When house breaking your dog, remember it needs to go out before and after everything! Before a nap, after a nap, before eating, after eating, before playtime, after playtime. When you can't be watching your puppy for signs of having to relieve itself, keep it in a restricted area and make sure to take it out to do it's business before and after you place it in the restricted area.
In between the napping, playing, etc., the puppy should be taken out every hour, NOT put out! You need to take it out so you can praise it when it pees or poops...how else is the puppy/dog going to know its doing what you want?
When moving about the house, keep your puppy/ dog attached to you with its leash...this allows you to movie about getting things done and teaches your puppy/dog to remain close. You can practice the recall (come!) at this time, when you have the ability to make the puppy/ dog to come and create another great habit for your dog. Your dog will grow up thinking when you say "come," it has no choice but to come. Depending on the dog, I have kept my dog attached to me for up to a year and a half.
Excellent advice! I wish more people who got puppies realized they had to be taught proper behavior and that the puppy just isn't endowed with it one day.
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