Some dogs are easier to house train than others. House training really starts in the litter with the mother. A clean mother will pick up her pups and take them out of the sleeping area to relieve themselves.

If this does not happen the puppy can be difficult to house train. Puppies that come from pet stores can also be very difficult to house train. Pet stores keep puppies in cages where they eat, sleep, urinate and defecate right in the cage.

This makes house training difficult. A lot of dogs that I see in shelters are very hard to house train and I always strongly suspect that is why they are in the shelter.

If your dog is giving you a hard time and seems impossible to house train here are some tips for you.

1. Get your dog on a schedule. Don’t wait for your dog to give you a sign. Take your dog outside before he has the opportunity to make a mistake. For very difficult dogs start on an hourly basis.

2. Teach your dog a signal. The easiest signal is to hang a bell on your door. Put a little peanut butter on the bell. When your dog touches the bell say, “Good dog” and take her outside. Every time you go out the door have your dog touch the bell. In a short time your dog will understand that touching the bell means outside.

3. Proper clean up. Don’t clean up with any products made out of ammonia. Ammonia smells like urine to your dog. Using any product that has ammonia will smell like a strange dog has come into your house and urinated over your dog’s spot.

4. Go with your dog when your dog goes outside. You have to be there to reward your dog for going in the right area. If you tie out your dog or have a fenced in yard you won’t be there to let your dog know that they have gone in the right area. This is a very important tip to remember.

5. The final tip I can give you is to not severely punish your dog when they have an accident. A lot of dogs that have been strongly punished learn to hold it when the owner is around. I have worked with a lot of dogs that would not do anything in front of the owner. The were too nervous. Harsh punishment can backfire your training efforts.

By following these tips you should get some results with your dogs house training. Remember that this is really not a behavior problem. It’s a location problem. You just need to help your dog learn the right location. Good luck.