dog takes fOREVER to "go" outside

bring something he pottied on outside

meagan

He may be purposely extending his walk by holding it until he's ready to go. One thing that helped me housetrain my puppy was to go on the same, totally predictable routine walk for potty breaks. It was short, and it ended at precisely the same spot each time - when he reached that spot I'd say "Let's go back" and head home. If he hadn't pottied he went into his crate for a little while and then I'd take him straight back out for the same walk. It didn't take him long to figure out that if he didn't go potty during that specific stretch, he wasn't going to get to keep walking until he did.

Take the puppy to an area you chose for the "potty place" each time. Take the puppy to the same housebreaking spot each time and encourage him with a command such as "go potty", "hurry up" or whatever you choose. Megan is correct, you may need to take a paper towel or something you have cleaned up a past mistake with to help encourage the puppy "to go" at this location.


Be consistent using this single potty command only with the process of puppy housebreaking so that the puppy will learn to associate this act with the command. This will be a huge help in the future, especially when in a new environment or location when traveling, visiting relatives/friends, etc. Being completely housebroken and completely reliable is the final outcome you are looking for.


The biggest thing is you'll need is patience, patience and patience. Secondly, consistency.

There is a direct correlation between the time you actually put into the puppy housebreaking process and the speed in which the housebreaking of the puppy actually occurs.

A few tips: A puppy should be taken out immediately (to a prearranged housebreaking area outside): when it wakes up first thing in the morning (before if you manage to get up before the puppy), after each and every meal, after each and every nap, and again before he goes to bed for the night.

Keep the puppy on a strict housebreaking schedule, both feeding and elimination, and you will have puppy housebreaking success much sooner.

I don't have the time or space to go into great detail here but I do have an article listing more detailed steps in the housebreaking process at the bottom of my puppy page on my German Shepherd site. Although the article is aimed at GSD's, it can easily be used with any breed of puppy. See the URL in my signature. Good luck with your new puppy.