Housebreaking a Puppy

Midwest Folding Dog Crate
Folding Dog Crate

If you've been following our crate training guidelines, you are well on your way to housebreaking your new Miniature Schnauzer puppy.

But whether you have chosen to crate train your puppy or not, our house training tips will have your new puppy or dog housebroken in about 2 weeks. So let's begin:

Housebreaking a Puppy in 5 Steps
• STEP ONE - Choose Potty Spot: The first step of the process is to decide WHERE you want your puppy to eliminate and to choose a command to encourage him to do so. command examples: go potty, hurry up, pee pee, go potty, outside, go out... The spot you choose will become your puppy's permanent potty area. When you take your Miniature Schnauzer out to potty, always use the same exit door, the same potty spot, and use the same command.

Remember, puppies are not able to hold it for very long!

• STEP TWO - Housebreaking Schedule: Create a regular potty schedule for your puppy that fits into your daily routine. If you are not using a dog crate, you might want to section off an area in your home to confine accidents. In the beginning, take your puppy outside every hour to relieve himself. This will help prevent in-home accidents. Remember to praise your puppy each and every time he relieves himself in the potty spot.

PeeAway - a proven formula used to prevent pets from urinating where they should not and it rids smelly odors,too!

• STEP THREE - Create a Feeding Schedule: Feed your puppy 2 to 3 times a day at the same time. Scheduled meal times are good indicators of when your puppy will need to go out. Most puppies need to relieve themselves immediately after eating or within 30 minutes of a meal.

•STEP FOUR - Watch Your Dog: During those times of the day you allow your puppy to run loose in your home, it will be your responsibility to monitor him closely. Don't forget, your Miniature Schnauzer is in the learning stages of house training and you cannot expect him to just know what to do. You have to teach him. So watch for the common signs of pre-urination like: sniffing and circling in a particular spot, or suddenly disappearing out-of-sight.

As soon as you see one of these pre-urination acts begin, reprimand quickly with a loud and firm NO and immediately pick him up and take him outside to his potty spot. Use your potty command, and praise your Schnauzer for eliminating outside.

potty training tip: Never reprimand your Miniature Schnauzer puppy after the fact. Your puppy will not understand or be able to associate the reprimand with the act of urinating. And rubbing your puppy's nose in urine soaked carpet does not work either.

What you want to do is prevent the accident from happening in the first place and that is done by your letting your puppy out often and using positive enforcement to encourage him to eliminate only when outside. Only when necessary (ie you catch him in the act) should you use firm NO verbal reprimands. Otherwise, your puppy may begin to fear you and you don't want that to happen.

•STEP FIVE - Repetition and Consistency is Key: During the housebreaking training process, it is important that you remain consistent with your training. So be sure to take your puppy outside often and most importantly: after every meal, when he wakes from his naps, and after a few hours of indoor play. Always use the potty command and be sure to praise your Miniature Schnauzer puppy when he finishes!

Praise is the most effective way to show your Schnauzer you are pleased with him. Miniature Schnauzers in particular, respond to quickly to positive training and will learn that much faster than incorporating any type of disciplinary actions for their bad behavior. so every time your Schnauzer does something right, flatter his ego with plenty of "What a Good Boy!" praises.

Again, it is important to be consistent to be successful.
Housebreaking Puppy, Potty Patch

Potty Patch for Dogs

housebreaking tip: For those of you who have to spend 3 or more hours away from your puppy, it's probably a good idea to combine both crate training and the use of pee pads or paper training, as methods of housebreaking your Miniature Schnauzer.

It usually takes just about 2 weeks to get your Miniature Schnauzer potty trained.

When you have to leave your home for several hours at a time, or when you have chores to do and cannot supervise your Miniature Schnauzer puppy, the following housebreaking guidelines will get you to your goal fast.

Housebreaking Guidelines:

Use a baby gate to section off a room in your home that has easy-to-clean floors, like the kitchen. *see puppy supplies checklist
Place the puppy crate or your puppy’s bed in the enclosed room to confine him to this one area of your house only.
Take 2 or 3 of the puppy pee pads and prepare them as follows:

Gather up these supplies: puppy pee pads, newspaper, and double stick tape.

Place the pee pads away from your Miniature Schnauzer's puppy crate or dog bed, as well as away from your Schnauzer's feeding and water bowls.

housebreaking tip: If possible, place one pee pad by the door that leads out to your puppy's designated potty spot.

Now, take a few pieces of the double stick tape and secure the pee pads to the floor. Next place a few sheets of the newspaper on top of the pads.

Leave the dog crate door open
Place your Miniature Schnauzer puppy in confined room
Leave the area (go about your chores, to work, shopping, etc.)

Since a puppy's natural instinct is not to mess in his own den, your Miniature Schnauzer will leave his crate/bed and wander to the pee pads to do his business.

Upon your return, take your Miniature Schnauzer puppy outside, give the potty command, and praise him lavishly after he relieves himself.

My proven SECRET tip:

Cleaning Up: Since puppies like to re-urinate on top of lingering scents of urine, when you clean the puppy room, only clean the actual on-the-floor accidents. In other words, leave the actual pee pads in place. Instead of removing them completely, just remove the soiled newspapers on top and replace with new sheets of newspaper. This method leaves some of the urine scent behind for them, as a small bit would have soaked through onto the pee pads. This encourages your puppy to urinate on that spot again, as well as, save you some money on puppy pads! The plastic waterproof lining of the puppy pee pads will keep your floors clean.

Change the pee pads completely after a few days.

And that's it. Just keep at it. Be consistent and praise your Miniature Schnauzer puppy often.

2 Week Potty Training Re-cap & Tips

Supervise your Miniature Schnauzer puppy closely
Recognize the signs of pre-urination and get your puppy outside
Use the same potty command every time
Praise your Miniature Schnauzer puppy ever time he relieves himself outside
Reprimand your Miniature Schnauzer only if he's "caught in the act". Use a stern NO and take him outside
Never reprimand your puppy after the fact
Be consistent with potty training
When away from home, leave your Miniature Schnauzer puppy in a confined area with access to pee pads
Take your puppy outside every few hours and as soon as possible after naps, meals or play sessions, to relieve himself
Get your Miniature Schnauzer on a regular feeding schedule
Always pick up food and water bowls at night

In a few weeks, once your Miniature Schnauzer's bladder is more developed, you will come home to nothing on the floor or on the pee pads and realize your Miniature Schnauzer puppy has held it all day! WooHoo!

SUCCESS

Always let your Miniature Schnauzer outside to his potty area, the very first thing upon your return home: a nice walk would be great! And be sure to praise him after every successful potty break. Your Miniature Schnauzer will soon associate the chosen potty word with going outside to relieve himself.

House training puppy tip: Make sure everyone in your household uses the same potty command word. Remember, Consistency is Key!

Even after your Miniature Schnauzer puppy is housebroken, you must continue to watch for the signals that he needs to go out (sniffing, circling, barking at the door, standing by the door, scratching at the door, etc).

Or, you can incorporate the use of the bell system.

housebreaking, puppy bells
Poochie BellsSimply place a string of bells at the designated exit door for your Miniature Schnauzer puppy to nudge. This will alert you he needs to go out. It usually takes just a few days to get a puppy to realize that 'ringing the bells' will get you to the door to open it.

Again, always use the potty command before you open the door and be consistent with your actions, too. (ie. always go to the door when your Miniature Schnauzer puppy rings the bell).

Housebreaking Accidents

It's bound to happen, your puppy has a potty accident inside your home.

Removes Pet Odors CompletelyWell, try not to get angry. You will only slow the learning process if your puppy fears you. What you want to do instead, is clean the mess up right away with a pet odor neutralizer which will eliminate any traces of the scent.

Home Recipe for Removing Dog Urine Stains

Continue with your potty training and the accidents will be rare until they are no more! Soon, your Miniature Schnauzer puppy will come to view the whole house (and not just his dog crate) as his home and therefore will not relieve himself anywhere indoors.

Good Luck with whatever housebreaking method you choose for potty training your Miniature Schnauzer. And don't forget, I want to hear from you! So write and let me know about your puppy's housebreaking experience.

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Miniature Schnauzer Puppy Series

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