How to continue housebreaking when your puppy goes home

We teach our puppies the preliminaries of housebreaking so that when they go to their new homes, you need to follow through and stay consistent.  The puppy should be taught to eliminate in a certain area (let him choose the exact spot - and he will put a lot of sniffing and thought into finding that particular spot).   We firmly believe that crate training is the easiest and best way to housebreak a puppy or dog.

The first thing is that the puppy needs to know when he goes to a new home is where the door is that he will use to go outside.   Show him one particular door at first, so he knows where to go when he needs to go out.  Tap on the door and open it and say "Outside?" (a few times so he knows it), then take him out on a leash to the area you want him to use.  You should always exit or enter the door first, before the dog, but that is another lesson.   Do this several times a day and take him outside each time, so he learns what this is all about.

We teach all our dogs the command, "Get Busy", but you can say "Hurry Up" or something similar.  Keep it short and keep it consistent.  After taking him to the designated area, let the puppy sniff around and occasionally say "Get Busy"  (or your chosen phrase) until he does.  When he starts to go, tell him, "Good Boy (or Girl), Get Busy" in an encouraging voice, but not so as to interrupt or distract him from the business at hand.   When he finishes, tell him "Good Boy (or Girl)!" in a really cheerful voice and pet him and tell him how good he is.  This will reinforce the training he has had and it is best to stay consistent in this respect.  If the puppy has to do something else, give him time to do that, as well, and repeat the whole process, especially the praise afterwards. 

Another very helpful thing to do is to make an "intake and output" chart for the first few days.  Write down the times the puppy eats, drinks and eliminates.  After a day or so, it will be apparent how often and at what times the puppy needs to go outside, so you will be able to plan your outside trips. 

The Bernese Mountain Dog book we sell on this website has very good pointers on training and housebreaking and on Page 89, even has a chart telling you how many times a day a puppy should need to "go" at what age.  This is invaluable information in our opinion.

We have found that teaching your dog to ring Poochie-Bells can be a great way for you both to enjoy the housebreaking process and to ensure that your puppy has a way to communicate his needs to you when your full attention is not on the puppy. Hang the Poochie-Bells on your door handle or on a cup hook next to the door (even better) and teach your puppy how to 'ring' the bells when he or she needs to go outside.