The pet owner should start housebreaking as soon as the dog is brought home. There are a variety of methods which can be used to housebreak your pets. Taking time and energy is vital in housebreaking since this will not only benefit the pet but the owner as well.

Patience is quite essential in training. The canine owner can use different methods in housebreaking. But prior to choosing the right method and starting the housebreaking, understanding the pet very well is necessary to the owner. It is useful for the owner to observe when his canine usually urinates or defecates, which is usually after each meal. At that time, the dog should be taken outside. Dogs give signals like sniffing the ground and walking in circles telling that they need to eliminate. Pre-potty patterns differ from dog to dog. Whatever it is, the owner should observe and comprehend well these signs.

Pretreated urine pads works great. Canines can smell the chemical in the pads and this attracts the dogs to use them. At the start, the dogs are carried over to the papers when the dog is about to relieve himself. The key here is watching the signs dogs give when they are about to relieve themselves. After the dog has urinated, it is also important for the owner to praise the dog. The use of pee pads will be a habit for the dog after a while so this is just the right time to place the pad outside so the dog can learn to do it there.

Another method in housebreaking the canine is the use of crates. Putting the pet inside the crate will train them in holding their urination. They would not urinate or defecate inside the crate as they do not want to soil their bed. Still, the owner has to watch for the signs that the canine wants to eliminate. A dog cannot be left alone all day inside the crate, controlling himself from urinating. If the owner cannot watch over the dog during crate training, it is recommended to ask help from somebody else or just do the training during the night.

Other ways for efficient housebreaking include the use of focal cues. What is important in using words to train the canines is to use the words the same way every time. All members involved in the training should use the same words.

Continuous supervision is the most essential ingredient in training the dogs. Spending time with their pets, playing with them, and taking them for a walk are parts of the must-do list  for the owners. Owners must also understand that punishing the dog, especially when it is not caught in the act of doing something wrong, will not be helpful in the training. It is better to just strongly say “No!” while the dog is in the process of it. In that way, the dog will see that what it is doing upsets its friend. This is a more useful way to housebreak the dog.

Training the canine needs a lot of time, effort and patience. But when it's all said and done, it is worth all of these.