One of the most confusing and anxiety-ridden areas of dog training is house training. Yet, it is one of the most important, especially for the humans involved.
The best way to understand and find success with house training is to use the dogs own nature to help you.
Dogs are, by instinct, very clean animals. They would rather not soil any areas where they normally sleep or eat. Dogs are also creatures of habit — they like to know where theyre supposed to go urinate and defecate. If the dog is taught to eliminate on gravel or concrete, they will tend to look for either of those surfaces to do so. If theyre taught to eliminate on grass or dirt, thats where they will choose. Use these habits to your advantage.
Setting up the training area
This is the first step. Make sure the area you choose is small and confined. A bathroom works for this, or a place in a kitchen or garage also work well. Remember that crate training works well for puppies or small dogs, but for the larger animals, the crate is too confining.
You need to spend some time with this aspect of the training. You need to play with your dog in this area, and this is also where...