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If you have a new puppy, or you are considering adopting a new dog or puppy, you will need to decide how you want to housebreak you newest family member. There are many different methods dog professionals will recommend for teaching your new puppy where to use the bathroom. Personally, I have found the most success with crate training. Crate training is an easy and effective method of housebreaking a puppy.

The first thing you need to purchase if you decide to crate train is a crate. You want to get a crate that will contain your dog when he or she if full grown. They should have enough room to turn around, but that is it. The crate should be a snug and close environment for your dog to call home. Obviously if you get a crate that is big enough for your dog when they are full grown, it will be too big when they are a puppy. It is imperative that you get a crate divider or find some way to block off the extra room in the crate.

There are many brands of crates that have dividers in them that allow the crate to grow with your dog. You always want there to be just enough room for your dog to be comfortable and be able to turn around, but not have room to walk around or roam. If the crate is too big, your puppy will be able to go over to one side of the crate and go to the bathroom and stay on the clean side unbothered. This is not an effective way to crate train. Your dog should be comfortable, but they should not have extra room.

The next step in crate training is to settle on a schedule. The general rule of thumb with crate training a puppy is that they can “hold it” for as many hours as they are months old. So if you bring home a two-month-old puppy, they will be able to go for two hours before needing to be let out to use the bathroom. As they get older they will be able to go longer without being let out to use the bathroom.

The most effective way to crate train is to keep your puppy in their crate during all of his or her resting times. If they are out of their crate they should be playing with you, being taken out for a walk, or otherwise engaged directly with you or a toy or someone else. If they are sleeping or laying idle, they should be in their crate. You should also always have your pet in the same room with you so they do not have an opportunity to sneak away and make a mess or get into something they should not have.

While it may seem cruel to keep your dog confined to their crate overnight and while you are not home, it is quite the opposite. Dogs enjoy the secure feeling of having a place that is all their own. They will learn quickly where the right place to use the bathroom is, and they will learn where they are supposed to sleep. You will even notice when your dog gets older that they will voluntarily go into their crate and rest and you can leave the door open. Proper crate training will be a valuable experience for both you and your pup.

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Small dog owners are told more often than not that their small dog will be hard to train and that it will take some time to get the response and actions desired; however, this is certainly not true in every case. And it is unfair to small dogs to label them difficult, or simply unable to be trained. It may actually be our fault and the stigma we have placed on small dogs for so long. Their pocket size and irresistible charm seduces us humans into treating small dogs more like toys or accessories instead of animals. We handle them freely, groom them often and carry them around with us everywhere. There is nothing really wrong with that at all, but all the fuss and attention we give our small dogs can place an enormous strain on a dog’s social skills- skills that are not innate or natural; these skills must be learned.

One of the most fundamental tips to training a small dog is to not reward any bad behavior. For instance, your dog is sitting in your lap while you have company over. One of your guests reaches over in an attempt to pet your dog. Instantly, she or he snaps or yips at the approaching hand and you simply say “Oh no Pooches, don’t do that,” without removing said Pooches from your lap. Remaining in your lap and receiving attention and affection from you is a positive reinforcement for a negative behavior from your dog. Conversely, freely reward your dog when called for. If your dog does something desired or is acting in an appropriate manner, give them attention through affection and praise. Perhaps you should take time out to play with a favorite dog toy or give them their favorite dog treat. These first two steps are the backbone of training any dog and everything really falls into place from here.

There are a few more important things to remember while endeavoring to train your small dog. Though small dogs are adorable, they are not toys. In other words treat the dog like a dog. This is a big problem when training small dogs. Just because they’re small, it does not mean it’s a doll or a toy to be carried around all day like a little 3 year old girl carries her baby doll. It is okay to pick up small dogs occasionally, but don’t carry them around because it can contribute to them being insecure. If you do intend to carry your small dog around with you, use a small dog carrier that can be found in many styles and sizes at places like swankpets.com. This gives your small dog a secure place to call her own while you carry her.

Keep your small dog on your schedule. Feed, walk, play, let out to potty and train them at the same time every day so they recognize that you’re in charge and not them. Successfully training your small dog may not happen overnight, but with consistent hard work, you will have a well-behaved companion to cherish as a member of your family.

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San Diego, CA 92122

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