Training to go Potty

So now that you know what housebreaking is and the importance of scheduling, how do you get the pup to go outside? It is a simple process of awarding the pup for good behavior.

Most Lab owners follow a very simple routine when they take their pup outside: take the pup out on a leash directly to the spot you want it to eliminate, use a command to tell the pup to do its business such as Go Potty, do not play with the pup while outside for bathroom time, as the pup goes potty repeat the command over (this helps train the pup to go on command), treat and praise when the pup goes potty, do not return the pup to the house until 10 minutes have passed even if it has already eliminated (it may go potty again), and praise the pup when it comes back into the house.

Beyond the 2-hour schedule, pups will need to go to the bathroom:

• When they wake up in the morning or after a nap
• Before they go to sleep
• After they play
• Before and after they go on a car ride
• When they get overly excited

If you are crate training your Labrador Retriever, you will want to make sure to keep the crate small enough for the pup to only be able to turn and sleep in. Extra room in the crate allows the pup an area to eliminate as they will not go to the bathroom where they sleep. Take the pup out to go potty before you crate your pup and after you let it out of the crate. If the pup cries while in the crate and you believe it needs to go to the bathroom, open the door, put the leash on it immediately, and take it outside right away. Do not praise or play with your pup when taking it out of the crate or it will link crying and barking to getting released from the crate and this will make it more difficult to crate train. When the pup is done eliminating outside, bring it right back to the crate. This teaches the pup that crying or barking will not get any play time, love, praise, or cuddling and will just result in allowing it to go outside to do its business.

Housebreaking is not always an easy task but it doesn’t have to result in frustration and hair loss. With Labrador Retrievers, owners need to remain consistent and persistent in their training. Most owners become frustrated because they try something for a week or two and when it doesn’t work, they either give up or try something new. Unfortunately, this ends up confusing the Lab and the pup will be deemed un-trainable. When training fails, it is usually that the owner does not remain consistent with the training or gives up all together. This leads to an 80-pound dog that rules the roost and a very important bond between owner and Lab that is lost.

Those owners, such as me, that continue to remain persistent and consistent in training, can tell you that it is well worth the energy. My 2-year old Lab, Dakota, was housebroken by the time she was 12-weeks old. However, Cheyenne, my 1-year old full-blood sister to Dakota, was not fully housebroken until almost 6-months old. Why the difference? Although they both share the same genetic make up, they are two separate Labs with two distinct, and opposite, personalities. The point is that each Labrador Retriever is distinctly different however, as long as you remain consistent and persistent in their training, even those, like Cheyenne, who are not as easily trainable as other Labs can be training. Your Lab would never give up on you so never give up on your Lab!

Original source: Labrador Articles