I Recently Got A Puppy Who Was Paper Trained; How Do I Now Housebreak Him?
September 26, 2009 by admin
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
We got a puppy on Sunday; he’s an adorable and playful 15 week old cockapoo.
He was paper trained while at the store (dont worry he came from a reputable breeder and not a puppy mill) because he didn’t have all his shots yet.
He just got his first distemper shot (which is more common in my area (Brooklyn) than most others), so our Vet said it’s ok for him to go out for a short period of time so long as he doesn’t interact with other dogs, and we have to be very careful watching him.
So we’ve been using newspaper and puppy pads for the past three days. However, we do want to start housebreaking him.
I’m reading a book that says once a puppy is paper trained, he can’t be switched. I’m confused.
Can someone who has made the switch from paper to housebreaking help me make sure my puppy gets on the right track?
Related Cockapoo Training & Care posts:
- Any Ideas On How To Potty Train And Retrain My 5 Month Old Cockapoo Puppy To “come”?
- Is It Ok For My Cockapoo Puppy To Not Be Trained To Use The Bathroom Outside?
- Help…paper/potty Training?
- 2 Year Old Housebroken Cockapoo Has Started To Urinate In The House… What Happened?
- When Crate Training A Puppy, What Do You Do When He Won’t Accept The Crate?
Do not worry, you can transition your dog from paper to outdoors. Move the paper or pad closer to the door where you will be taking the dog out. Eventually move the paper right outside of the door. It will help if you take paper that has already been soiled on and place it outside the door. When the dog goes outside on it, give a treat and offer lots of praise. Move the paper further and further from the door repeating the treats and praise. Eventually take the paper away all together.
Other ways to house train your dog are as follows:
Teather training is by far the quickest way to house train. You teather the dog to your belt by its leash. It follows you everywhere. When it squats to pee, immediately take it out. When it goes outside make a big deal with lots of praise, clapping, and a treat. The dog will learn quickly to go out. Get them on a schedule. At first, take the dog out every 20 minutes and increase the time. Always take them out 20 minutes after eating.
You can also crate train. The crate should be only big enough for the dog to stand and turn around in, otherwise it will potty in one part of the crate and lay in another. Dogs naturally do not want o potty in their sleeping area, so it will start holding itself until you let it out of its crate, provided it is on a schedule. And remember, do not crate your dog all the time. They need exercise and social interaction. They cannot be locked up all the time.
i think so. I did it with my cocker spaniel. You just have to be consistent, when he is able to go outside, remove all newspapers, and keep a close eye on him and when he wants to poo or pee take him quickly outside every time….this will show him/her to get used to grass instread of newspapers….dogs can break the habit, but it all depends on you
You can take him outside and give them treats when they go. also jump up and down and sound very happy. this has worked with mine. she has not gone inside in a while.
If he came from a store, he’s from a puppy mill, no “reputable breeder” would ever sell their pups to a pet store.
Paper training is temporary and not a good idea – you need to get your pup on a regular routine walking the same area outside. You praise him when he gets it right, positive reinforcement is the key.
A 15 week old puppy really has little control over his elimination, it’s at about 6 months that they finally do.
Meanwhile, get him out – a lot – every 2 hours if you can and right after he eats and walk him until the potties.
You can switch from paper to outside, but it’s a nuisance, believe me. I did it with a 4 1/2 month old dog I got and it took about 8 months of me dragging the paper out the door, up the walk, further and further, until she finally believed me that it was the right place to go.
I know pads are handy, especially if you have to leave the dog alone for a while, but walking is the thing to do and what you need to reinforce. Just be sure to keep her walks to your area until she has all her vaccinations and her immunity is in place, at this point she’s still vulnerable to any diseases in public area where other dogs go.
Good luck – start on that outside potty training or you will have a hard time later.