HOUSEBREAKING YOUR DOG

Housebreaking your dog is easy - once you understand the basics of "why", "when", and "where" your puppy/dog wishes to defecate and urinate. By following our procedures, your puppy/dog should be housebroken within the next 10 days.

"WHY" AND "WHEN"

The only three times a puppy normally defecates or urinates are:

1) when he/she eats or drinks anything;

2) when he/she has processed the food and liquid they have eaten;

3) when he/she wakes up from sleeping.

After the puppy eats or drinks, their system tells them to let go of their old reserve which is stored inside the body. The reason the dog's body stores this reserve is because in the wild, the dog may not "catch the rabbit." Meaning, the dog must catch it's meal. If it does not catch the meal, the dog's body will continue to use it's "stored reserve" of food from the last meal. Once the dog eats or drinks anything, it's body "lets go" of this stored amount. So after your puppy/dog eats or drinks, he/she must defecate and urinate.

Your puppy/dog's body does not utilize everything they eat or drink. They may only use sixty percent of what they eat or drink. The puppy/dog's body changes the food and water into energy. It stores what it needs for it's reserve and then "lets go" of the rest. It takes energy just to digest the food and water. This is why your puppy/dog normally sleeps after he/she has a big meal. And after the puppy/dog has processed the food and water (through it's body) it must defecate and urinate.

Defecating and urinating is the puppy/dog's way of eliminating waste and toxins from it's body. Again, the most common reason for a puppy/dog to wake up from sleeping is because it must defecate or urinate.

" WHERE"

The reason your puppy/dog smells the ground before he/she urinates or defecates is because they are trying to smell ammonia. They like to go to the bathroom where other animals (or themselves) have gone before. When they smell ammonia, it is like a neon light saying "rest room here!"

Your puppy/dog does not enjoy the smell of their own defecation or urination. Because of this, he/she will not go exactly where they sleep. They may go a few feet away from where they sleep, but not exactly where they sleep.

HOUSEBREAKING YOUR PUPPY OR DOG

Now that you know "why", "where", and "when" your puppy/dog must defecate and urinate, you can understand the importance of the procedure I am about to give you. This procedure takes about 7 to 10 days.

In the wild, your puppy/dog may only eat or drink once a day. They do not spend their whole day by the river or stream. They run in the fields and hills, spending most of their time by their dens.

You will not be able to housebreak you puppy/dog if you keep water and food down all of the time. Every time your puppy/dog eats or drinks anything, they must urinate or defecate. So if they drink 40 times a day, they must urinate 40 times a day, and so on. By giving the puppy/dog all of the food and water he or she wants once in the morning and once in the evening, their bodies will be more than satisfied. This is more than they could ever hope to receive out in the wild.

With each meal, the puppy/dog should receive all of the food and water he/she desires. The meal should consist of 50% canned dog food and 50% dry dog food. If the puppy/dog eats everything in the dish, give him/her more until they leave a mouth full of the meat mixture. Only after the puppy has eaten, then give him/her all the water they want to drink. Again, if they drink everything... they need more! Once the puppy/dog has had all he/she wants to eat and drink, it's time for the puppy/dog to go outside to urinate and defecate.

If the puppy/dog has diarrhea or loose stools you may wish to feed her/him 70% boiled rice and 30% boiled hamburger along with one to two heaping tablespoons of cottage cheese. This will tend to firm the stools. You will never be able to house break any puppy/dog if their stools are not firm. Once the stools are firm then you can go back to feeding 50% canned dog food and 50% dry dog food.

Because your puppy/dog does not like to urinate or defecate where he/she sleeps, you should place them in a small confined area when inside the house. This area should be big enough for the puppy/dog to stand up, turn around, and lay back down in. The correct way to determine the size of this area is to measure the distance from the puppy/dog's nose to their rear end (not tail) and add one inch. This means the kitchen, laundry room, bathroom, and basement are all too big! It is strongly recommended that your take the puppy out (and place the puppy directly in the area where you what he or she to go to the bathroom) as often as possible for the first couple of days. Just do not let the puppy have free roaming privileges throughout your house? or you will never successfully "house break" your dog!!

The best confinement area to use is a "sky kennel." These are made of fiber glass and wire, are very attractive, and are very easy to clean and transport. If you elect to use a wire or safari cage, you must cover the top, both sides, and back with a sheet or blanket. Otherwise, the puppy/dog will continually howl and bark. The reason they will continually make noise is because they feel defenseless. Out in the wild they would normally sleep in a safe place where predators would not find them. When you cover the wire crate, it suddenly becomes the puppy/dog's own den or room. This is similar to a child's feeling towards their play forts... it's their own room or part of the world.

Your puppy/dog should sleep in the this "den" (sky kennel) overnight. You should then take your puppy/dog outside first thing in the morning. Remember, he/she has just awaken and must let go of their excess reserve. When you come back in the house, the puppy/dog goes directly back into the "den." The key is for the first 7 to 10 days, when the puppy/dog is inside your home, he/she is in the "den." You may take them outside as often as you wish to exercise, urinate and defecate. But when the puppy/dog comes inside... it's back in the den!

You will be feeding and watering the puppy/dog inside the den also. Start each meal by giving your puppy/dog all the food he/she wants. When they stop eating, there should still be a mouthful of the meat mixture is the bowl. If they completely clean their bowl, they need more. Then give your puppy/dog all the water he/she wants. When they completely stop drinking, there should still be a 1/2 inch of water left in the bowl. Again, if the bowl is completely clean, they need more water

Now it is again time to take your puppy/dog outside to urinate and defecate. As mentioned earlier, they have taken on a new reserve and now must let go of the old reserve. When you return from outside, it's back in the den!

This procedure should be continued for 10 days.

For the next 10 days the puppy/dog will not be able to urinate or defecate anywhere in your home. Why? - Because when they are in your home they are in their den.

After the 10 day period, the puppy/dog is allowed out of the den only under close supervision in your home. My definition of "close supervision" is that your complete and undivided attention is focused on the puppy/dog. If the phone rings, put the puppy/dog back in the den and then answer the phone, etc. This second faze should be done for the next 14 days.

At the end of the second faze period your puppy/dog should be completely housebroken.

If the puppy/dog does have an accident, and urinates or defecates inside the house, follow this clean up process.

1) Blot the urination up with a paper towel. Take this paper towel outside and place it in the area where you want the puppy/dog to urinate and defecate.

2) Wash the area with ivory soap and water.

3) Spray the area with a 50% white vinegar and 50% water solution. (The reason you spray the area with a white vinegar solution is that urine is ammonia. Ammonia is basic and vinegar is acidic... they neutralize each other.)