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Physiologically your puppy will have problems with good bladder and sphincter muscle control until it is about sixteen weeks old. Until this age its elimination responses are basically automatic. When it needs to eliminate, it has to eliminate, like a child in diapers - it cannot “hold on”. Eating and drinking will naturally stimulate the digestive and urinary tract system but so also does walking and playing. During the first weeks of owning a puppy therefore you need to be observant and have a lot of patience. To minimize ‘accidents’ a crate can be used to put pup in when you cannot watch or supervise and although many owners think of the crate as being unfair ‘locking the pup behind bars’, a crate can become a very comfortable place for the dog. Not only during puppy-hood but for the rest of its life, and most dogs consider the crate their own little ‘den’.
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There is no doubt that the most important lesson most owners want to teach their pup in
the very beginning is to go outside to urinate and defecate. Too often owners approach
this incorrectly and in doing so create problems which can last for many months if not
years. Some dogs learn to go outside very quickly others need more time and patience,
there is no set timescale. In some instances certain breeds do learn quicker than others,
but regardless of which breed, successful housebreaking is dependent upon the owner
and management of the puppy.
Welcoming your new puppy into your house starts long before you go and pick the little guy/gal up. The first thing you will need to do is puppy proof the house. You will want to pay close attention to things that will cause the puppy harm. Here are some examples:
