Housetraining is Not a Race
I am not going to explain "how" to housebreak a puppy. That has
been covered in lurid detail in MANY books and articles. It is not
particularly complicated. What I would like to address is the overemphasis I
think is often placed on completing housetraining quickly.
I
think it can be risky for people to think that faster is better and then put
more pressure on themselves and their puppies because they feel they are failing
if they have not housebroken their puppy at a certain age. Many dog owners,
particularly somewhat novice pet owners, place WAY too much emphasis on quick
housebreaking. On many occasions I
have had people tell me how "smart" their dog was, and their evidence
has been that the individual dog
Obviously I share a desire not to
have my house covered in excrement;
Put another way, most of us would
not correct a dog for failure to complete a behavior UNTIL we were certain that
the dog understood the desired
behavior.
Yet how many people start correcting this behavior from day 1 without
first ensuring the dog understands what is being asked?
Furthermore, I find that how
quickly my puppies end up housebroken has more to do with our circumstances than
anything else- if it is summer and I am
staying
at a friends house or in a hotel, I can have a puppy fairly reliable in
a few days, but it takes CONSTANT attention on my part.
If I am at home, and
it is raining out and cold, it may take weeks because I am careless.