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Fact 1: Adult dogs can be house-trained the same as puppies.

If you acquire an adult dog, you might not need to worry about housebreaking if he’s already been correctly trained. Dogs—even the brightest ones—don’t naturally realize it’s wrong to go potty inside. They must be potty-trained, and most full-grown dogs are. However you can’t take for granted this is the case. If he was always kept outside, brought up in a cage at a puppy mill, or improperly trained by a former owner, you may have to begin fresh and housebreak him employing the same basic methods as you would for a puppy. Mature dogs don’t need to go as frequently as puppies, though, which can make the training a great deal easier for you. (Then again, adult accidents will make bigger messes!)

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Fact 2: Puppies have limited bladder and bowel control.

A puppy newer than 20 weeks of age may have to go potty once every hour while awake. A really young puppy (under 12 weeks old) may have to go a lot more often—every half-hour or even more frequently. For an older puppy, a common rule of thumb for determining the number of hours he can go without going potty is to look at his age in months and add one. Therefore a four-month-old could hold it for around five hours. Smaller breeds can not hold it as long; bigger breeds could hold it a little longer. Keep in mind, this is a general rule; your puppy’s restraint might vary. While sleeping, puppies can wait longer. However don’t suppose a puppy who can hold it for 6 hours when sleeping can hold it that long while awake. He can not.

How To Housebreak A Puppy

Fact 3: Dogs like to sleep in an unsoiled area.

When given an alternative, dogs, like humans, will never sleep in an area that’s soiled with pee or poop. In the wild, “dogs” – wolves, coyotes, foxes, and so forth – live in a den and go outdoors to relieve themselves. Their puppies learn to do the same.
Due to the fact dogs will attempt their best not to soil their sleeping area, your puppy is less prone to pee or poop in a little “den.” Constraining him to that “den” when you can’t keep an eye on him will assure he does not get a chance to start the bad habit of going anyplace else in your home.

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Fact 4: Dogs do better when held to a routine schedule.

Feeding your dog on a fixed schedule can help him to go potty on a regular schedule. When you allow your dog eat and drink whenever he wishes, you will be less able to anticipate when he will have to go out. Take him out on a regular schedule, as well!

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Fact 5: Punishing a dog after he’s had an accident in the house is meaningless, and could do more damage than good.

Your dog won’t realize that you’re upset about something that took place in the past—even when it was just a minute or two ago. He will believe he’s in trouble for what he is doing at the moment you find the mess and blow a fuse… whether he’s happily coming up to greet you or sitting quiet. This, plainly, is the improper message to give your dog.

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Akita pups are not like other dogs

Training an Akita can be a daunting task. As a breed, Akita dogs are very, very stubborn. This is mostly because they are a northern breed dog and the Japanese prized independence in their dogs. If taught early enough, however, an Akita puppy can be trained effectively.

Learn some techniques to help you train your precious – but headstrong – little tyke. Whether it’s a Japanese or American Akita, all can benefit from these techniques.

The three keys are

Patience
Food/praise
Schedule

Potty training a puppy is like toilet training a child. After a while you get a general idea when they need to relieve themselves.

Akita Pup

Where’s the Akita pup?

You need patience when potty training an Akita pup

The first thing you’re going to need is patience. A lot of it. The second thing you’re going to need is some puppy treats and a leash.

Before we get into the basics, let’s learn a little bit about dog psychology to help us out.

Pretty much all dogs have one thing in common: They want to please; you, other dogs, whatever. Some dogs like Labs have this instinct more than other dogs. Akita pups have the same need, but it’s not nearly as strong. They have a high intelligence and they like to use it. They like to be masters of their own destiny.

Food – the ultimate attention grabber

This is where food comes in.

Just like you and I, food stimulates the pleasure/reward system in the brain in the Akita – effectively over-riding otherwise rational thoughts. Humans have, for thousands of years, been using this to domesticate and train animals. Even stubborn Akita pups.

Rule #1 – Never, ever get angry at your Akita. Never. Akitas don’t take kindly to being pushed around. He may be a pup now, but that little bundle of fluff will soon become a 100 # adult that will command your respect. It’s best to engineer a mutual respect for the little tyke now.

So, you’ve got your puppy, your patience and your bag of treats. What now?

Set a schedule. Write it down and stick to it. It helps greatly if you can be around for a week or two, but even if you can’t, you can teach others to help you out.

Akita pups (and all pups) need to go out often

How often does an Akita pup need to relieve itself?

Every 4-6 hours.

The trick is to get the dog used to going out on a set schedule. Here’s an example: 6 AM, noon (maybe earlier if he’s really young), 4-5 PM and then again right before you hit the sack.

The other trick is two-fold: Take the pup out a few minutes after meals. His elimination system will be stimulated at this time. Secondly, watch for signs that the little tyke needs to go: sniffing around in a corner, turning around (when you know he’s not going to lay down) and (when training starts to kick in) going toward the back door (or the one you always take him out.)

Some Akita’s will learn to tell you when they want out. My Akita comes up to me and licks my hand (or my face if I’m asleep) and prances around a bit. All dogs are different and yours might yip or paw at the door.

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Training to go out on command

When it’s time to take the Akita pup out, put the leash on it and say
(in a happy, upbeat voice): “Come on, Buster, let’s go out.”

The Akita will hear: “Buster, out.”

My wife has our Akita trained to the word, “OK,” and it’s funny to watch when she inadvertantly lets it slip and the dogs race to the back door.

Don’t be afraid to disturb the dog if he’s sleeping. Just like humans, dogs build up their bladder during sleep and release it when they wake up. You’re also training the pup to go on your schedule.

So, you take your pup outside and set it on the ground (early on, you will want to carry it otherwise it might have an accident at the door and the training opportunity will be lost). Make sure you have the treats in your pocket or something where the dog can’t see it (it will sniff it, however).

Patience is the key to potty training your akita pup

Now what?

This is where the patience comes in.

I had a small northern breed dog that I trained to go on the words, “hurry up!” But this is much more difficult with the Akita. Puppies will generally relieve themselves at the first opportunity, but an adult can hold their bladder and stand around seemingly uninterested.

Wait until the pup is nearly finished with her business and then begin praising her, walking toward her with the treat in your fingers. This is a good time to train the puppy to take the treat from you gently. Ideally, you want to train her to take it with the foreteeth rather than just gulping it down.

Conclusions for potty training your Japanese (Akita Inu) or American Akita Pup

That’s pretty much it. Keep at it, don’t give up and if you catch your pup having an “accident,” quickly pick it up, use your magic words (“Come on, Buster, let’s go out!”) and set it right where you want it to finish.

Use praise, not anger to train your Akita, and you’ll have a much happier relationship.

Housebreaking a Puppy

Potty training puppies. There is nothing worse than puppy poop or pee all over your clean floor, this is the one thing that new puppy owners hate and sadly results in puppies being discarded or put in the pound.

How to housebreak your new puppy is the latest article in our puppy training techniques program, if you follow these very simple instructions your puppy will be house trained in no time at all.

Start with this in mind, your puppy does not want to pee or poop in his bed, next to his bed, in his new puppy crate or on your floor.

During the first few weeks in his new home your puppy will have no control over when or where he needs to go. It is up to you to potty train your puppy and teach him when and where he can go and do his business.

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Puppy Pad Training

Most new dog owners start their puppy potty training with training pads.

Throwing the spanner in the works some what; I would only recommend using puppy training pads if you live in an apartment or a building where you have no immediate access to the outdoors.

If you do have fast access to a yard or outdoor area try to ignore this step certainly during the day, you may need to use a puppy training pad during the night in a dog crate but if you possibly can avoid teaching your new puppy to do his business indoors.

Pad training a puppy

A puppy training pad is simply a sheet that absorbs moisture on one side and is leak proof on the other. There are many pads on the market with different sizes, textures, qualities and accessories available.

How to pad train your puppy

Puppies are very simple souls, they eat, sleep and play. When they eat sleep or play they then want a pee or poop, so pad training your new puppy is fairly straight forward if you think about it.

When puppy has finished his dinner; put him on his pad until he does one or the other, when he does give him plenty of praise.

After praising him he may have a little rest or sleep for a while, the minute he wakes up put him straight back on a pad, let him do his business; when he does give him more praise and then have a little play.

During or as soon as play stops put him on a potty pad, let him have a pee or poop, praise him and start all over again.

In it’s simplest form this is the easiest way to potty train a puppy, it doesn’t really matter what he does; keep this rule in mind:

If puppy does anything, put him on a training pad, wait for him to do something then praise him.

There are no short cuts to this, you simply keep doing it over and over. In no time at all he will start making his way towards the pad all on his own.

Please never scold your puppy if he has an accident; it’s not his fault it’s yours for not paying attention.

Never ever rub your puppies nose in poop or pee, it’s not training; it’s cruel and imagine if someone did it too you.

House train a puppy

Potty Training Puppies courtesy of Wikimedia

How to Potty Train your Dog

It is never too soon to start potty training your puppy, remember our opening statement, puppies do not want to pee or poop in their bed or anywhere near it.

For this reason if you follow the steps we used in puppy pad training but substitute the pad with the outdoors he will catch on very quickly.

When your puppy eats, sleeps or plays either pick him up and take him out or call him to your yard or garden, wait for him to relieve himself, praise him and repeat the steps over and over until he makes his own way outdoors.

Always clean up after your puppy immediately, he may be tempted to eat his poop, it’s natural for a dog to do this but not very healthy. 

Puppies very rarely go to bed at night, sleep for 8 hours then wake up and go to the toilet.

During the night you have a couple of options:

If your puppy is sleeping in a crate, put a pad in the crate but as far away from his bed as you can. Don’t leave a dirty pad in his crate any longer than you have to.

If you can get up during the night and let him outside; do so. If you can’t; get up as early as you can the next morning and let him out.

Don’t worry too much about him expecting you to get up every night, he will grow out of needing the toilet during the night within a couple of weeks.

 

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Puppy Potty Training Problems

The two main problems you will have with potty training your puppy are:

He will only use a puppy training pad and won’t go outdoors. If this happens gradually move the pad closer to the door to your yard, when he follows the pad put it in the yard. Once he uses a pad outdoors, remove the pad and reward him when he does his business.

He keeps having accidents indoors. This is your fault not your puppies, he can’t open doors, he can’t ask you to open the door and he is unable to tell you when he needs to go. You must follow the advice above and not leave him many opportunities to have accidents.

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Potty Training Puppies Summary

Following this advice will have your puppy potty trained very quickly:

if he eats, sleeps or plays put him on the pad or outside
never scold him for accidents
never rub his nose in his poop
pay attention to what he is doing

Housebreaking a puppy can take anywhere between 2 days and 2 months, it really all depends on you and your puppy. You will not go far wrong if you are patient, observant and full of praise for his success.

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