What’s the most common mistake made when housebreaking a puppy?
The most common mistakewith housebreaking is made when we think a cute little puppy is too young to make it outside to eliminate; we allow the pup to eliminate in the house on paper for now. We plan to gradually move the papers closer to the door and eventually outside, believing the pup will naturally learn to go outside as it gets bigger. It would be wonderful if this method worked, but it doesn’t; it’s almost guaranteed to fail and create an adult dog that eliminates all over the house. Adult dogs that eliminate in the house get yelled at, swatted, and relinquished to the Humane Society. Fortunately, this never need happen to your pet. You have the information you need to paper train or housebreak your pet. What’s an ideal pet area to set aside for your dog while it’s learning to eliminate properly? An ideal pet area is about 3 by 5 feet. The area should be closed off—for example, with a baby gate—but should be in the midst of the family rather than isolated from the action. The pet
