160 Bear Christiana Rd
Bear, De 19701
302-322-6488
Dr. Jim Berg
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House Breaking/Crate Training
We recommend crate training your puppy. Although this may seem "cruel" at first, the reality is that
it provides a safe and secure area for your puppy. It keeps him/her from getting into things such as electrical
wires and chewing on things such as furniture which annoys you and could cause intestinal obstructions in your
pet. A crate also serves to provide some personal space for your puppy (like a bedroom for a child).
The crate should be just big enough for the puppy to be able to turn around, yet not be so big that the puppy can
go potty in one area and go over to another area to sleep. The idea is that hopefully the puppy will not want to
eliminate in an area where it has to sleep. If your puppy is a larger breed, you can buy a crate that will be big
enough for its adult size, but you will have to section off part of the crate for it when it is a smaller puppy.
A crate should be placed in a family area, not in a damp garage or basement. You want the puppy to love its crate
and going into it. Never use the crate for discipline. Never leave anything around the pet's neck that could tangle
or hang on any part of the crate.
If you choose not to crate-train your puppy, you should confine it to a smaller area such as a kitchen or bathroom.
Sometimes it helps to leave a radio on to minimize barking. Make sure the room is puppy-proof: no cupboards with
chemicals, no access to electrical wires, etc. Caution is urged about confining a pet in a bathroom where it could
drown in the toilet, or in kitchens where it could jump up and turn on the stove.
Puppies develop substrate preferences for elimination. This means that if you expect the dog to ultimately only
go potty outside, you should teach it to do so from the outset. Otherwise you will eventually have to break the
habit of going potty on newspaper. If at all possible try to take the puppy outside every 2-3 hours. If this is
not possible then take it out as often as you can, especially after playtime and sleep. Use a command such as "Go
potty" or "Hurry up". (It doesn't matter what command you say, but rather that you consistently
use the same command.) Let the pup sniff around, don't just pull it to walk. However, do not let the puppy play
or socialize until it has eliminated. For the first 2-4 weeks it often helps to take the animal outside only to
go potty. Once it gets the idea that outside is for potty purposes, it will go potty first and then know it is
okay to play. Every time the pup squats, praise it verbally ("Good dog"), physically (rubbing/petting),
and, if you choose, by giving it a small food treat. When the dog then actually eliminates, REALLY praise it immediately
after it eliminates.
In general, it is easier to train a puppy to defecate than to urinate because it is harder to schedule a pup's
drinking than its eating. We recommend you never limit a puppy's water consumption as this could cause kidney and
bladder disease. Water should always be available to your dog. Control of urination depends on learning to do so
AND also on the bladder muscles and sphincter physically developing to be able to hold the urine in. This only
comes with time. Be patient!
Feeding can be done on more of a schedule. We recommend a pup be fed 3 times a day until about 4-5 months old.
A puppy generally has to defecate about 30 minutes after eating because this is the length of time it takes for
the intestinal tract to be stimulated. So a schedule should go something like this: Take the pup outside first
thing in the morning after waking. Feed the puppy. Get yourself ready for the day during the next 30 minutes while
keeping an eye on the puppy the whole times so that you can quickly take it outside should it show signs of needing
to go potty. After ½ an hour, take the puppy outside. Praise it when it goes potty! Put him/her in the crate
while you are away. Repeat the process when you come home and again before bedtime. Have a couple potty-breaks
in between.
Punishment has almost no role in housebreaking and there is NEVER a place for physical punishment. You must couple
the discipline exactly with the action that needs correcting. If you come home to find the puppy has had an accident,
scolding the puppy then serves the wrong purpose as the puppy does not know you are upset about the accident that
happened while you were away. Instead, the puppy thinks you are upset about what it was doing when you started
scolding it, which will likely be sleeping or greeting you. If you actually see the pup start to squat (preferable
to catch pup in the act of starting to go potty) or in the act of eliminating, immediately get the pup's attention
by saying a sharp "no" and making a loud noise (clapping hands or shaking a jar of pennies). Quickly
take the pup outside and praise it when it appropriately goes potty outside!
If the pup has an accident inside, you must clean the area with an enzyme cleaner (such as Simple Solution or Eliminodor)
in order to remove the smell that would otherwise attract the pup back to the same place. DO NOT use ammonia for
cleansing as this is the breakdown product of urine.
Housebreaking can be a frustrating task, but with patience and consistency the process will go more smoothly and
quickly. Positive reinforcement and praise are key to the bonding process between you and your pet. We cannot stress
enough that physical punishment (swatting with hand/newspaper) will only cause your pet to be fearful of you and
may even cause aggression. Positive reinforcement, however, will make your pet a better life-long companion.
Basic Training
When sitting with your puppy (like when watching TV), play with its ears, paws, toes, etc. This will make your
dog used to being handled so it will better tolerate maneuvering the ears and paws for cleaning and nail trims.
No puppy is too young (and no dog too old) to learn to earn what it wants by sitting and staying first. All pups
should be taught to sit and stay for everything (walks, food, water, play, attention, etc.). All dogs should be
taught manners and to respond to your requests.
If your puppy is mouthy (nipping, playing rough), you can gently place your hand around its muzzle to close it
and say "No bite". Replace the object the dog is inappropriately chewing on with an appropriate chew
toy. If the inappropriate biting/chewing continues, you should stop interacting and contact with the dog completely
by giving the puppy a "time-out". The puppy should be put in a quiet room by itself. Be sure this area
is NOT the same area you expect the dog to like to be in while you are away nor in a common family area where you
expect the dog to spend a lot of time with the family. Leave the dog for a short period of time (2-3 minutes) and
then bring him/her back with you and try again. There is NEVER a place for physical punishment.
Positive reinforcement and praise are key to the bonding process between you and your new pet. We cannot stress
enough that physical punishment (swatting with hand/newspaper or flicking it on the nose) will only cause your
pet to be fearful of you and possibly even cause aggression. Positive reinforcement, on the other hand, will make
your pet a better life-long companion.
We highly recommend obedience classes for all dogs. Before enrolling in a class, you should observe a class first.
There are many different training techniques and you must be comfortable using the techniques every day.
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