppyistrainedto

tellyouwhenheneedstogooutside(don’tworry,thatwill

eventuallyhappen),youhavetobeanexpertatdeducingthis.

Sometimesapuppywillneedtogowithin5minutesofgoing!Don’t

assumeyoudon’thavetowatchhimjustbecausehe’sjustgone

potty.

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Here’swhenyoushouldtakeapuppyouttogo:

• Immediatelyafterhewakesup.

• Immediatelyafterlettinghimoutofhiscrate/den.

• Every30to60minuteswhilehe’sawake,basedonhisage(seeFact

2).

• Afterheeatsordrinks.

• Whenhe’sbeendoingsomethingforawhile(likechewingonatoy),

andthengetsupandstartslookingaround.

• Whenhestartssniffingthefloor.

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• Whenhegoestoanareawherehe’sgonepottybefore.

• Whenhe’srunningaroundandexcitedmorethanusual.

• Whenhe’slookatorwanderingnearthedoor.

• Whenhe’spacing,whining,orstartstosquat(duh!).Note:Male

puppiessquattopeejustlikefemalepuppies(versusliftingaleg)

untiltheyare4-9monthsold.

3. Keepyourpuppyunderyourconstantandattentivesupervision,or

confinedtohiscrate,whenindoors.Itonlytakesacoupleofseconds

forapuppytosquatandpee,soyoumustwatchhimveryclosely.

Don’tstareathim(it’llmakehimnervous),butkeepaneyeonhimat

alltimeswhenhe’soutofhiscrate.Thiswillbeeasierifyoulimithis

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movements,eitherbykeepinghimonaleashorbyrestrictinghimto

oneortworooms.

Don’tthinkyoucanwatchTV,washthedishes,ordosomethingelseandstill

watchyourpuppy.Ifyoubecomedistractedorpreoccupied,accidentswill

happenandthiswillmakehousebreakingyourpuppyalonger,moredifficult

task.It’syourresponsibilitytotakehimoutsidewhenheneedstogo.

Accidentswillbeyourfault,notyourdogs.

4. Takeyourdogtohisdesignatedtoiletareaeveryhourorwhenever

heneedstogo(seeStep2),whicheverisless,andteachhimtogoon

command.

Everyhour,fillyourpocketwithtreats,releaseyourpupfromhiscrateand

quicklytakehimoutsidetothedesignatedtoiletarea.Encouragehimtogo

quicklybyenthusiasticallycalling“Outside,outside,outside!”(Ifyoutakeyour

time,hemaypeeorpoopenroute.Also,hurryinghimalongtendstojigglehis

bowelsandbladdersothathereallywantstogothemomentyoulethim

standstillandsniffhistoiletarea.)

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Takeyourdogouteveryhourevenifhe’soldenoughtoholditforlongerthan

that.Thispracticeisasmuchtotrainyourdog—intheshortesttime

possible—tousethedesignatedtoiletareaandgooncommandasitisfor

gettinghimoutsideintimetopeeorpoop!

Usealeash(evenifyouhaveafencedyard)toleadhimtothecorrectplace.

Thiswillalsogethimusedtogoingpottywhileontheleash.

Standquietly(don’tstareathim)andwaituntilhebeginstogo.(Ifhestaresat

youinsteadofdoinghisbusinessbecausehesmellstreatsinyourpocket,just

lookawayandpretendtoignorehim;eventuallyhe’llstartsniffingand

preparingtogo.)Whenhedoesstarttogo,quietly(soyoudon’tstartlehim)

say“gopotty.”(Youcanchooseanothercue.Makeitsomethingyouwouldn’t

mindsayinginpublic.Onceyoudecide,besurethatyouandyourfamilyuse

onlythisword/phrase,anduseiteverytimehegoes.)

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Afteryourdogisfinished,immediatelygivehimagenerousamountoftasty

treatsandlotsofenthusiasticpraise.Lavishrewardsmeanquickerresults!

Thesestepsareessential.Ifyoujustopenthedoorandletyourdogrunoutby

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himselftogopotty,thengivehimatreatwhenhecomesbacktothehouse,his

housebreakingwilltakelongerandbelesssuccessful.Yourdogwillthinkhe’s

gettingtherewardforcomingbacktothehouse(versusgoingpotty),and

you’llmisstheopportunitytotrainhimtogooncommand.

5. Spendtimeplayingwithortrainingyourpuppy,ortakehimfora

nicewalk(ifhe’soldenough).Ifyoutakehimoutsidetogo,andthen

quicklybringhimbackinandignorehimafterhedoesso,he’lllearn

that"afterIgo,myfunends!"Consequently,hemaybecome

reluctanttogopottywhenhe’soutside(andendupgoinginside

whenhecannolongerholdit).

Itismuchbettertopraiseyourpuppyforgoingpottyandthentakehimfora

walkasanextrarewardfora“jobwelldone.”Thisextrarewardwillalso

encouragehimtogopottymorequickly.

WhatIfHeDoesn'tGoPottyWhenYouTakeHimOutside?

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Ifyourpuppyenjoysthegreatoutdoorsbutdoesn’tgopottywithinafew

minutes,takehimbackinside,puthiminhiscrate,andtryagainin10

minutesorso.

Repeattheprocessuntilhedoesgo.Yourpuppywilllearnthatifhe

doesn’tgopottywhenyoutakehimoutsidetodoso,he’llbeconfinedto

hiscrateagain(nogo,nofreedom).Eventuallyhewillgointhe

appropriateplaceattheappropriatetime,andyouwillbeabletogive

himappropriaterewards!

Controlwhatgoesinsoyoucanpredictwhenitwillcomeout.

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Whatgoesintoapuppywillcomeoutwithpredictabletiming(dependingon

theageandsizeofyourdog).Feedingyourdogonasetschedulewillhelphim

togopottyonaregularschedule.Generally,apuppywillneedtogopotty

about15minutesaftereatingordrinking.Ifyouletyourdogeatanddrink

wheneverhewants,you’llbelessabletopredictwhenhe’llneedtogoout.

Feedyourpuppyatthesametimeeachday.Leavethefoodthereforten

minutesorso,thenpickitupandputitawayifhehasn’tfinishedit.Apuppy

youngerthanthreemonthsshouldbefedthreetimesaday;olderpuppiesand

dogsshouldbefedtwiceaday.

Donotleavewateroutalldayandnight;putitdownatregularintervalsand

payattentiontohowmuchhedrinks.Don’tlethimdrinkwaterafter7p.m.

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Feedingdryfoodisbetterthancannedfood,whichcontainsmoreliquid.

HandlingInevitableAccidentsIfyoufollowthestepsinthisreport,you’llhavefeweraccidents—butthey

willhappen.Expectthem.Don’tgetupsetatyourdogwhenanaccident

happens.Instead,trytodeterminewhyithappened.

Didyougetdistractedwhenyoushould’vebeenwatchinghim?Didyou

forgettotakehimoutattherighttime?Figureoutwhatyoudidwrong,soit

doesn’thappenagain.

Despitewhatmanypeoplebelieve,dogsdonotintentionallypeeorpoopin

yourhousebecausetheyareangry,lonely,orwantto“getbackatyou”for

something.Dogsdon’tthinkofpeeorpoopassomething“nasty”tobeused

outofspite.Andtheso-calledlookof“guilt”orcoweringin“shame”whenyou

scoldhimisactuallyyourdog’swayofshowingappeasementandsubmitting

toyourobviousanger.

Ifyoudonotactuallycatchyourpuppyintheact,donothing(exceptcleanit

up).

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Donot—repeat—donotrubhisnoseinit,hithim,yellathim,shakehim,or

punishhiminanyway.Dogsdon’tthinkabouttimethewayhumansdo.Your

dogwillnotunderstandthatyouareupsetaboutsomethingthathappenedin

thepast—evenifitwasjustaminuteortwoago.Hewillthinkhe’sintrouble

forwhateverhe’sdoingattheinstantyoudiscoverthemessandgoballistic…

whetherhe’shappilycominguptogreetyouorsittingquietly.

WhatIfYouDoCatchHiminTheAct?Ifyoucatchyourdogsquattingandabouttogopottyinsidethehouse,makea

sudden,surprisingsound—suchasslappingthewall—nottoscarehim,butto

gethisattentionsothathemomentarilystopswhathe’sdoing.Thenurgently

encourageyourpuppytorunoutsidewithyou.“Outside,outside,outside!”

Andfinally,rewardyourpuppylavishlyforgoingpottyintherightplace.

Inanycase,besuretocleanupallaccidentsquicklyandthoroughly.Youmust

eliminateanylingeringscentsoitdoesn’tinviteyourpuppybackforarepeat

performance.

HowLongBeforeHe’sHousebroken?Whencanyousafelystartleavingyourpuppyordogaloneinthehousefora

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while?Itdependsonmanythings,includinghisage,sizeand—most

importantly—yourdiligenceintraininghim!

Ingeneral,ifyoufollowthesehousebreakingguidelines,yourdogshouldbe

makinggoodprogresswithintwomonths.

Butsomedogslearnquicklywhileotherstakemoretime.Graduallyincrease

theamountoftimeyouallowyourpuppytobeindoors,outofthecrate,and

monitorhisprogress.

Adultdogsgenerallyneedtogooutatleastonceeveryfourhours—firstthing

inthemorning,aroundmidday,lateintheafternoon,andbeforegoingto

sleepforthenight.

Ifyoucan’tgetbehometoletyourpuppyordogoutoftenenough,consider

hiringapetsitter.

Expectaccidentsandsetbacks;they’renormal.Continuefollowingtheabove

stepsandbepatient.

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BeAlertforSpecialCircumstancesThereareafewreasonswhyitmightbeparticularlydifficulttohousebreaka

dog.

Dogswhowereraisedinpuppymillsorpetstores,orwhowereregularly

confinedwithouttheopportunitytogopottyawayfromtheirsleepingarea,

willtakelongertohousebreakandrequiremorepatienceandunderstanding

fromyou.

Suddenchangesindogfoodbrandsoroverindulgenceintreatsortablescraps

cancausediarrhea.

Theremaybephysicalreasons,suchasaurinaryinfection.Besuretogetyour

dogcheckedthoroughlybyyourvet.

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AdvancedHousebreakingTips

UsingaClickerAsadogowner,youshouldbefamiliarwiththeclicker.Aclickeriswonderful

notjustforhousetraining,butalsoforallmannersofobediencetraining.Not

bad,consideringit’sjustasmalldevicethatyouholdinyourhandtomakea

sharpclickingorcrackingsound.

Herearesometipstohelpyoulearnhowtousethistoolproperly:

Youuseaclickerwithafoodtreat.Thisismandatory.Youpressittomakea

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singleclick,andthenyoualwayspairitwithafoodtreat.Justtheclicking

aloneisn’tenough,anditwillonlydisappointyourwhenherealizesthere’sno

treatforhim.Remember,whenitcomestohousetraining,consistencyiskey.

Youusetheclickerasasortofsignaltoindicatewhichactionisbeing

rewarded.Youpresstheclickerwhenhedoeshisbusinessinthedesignated

area,andthenyougivehimhistreat.Whenthathappens,hewilllearnwhich

actisbeingrewarded.

Youcanuseitforothertraininggoalsasidefrompottytraining.Forexample,

youcanrewardbehaviors,suchas:

Whenhelooksatyoueverytimeyoucallhisname.Thisisarewardforhim

whenherecognizeshisname.Itwillmakeiteasierwhenyoucallhim.

Whenheactuallysitswhenyousay“sit”.Sometimespupscanberowdy,and

theirbreathingmaynotbeabletohandlealltheactivity.Youcanthenteach

himtojustsitdownandrelax.

Whenyouteachhimtoget“down”.Youjustclickattheprecisemomenthis

elbowshitthefloor.Thisisanotherrestexerciseforyourpup.

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Whenhedropsorgivesanitemhehasinhismouth.Thiscanevensavehim

fromdistresswhenhehassomethinginhismouththatcanchokehim.Andit

savesyoufromdistresswhenhehasyourfavoriteshoeinhismouth.

Whenheentershiscrate.Theuseofacratecanalsohelphimrelax,anditalso

helpswithhousetraining.

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Whenhestopswhiningorbarking.Thisisthesortofbehaviorwhichmustbe

discouraged.Thebestwaytodothatisnotthroughpunishment,butby

immediatelyrewardingthepupwhenhestopsdoingit.

Whenheusesthepuppypads.Rightwhenheusesthepadsforhisbusiness,

clickandimmediatelyrewardhimforproperhousebreaking.

Nowtheuseoftheclickerisnotpermanent.Youcanphaseouttheuseofa

clicker,butthismustbedoneverygradually.Maybeyoucanclick90%ofthe

timewhenyouarehappywithhimbecauseofwhathe’sdone.Thenyoucan

reducethefrequencyastimegoesby.Soonerorlater,hewilldohisbusiness

inthedesignatedareabecausehewantstokeepyouhappy,andbecausehe’s

usedtoit.It’snowahabitforhim,andhedoesitwithorwithoutaclickerora

treat.

Basically,theclickerisanothersignalofaffection.It’slikecuddlingorthe

treatsyougivehimwhenyourpetdoessomethingright.Buttheclick

indicatesexactlywhatbehaviorisbeingrewarded,becauseyouclickitatthe

precisemomenthedoeswhatyouwant.Itallowshimtofocusonthe

particularactyouaretryingtorewardandreinforce.

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UsePositiveReinforcementDogsareverysensitivetohumanemotions.Youshouldnevershoutatyour

puppy.Angerandshoutingcanbequitetraumatictoalittlepup.Intheend,

youareonlyteachingyourpuppytofearyou.

Remember that soiling and peeing are but natural bodily functions. Your

pup should never associate any negative emotions with these natural

functions. Instead of getting angry, take the time to calm yourself. And

instead of shouting, speak in an assertive manner. That way the puppy will

recognize that you are the authority in the pack. The little fella will then

learn to respect your rank.

Since you have shown your pup that you don’t like the mess, you should

clean it up and bring your pup to your chosen relieving area. Right then and

there allow your pup to pee or defecate. When they do as they should then

give them praise. You can even give your puppy a treat to reinforce the idea

that relieving themselves in that place is the right thing to do.

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HousebreakingisJustaMatterofRoutine

Taketimetoobserveyourpup.Duringhousebreaking,findouthowlongit

takesforthelittlefurryfellatodigestthefoodanddrinkandthenbereadyto

relievehimself.Ifyouuseacrate,youwillknowthathewantstogooutto

pottywhenhepawsaround,sniffstheground,whines,andturnsaroundasif

lookingforsomething.

Ifyouseethesebehaviorsthentakeyourpupouttotherelievingareaandlet

himdohisbusinessthere.Ifitwasonlyafalsealarm,thenbringyourpuppy

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backintothecrate.Thatwillhelphimrememberthatwhenit’scratetime,the

onlytimehewillgooutistowhenhehastopeeorwhenhehastodefecate.

Thegoodnewsisthatpuppiescatchontheroutineonewayoranother.You

justneedtobeconsistentandpatientwiththewayyoutreatyourpup.Every

timeyouhaveasuccessfultripoutside,youshouldcelebrateit.Praiseyour

pup,pathim,andplaywithhim.Giveawayatreatifyoustillhavesome.

Otherthanpeeingandpooptimeaftermealhours,notethatsomepuppies

needtogoeveryhouroreverytwohours.Well,thatwillbethecasefor

youngerpups.Olderpupscanholdontoitalotlongerandtheytendtobe

moredisciplined.

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WatchYourEnergyLevels

Astressedpupcanalsobeveryhardtotrainandcontrol.CesarMilan,also

knownastheDogWhisperer,hassaidatonetimethatdogsarealsosensitive

totheirowner’senergylevels.Yourpuppywillsenseifyouarerushing.Itwill

alsosenseifyouarenervous.Itcandefinitelysenseyourimpatience.

Thatmeansyoureallyhavetomindthetoneofyourvoicewhenyougiveyour

commands.Cesarsaysthatasqueakytoneorevenaloudtoneofvoicecan

stressoutyourpuppy,andthatwillmakehousebreakingalotmoredifficult

59

thanitshouldbe.

MakeYourPupFeelSafeandLovedAstressedpupwillbeverydifficulttotrain.However,ifitfeelsthatits

environmentissafeandthatheissurroundedbycaringandlovingpeople,

thenitwon’tfeelanystress.Everythingwillfeelrelaxed–everythingisokay,

andit’ssafe.Thiswillalsostrengthenthebondbetweenyouandyourpup.

Thatiswhythefirstchapterofthisbookdealtwithpuppy-proofingyourhome.Thesaferyourhomefeelsforyourpuppy,thebetterandeasieritwill

betotrainhim.

The6TimeRuleOnaverage,yourpupneedstorelievehimselfatleast6timeseachday.That’s

theaveragenumberoftripstotherelievingareathatyouwillhavetomake.It

takespatiencebutitwillbebetterforyouandyourdoginthelongrun.You

cancounteachdayhowmanytimesyouhavetakenyourpupoutside.That

wayyoucantimeeachtripandestimatejusthowmanytripsyoustillneedto

make.

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ChewingandUncontrolledPeeingPupswillchewonanything.Keepimportantthingsawayfromhisreach.Try

topayattentiontotheenergylevelyou’reshowingyourpupespeciallywhen

youstartyourday.Mostpeopleshowalotofaffectionwhentheyseetheir

puppy.

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Thatisamistakeespeciallywhenyou’rehousebreakingyourpup.Thatisnot

whatitsmomwoulddoifshewasraisingthepup.Themommydogwould

showcalmassertiveness–andyoushouldtoo.

So,whenshouldyoushowaffectionforyourdog?Theanswerisafterthepup

hashadsomeexerciseandafterthepuphasshownashredofdiscipline.It’s

thepackorderofthings.Showingexcitedaffectionfirstthinginthemorning

willonlyencourageyourpuptowetthemselvesexcitedly.

Notethattheremayalsobeamedicalissueathandwhenyourpuppees

uncontrollably.Ifthetipabovedoesn’twork,takeyourpuptothevettorule

outanypossibleillness.

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ConclusionIfyou’rehousebreakingapuppy,rememberhedoesn’tknowanythingyet.If

you’rehousebreakinganadultdog,theremaybesomeoldhabitshehasto

“unlearn”first.Bepatient,beconsistent,andbeencouraging.Afewweeksof

dedicatedeffortonyourpartwillresultinalifetimeofcleanfloorsanda

beautifulrelationshipwithyourdog.

Thanksforpurchasingthisbook!Wegreatlyappreciateitaswetookourtime

toputthisawesomeguidetohelphousebreakyourpup.

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