House training a dog is one of, if not the, most important tasks that you, the dog owner, must undertake. The thought of living indoors with an animal that relieves itself any time and any place it wants to is both unacceptable and unhealthy. Fortunately, house training a dog is not all that difficult.

Understand two things; first of all, dogs are inherently clean animals and given the choice they will not soil themselves or the area they call home (I will refer to that area as the “den” from now on). Second, your dog will quickly learn that the best thing in his world is praise from you. With those things in mind here is a series of steps you can take for successfully house training a dog.

1) Establish a den. This is where Dog will stay at night, when alone in the house or whenever she feels the need for some “quiet time” or personal space. This could be an area in a bathroom, the kitchen, the garage or a crate from the pet store. It should be large enough that she can move around a little but not so big that she can eliminate and not have to “live” with it. There should be something soft for her to sleep on, an area where she can “go” if she must and water during the day. The den can remain open when she is supervised but closed when she is not; remove water bowl at night.

2) Establish a “toilet” outside. This is the area that you’ve designated to be the place that Dog eliminates (and humans avoid!) Dogs are habitual in where they ‘go’ and will seek scent clues to help them locate the proper place. That is why when mistakes take place in the house (as they will) it is mandatory that they be thoroughly cleaned up.

When someone is at home to assist in the housebreaking process Dog should be confined to the den or watched carefully; what we want to accomplish is to establish good toilet habits while avoiding mistakes. Every hour or so put Dog on leash and walk her to the toilet area.

4) After she goes, lavish here with praise and all the “Wadda good doggy-woggy you are!” talk you can muster. Remember; there is nothing that a dog enjoys more than praise from a human. Do everything you can to reinforce her good behavior. If your mission is unsuccessful, bring her inside, keep an eye on her and try again in 15-20 minutes.

5) Now is the moment you’ve been waiting for! With an empty digestive tract the chance of a “mistake” are minimal; it’s “play with the puppy” time! Have some fun, roll around on the floor, let her chase a ball, begin working on the “come” command. Wear her out and let her sleep in her den for a while.

How long will all of this take? Obviously I can’t say as age, innate intelligence (of both dog and trainer!), consistency of training and several other factors will determine how soon Dog will be reliable. But rest assured; house training a dog is the best thing you can teach you canine companion and you will be successful with patience and consistency.

For more information on house training your dog visit my website at House Training a Dog.com.