How to housetrain your dog using the Wizdog indoor potty system

So you're thinking about buying an indoor dog potty.Make no mistake, an indoor potty isn't some magical device that will instantly housebreak your adult dog or puppy. It will however make the job (yes, it's a job) a lot easier and less frustrating; your dog's paws remain clean (as will your floors, furniture and clothes) and it's really easy to clean.

First thing you have to consider is where to place the Wizdog indoor potty system in your home. It should be as far away as possible from your dog's eating and sleeping area, preferably against a wall. If your dog is restricted to a certain part of your home, the potty should obviously be placed in this confined area. During the first phase of housetraining, you may also want to place paper towels underneath the tray and the surrounding area in case of an accident.

Next, you should catch a few drops of urine with a paper towel/pee pad and put that in the Wizdog potty. This way, your dog will know where he is supposed to eliminate in the house. Untill your dog is fully housebroken, there should always be a small urine-scented towel left in the tray.

At first you may have to take the grid off of the Wizdog. As soon as you dog has eliminated on the tray a couple of times, you can start using the grid as well. If your dog is afraid to step on the grid, patiently lure him on it step by step, with a toy or a treat, while the grid is lying flat on the ground.

If you see your dog sniffing or turning around nervously, immediately put him on the indoor potty and praise him exuberantly. Praising your dog during housetraining is extremely important. Punishment will slow down the housebreaking process, and your dog might even become so traumatised, he won't eliminate when you're in the same room. If he misses the potty a few times, don't get angry, just ignore the mess and clean it up when he's not paying attention.
The more you praise your dog, the harder he will try to get that kind of fun attention, the faster he will learn.

To start using the Wizdog indoor potty and get a free e-book go to http://www.wizdog.com

Housetraining Your Puppy or Adult Dog: a Dog’s Point of View

The most important thing to remember when housetraining your dog is to use positive reinforcement. It is far more effective to ignore your dog when he eliminates where he shouldn't, than to yell at him, rub his nose in it, hit him,... This will only cause your dog to become afraid to eliminate in your presence. If on the other hand you praise your dog, give him treats, pet him... whenever he eliminates where you want him to, he'll quickly catch on to this and try to please you (and himself) by repeating the good behaviour.

Here are some basics you should keep in mind:

-All dogs are "naturally housetrained". By this I mean that every dog will try to avoid eliminating where he eats and sleeps. The mother dog will reinforce this behaviour the first weeks. As soon as you take the puppy home with you, it's up to you to fine-tune it; teach him where and even when he should eliminate.

-At 7 or 8 weeks, about the time you take your puppy home, he will develop a preference of surface to eliminate on. They particularly prefer an absorbent surface like grass, paper, pads and of course your expensive living room rug. You can help your dog make the right choice by using an indoor dog potty like the Wizdog indoor potty.

-For a puppy, indoors is just as good as outdoors (maybe even better; safe, warm and dry). Your puppy focuses on surface, smell and location, so teach him at an early age where you prefer for him to eliminate, for example only on grass or sod, only in your backyard. Keep in mind though that you might someday take your dog somewhere with no grass, sod,...this might cause a problem because your dog might refuse to eliminate altogether. Nothing to worry about if it's only for a couple of hours, but you might want to consider housetraining your dog using a portable dog potty to prevent him from "crossing his legs" for hours on end.

-As dogs prefer to keep their sleep/eat area clean, using a crate can be very helpful when housebreaking your dog. Just remember not to leave your pooch in a crate for more than 4 hours.

-Never forget that your puppy is just that, a puppy. He can't hold up as long as an adult dog, so accidents will happen. But he will send out signals to let you know it's time to go potty. Going around in circles, sniffing are good indicators. If you catch you puppy in the act, you can pick him up and put him where he should eliminate. Puppies immediately stop eliminating when picked up, so you don't have to worry about cleaning up a whole trail.

To start using the Wizdog indoor potty and get a free e-book go to the Wizdog website