Puppy house training does not need to be a headache or a constant clean up.


Puppy House Training




Puppy house training does not need to be a headache or a constant clean up. If you follow the methods I have outlined in this article your puppy will be potty trained in no time.

What exactly is puppy house training? A housetrained dog is one that pees and poops only where and when you want him to.



Keeping Their Den Clean


In their own way, dogs are surprisingly good at keeping their dens clean. They will do anything to avoid soiling the den with bodily wastes. (This is one reason why having a crate is so important.) However, this desire for cleanliness is not all because of high standards. It is the outgrowth of a long-ago survival strategy.

That strategy required pups to eliminate away from the den; by doing so, the smell of the dogs’ waste wouldn’t draw predators to the den.

As soon as the puppies are sufficiently mobile, their mother will start nudging them away from the nest when they begin to show signs of needing to eliminate. Eventually, the puppies realize when they need to go, they will scurry away from the nest.




The Right Approach


The keys to puppy house training are patience and consistency. If you are vigilant and allow your puppy to progress at his own pace, he will learn the house training basics quickly. Repetition not only helps a dog learn your behavior patterns but also clues him in to what you want him to do. That is especially true of puppy house training. Repeating the same routine day after day will help your dog figure out what will happen when. Eventually, he will act accordingly.

To train your dog successfully, you need to put yourself in his place. For example, imagine being eager to see the most important individual in your life, only to find yourself being yelled at or smacked or other wise man handled by that individual for reasons you can not begin to fathom.

That is what happens to your dog if you come upon an unwelcome little puddle or pile and proceed to express your displeasure at him. He will certainly realize that you are upset, but he won’t have a clue to why. For that reason, berating or punishing a dog after he has an accident is nothing more that an exercise in futility. At its worst, such behavior on your part teaches your dog to be afraid of you and does nothing to help teach your puppy potty training.

Actually if you leave your puppy out and unsupervised you are asking for a mess. This is why you need to have a crate. It is your responsibilty to keep a close eye on your puppy, so if you are not able to do that he needs someplace to go where his movements are restricted. If you are keeping and eye on your puppy and he starts using the bathroom in the house just gently pick him up and carry him outside to finish.




7 Steps to Potty Train Your Great Dane


  • Get a Crate: Crates tap into a dog’s basic desire to keep its den clean. It will do anything to avoid pooping or peeing there. That avoidance gives your puppy the incentive to develop the bowel and bladder control that is essential to effective house training. Your puppy will also learn to see the crate as his place to relax and sleep.

  • Pick a Potty Spot: Before you can teach your do to do its business in a certain spot, you have to pick that certain spot. Generally, it is somewhere close to your house.

  • Give Signals: Before taking your pup outside give him a verbal signal like “Go Potty” then while outside repeat the phase “Go Potty” (or something similar, just make it short) while your dog is actually urinating or defacting. Then follow up with a delicious treat reserved only for potty breaks. This way when he hears this phrase he will know it is potty time. Eventually, your puppy will associate the phrase with deed, and potty pretty close to when you say it. Such skills will come in handy when you need him to go quickly. But Great Dane’s love to take their time and “smell the roses”, so to say.

  • Make Scents: The canine snout has about 220 million cells designed specifically to detect scents. Adding to that incredible scent-detecting capability is the moisture in and on your puppy’s nose, which lets it collect large numbers of scent molecules that together amplify what it is already smelling. You can use your puppy’s amazing scent capabilities to your advantage in potty training. The next time your puppy pees, wipe its bottom with a paper towel or soft cloth and save it.

    At the next bathroom break, take the cloth and your puppy to the outdoor potty spot, and place the cloth on the spot. In all likelihood, your puppy will sniff the cloth intently, then re-anoint it. Repeat this process a few times, and soon your puppy will do its business on the potty spot without the cloth or any other prompting from you.

  • Make A Schedule: The timing of the trips to the potty isn’t completely up to you at first. That is because at first a puppy can not hold it’s bladder for very long. In fact, puppies younger than 4 months of age may need 12 to 14 bathroom breaks a day. Definitely when first waking up, after a nap, after eating, and after play time.

  • Be Vigilant: While your puppy is not in his crate, you must watch him carefully. If your pup shows any sign that it needs to potty, scoop it up and take it outside to his spot. Then when he goes outside praise it enthusiastically (which you should be doing every time anyway!) If you don’t get to your puppy in time and put your puppy in his crate put don’t punish him. Just clean up the mess without comment.

  • Be Patient: Don’t expect your Great Dane Puppy to be housebroken overnight. It takes time, understanding and patience. Your puppy needs time not only to figure out what you want it to do, but also to develop the physical ability to control its urges to poop or pee until it gets to the potty place.




Tips for Cleaning Up


  • Never use ammonia. Urine contains ammonia, so the chemical will keep attracting your dog to the spot. Bleach is a better cleaner, but rinse it well. Be sure to use a color safe bleach on certain areas.
  • White vingear is a good odor remover if you do not have any professional cleaners on hand; use one-quarter cup to a quart of water.
  • Salt will absorb fresh urine and remove some of the scent.
  • In a pinch, rubbing the area with a dryer sheet can remove some of the odor.
  • Baking soda rubbed into a urine stain can remove some of the odor.
  • If the urine scent on your wooden floor won't come out, consider painting or sealing it.
  • A peroxide-and-water solution will help get rid of carpet stains. Experiment with various strenghts of the solution.
  • White toothpaste can get some tought stains out of carpets.
  • If the stains are bad, call a professional carpet cleaner.





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When discussing how to teach bathroom manners to a dog, some experts use the term “housetraining,” while others use the word “housebreaking”. The art of teaching canine bathroom basics to a dog should not involve breakage of any kind. The teacher should be empathetic, consistent and, above all, patient. For that reason, the term “housetraining” is a kinder, gentler and also more accurate description of teaching a dog where and when to do the doo.



Numerous studies have shown that puppy house training problems are one of the most frequently cited reasons that owners surrender their dogs to animal shelters.


Potential Obstacles

When puppies do not respond to a consistent housetraining plan, there is often a reason. Keep these thoughts in mind:
  • There may be an underlying medical condition such as a urinary tract infection or parasite infection that makes it difficult for your dog to "hold it".
  • Some dogs, especially puppies lose control of their bladders when they become excited or frightened.
  • One way dogs talk to each other is by territorial urine marking. A dog may urinate excessively or inappropriately when his territory has been invaded.
  • A dog that suffers from separation anxiety-severe anxiety when left alone-may eliminate inappropriately.
  • Thunderstorms, fireworks, or other loud noises can frighten a dog so badly that she loses control of her bladder or bowels.


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Tips for Housetraining an Adult Dog


  • Take your dog out first thing in the morning, then every four hours if possible. Gradually decrease to three times a day.
  • If you work during the day, keep your dog in a small area or kennel while you are gone. Thoroughly clean and disinfect any areas where there have been accidents.
  • Take your dog to the same place outside every time.
  • Do not allow your dog to roam free in a large area, at first.
  • Reward with affection, praise, a treat after your dog has used the bathroom outside.
  • Feed your dog on a schedule and control the amount of water you give, at least until a routine has been established.
  • Some dominant dogs will want to pee to mark their terriority, a opposed to just relieving themselves. It is important that you break this habit right away.



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~Kittys Corner~

I have a Female Great Dane and her name is Kitty. She will be 2 in July '10. Her mother is a Blue Dane and her dad is a Black Dane. This is a picture of her here and there are lots of pictures of her on this website. This space is called Kittys Corner because when ever I am at my computer working (which is most of the time) Kitty is laying or sitting beside me with her head on my lap. So I made her a corner so she can voice what is going on in her world. ~Enjoy~

The weather is so warm and sunny. I was getting tired of the cold and being stuck in the house. Now mom has been back taking me on our walks I missed our walks. Have you been doing anything fun lately? Will you send me your pictures so I can see them? Mom even said something about starting a contest. How fun! So start taking some pictures, or if you already have some, send them in so I can see them. Send in a Picture

Puppy House Training Beginning





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