This is without a doubt one the most important aspects of owing a dog. Without house training, your dog will leave poop everywhere for you to clean up. We can assure you that it is not a pleasant task. Most puppies can take up to 6 months to properly house train however the duration can vary depending on the breed of your dog and your own training regimen.

Dogs need to develop den instinct in order to properly house train. Dogs will usually not soil the living area intentionally and this natural tendency to keep the living area clean is used for house training purposes. Owners should provide access outside the living area to dogs from a very young age so they can develop this instinct and desire.

Puppies usually do not have the stamina to hold it in and will poop whenever they need to. You need to look for the signs. After all you cannot house train a dog unless it need to poop! Usually dogs need to go after a meal but there are other signs like whining or circling and/or sniffing the floor. Whenever the puppy shows these signs pick him up and immediately and take him to the designated area. Or if you feel that the dog has enough time you can also choose to lead him to the spot instead of carrying him there. Once there, point at the part where you want him to poop. With due diligence, you can instill this habit of him wanting to eliminate in that particular area only.

You can also train your puppy to eliminate in designated area when you’re not at home by confining him in a small play area and covering it up with paper. At first the dog will poop wherever he wants but eventually starts to pick a particular spot. When you identify that area, limit the amount of paper you place there and only cover the part around the pooping zone. Eventually the puppy will start to show a preference for only pooping on paper. Start moving the paper a little by little to the sport where you want him to go in the future. Reward your puppy every time he goes in the right place either with verbal praise or with a treat.

Accidents will happen but you should never scold you pet especially if you catch him after the deed is done. A dog will not understand why you are angry at him if some time has passed between him making the mess and you seeing it.