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| Housebreaking 1 Successful housebreaking results from a regular routine and an alert trainer. A housebroken dog is simply a dog with a habit-the happy habit of eliminating outdoors. Miniature Pinschers are basically clean dogs, and try not to eliminate where they eat or sleep. Using this fact can help you train your Min Pin. When housebreaking, confine him to a small, safe area, such as a dog crate, or one easily cleaned room of the house (such as the kitchen or bathroom) every time you are away or he is unsupervised. When you get home, take him outside immediately and fuss over him with happy praise when he eliminates. If your Min Pin already soiled his crate or playroom, take him outside anyway and clean up the mess right away. Besides being dangerous to his health, making your Min Pin stay in a wet or dirty crate teaches him to live with his mess, and that slows down the housebreaking process. If you have to be away for several hours at a time, use a room rather than a crate. Your young Min Pin has to relieve himself often, and should never be forced into filthy living. Your Min Pin must be on a regular feeding and watering schedule for housebreaking to be successful. Take him outside first thing in the morning and praise him for a job well done. Young pups need to relieve themselves right after they eat, so after he has breakfast and a drink, take him outside again. Then remember to confine him to his comfortable crate or play area (with a safe toy or two) when you leave the house, or even when you are home but unable to watch him. By lunch time, he will have to repeat the cycle. Take him outdoors as soon as he is removed from the confined area. Then give him food and water and take him outdoors again. Make time to enjoy your Min Pin in the evening. Take him outdoors as soon as you arrive home, praise him for eliminating, and if the weather is nice, have some fun with him. Then let him join you in the kitchen while you cook dinner and let him warn your lap during the evening news. Until he is mature and reliably housebroke, your Min Pin should receive his last meal of the day between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. Even his water bowl should disappear until morning. When he finishes eating, take him outside, praise him, and enjoy each other for the rest of the evening. Just before you go to bed take him outside again. Then confine him safely for the night. Housebreaking 2 Puppies give clues about their intentions, so watch him closely. Take him outside if he begins walking in circles and sniffing the floor, start panting when he hasn't been exercising, or suddenly leaves the room. Puppies almost always have to relieve themselves after play periods or exercise, so a trip outdoors when play is over is always a good idea. Preventing mistakes usually results in a housebroken dog while corrections often lead to worse problems. Expect mistakes and don't get upset by them. Your puppy is young, and will have to learn control slowly, just as human babies do. When you come home to a soiled crate, hold your temper. He won't remember what he did, so he won't understand why you are yelling at him when he was so happy to see you. That type of misunderstanding is more serious than a simple housebreaking setback. If he already relived himself, take him outside anyway and use an odor neutralizer or plain white vinegar when cleaning up a soiled spot. Never use anything containing ammonia to clean up after your Min Pin. The smell makes some dogs seek out the same spot to go potty again. Catching your Min Pin in the act is different than coming home and finding a mess. If you see him getting into position, you may be able to stop him mid-squat with a loud noise, like clapping your hands or stamping your foot. Then pick him up, hurry him outside, and praise him for finishing what he started. Don't use the outdated method of spanking him with a rolled up newspaper or rubbing his nose in his mess. Such punishments teach him to hide from you and eliminate behind the sofa where he thinks you won't find it, instead of performing proudly for praise *Quoted from "A new owner's guide to Miniature Pinschers" By Jacqueline O'Neil |