2. What You Need to Housebreak Your Puppy - Bringing Puppy Home

Don’t wait to purchase your “puppy items” the same day you get your puppy! You want to buy everything beforehand, and have it all set up. Kinda like a baby’s nursery – which in essence it is!

Except it’s his new “den” which he’ll learn to be his safe haven, place to sleep and also where he needs to “go to the bathroom” while you’re training him.

There are several items you need to purchase for your puppy that he’ll use throughout his adult life, and also for training purposes. They include:

• Crate (one that he can grow into and be roomy enough for his adult size)
• Bed (a washable bed! In fact, it’s good to have two beds … one as a spare when you’re washing the other bed.)
• Harness, collar and lead (the collar and lead will need to be changed as the puppy grows, but invest in a good lead that you can use later into his adult years)

A Roomy Crate: His New Den

Remember, your puppy left a warm, comfortable den that housed his mother and littermates. Now he needs a new den, which will be his crate. You’ll need to purchase a crate that is right for your puppy’s size as an adult.

This will give him enough room to “grow into” the crate and use it all of his life. It should be big enough for your puppy – and later on adult dog – to stand up and
move around.

Also purchase an attachable water bottle or bowl so when he’s crated (which you’ll learn about later in the book) he has access to water. Also get a food bowl that attaches to the crate’s wire door just in case you will travel with your dog and use his crate in the car or other vehicle.

A Comfy Bed to Snuggle Up In

You’ll need a bed for your puppy’s crate. Buy two so you have a spare on hand when you need to wash the other bed (make sure it’s washable!). Don’t buy one with a foam insert as you don’t want the urine from an accident to get into the foam; it can’t be washed out!

And depending on your breed, make sure it’s a well-sewn and made bed! Some dogs think they’re beds are toys, or “nest” in them by scratching and bunching them up. A good bed to buy is one of the fleece beds with a roll side. It’s comfortable, washable and gives a little side support for puppy’s head to lay on.

A Harness and Lead: Time for A Walk!

You’ll have to purchase a collar and harness that fits your puppy snuggly, but not too tight. As your puppy grows, you’ll need to reinvest in a collar and harness that fits him as an adult. But do invest in a good lead that you’ll use throughout his life!

Don’t purchase one of the smaller leads that are for puppies; you can still use a heavier lead to train him how to walk with. And that way you only buy one lead during his life!

Setting Up Puppy’s Housebreaking Area

As part of housebreaking, you’ll learn later in the book to select and set up one area in your house as your puppy’s area to be paper trained. So you can set up that area, you’ll need to purchase:

• Piddle pads
• Newspapers
• An “X” pen

Piddle Pads to Attract Puppy

Purchase a package of puppy pads to use as part of his housebreaking. You’ll use a pad to mark his “main spot” where you want him to urinate and defecate as you paper train him. Later you’ll learn the steps in housebreaking, and part of it is you’ll get down to just one piece of paper, but a piddle pad at that point will be good to use.

Piddle pads are also good to sit on furniture so puppy doesn’t soil the chair or sofa or bed when he jumps up on it. And also are good to put in his crate under his bed so it makes cleaning up any messes quick and easy.

Remember good old newspapers! They come in handy to put on the floor. You can sign up for a four-month subscription so you have plenty of papers on hand while you’re housebreaking your puppy.

X pen is an exercise pen. This is portable, and can be formed into a square or circle to use as a fenced off area where you can put some papers down, and your pup in it.

Rewards for Your Good Puppy!

And don’t forget, your puppy will need treats for rewards, and toys to play with! Rewards and play time are important parts of puppy’s training, and of course, throughout his life!

Toys Are Good for the Soul

Buy a variety of toys: balls to toss, pull toys to play tug of war, and a few fuzzy toys for him to have in his crate as surrogate littermates. The toys should be tough enough to withstand your puppy’s chewing and tugging.

Don’t buy any with small eyes or other parts that they could choke on. And the ones with the squeakers, take the squeaker out, or preferably, buy the toys that you have the option of putting the squeaker in it. Many puppies have swallowed the squeaker and had to go to the emergency clinic for surgery!

You can play with your puppy with toss toys or pull toys after he urinates or defecates; or get him “stirred up” if he won’t go right away outside. A little rough play and stimulation always helps get him moving! Playtime can also be seen as a reward for a “job well done”.

Oh Yum! Treats!

And, treats. Treats, treats and more treats! Every time your puppy goes outside and doesn’t have an accident inside the house, it gets a treat. Through this loving, positive reward, it reinforces how he did good!

And he’ll remember that! Your treats can be natural ones too: carrots, apple slices, bananas. If you reward your puppy with natural food from the beginning, he’ll learn to want them versus some of the processed treats not good for their teeth or health.