House Breaking Your Retriever Puppy
Retrievers are intelligent, affectionate dogs that thrive on praise so you will not find it difficult house breaking your retriever puppy if you follow a few simple guidelines.
Training should begin as soon as you bring your puppy home. Retrievers do best with a set routine which you need to establish early. You should be prepared to spend a fair amount of time and effort on this in the beginning to get good results.
The Golden Rules of House Breaking Your Retriever Puppy
The retriever is a great family dog because they are among the easiest to train, but remember that each puppy is unique and some will be easier to train than others. The golden rules of training are as follows:
- Patience. Your puppy is learning a new skill and it might take some time before he understands what is required of him. Your job is to be fair and tolerant.
- Repetition. You will need to keep doing the same things over and over until your puppy gets used to the desired behaviour and knows what to expect.
- Consistency. This is extremely important in any training. If you begin as you mean to go on it will make the whole training procedure much simpler and quicker.
- Positive reinforcement. Reward in the form of praise and treats will ensure that your dog behaves well because he wants to please you. House breaking your retriever puppy using punishment will only lead to fear and insecurity.
Setting up A Routine
Retrievers are bouncy and excitable as puppies and relieve themselves frequently. This means you must take them outside frequently to avoid accidents in the home. Aim to take your pup out every 2 hours and at these times:
- First thing in the morning
- After a nap
- Immediately after eating
- Before he goes to sleep at night
- After play time
- Whenever he gets very excited
As your puppy gets older you can extend the 2 hour schedule by an hour at a time.
The Nuts And Bolts
When you take your pup to do his business, follow the same procedure every time:
- Leash. Putting a leash on keeps your pup close and safe, but also allows him to associate going outside with toilet training.
- No playing. Don’t play with him at potty times so that your pup can concentrate on one thing at a time.
- Designated spot. Take him to the same spot so that he knows what it is for.
- Command. Use a simple command like “Go potty” and always use the same one.
- Repeat command. When he relieves himself, repeat the command so he knows what it means.
- Praise. Always praise your dog lavishly so that he wants to repeat the behaviour to please you.
- Treat. Have a little treat ready and your pup will soon be happy to perform every time.
House breaking your retriever puppy can be a fairly simple procedure if you are willing to put in the time and effort required.
