Cavalier Breeder Serving Florida, Georgia and Beyond
Housebreaking Your Cavalier Puppy
HOUSEBREAKING
POTTY TRAINING MEANS BEING PATIENT AND USING CONSISTENT REPETITION
Cavaliers are very smart and easy to housebreak if you closely follow the rules and keep a good eye on the pup .It is very important that you select the "potty place" and take your puppy to this place often. Puppies do not have control of their bowels or bladders until they have gone through teething at 4-6 months. However between now and then, they will be able to hold it for longer periods of time.
Begin a regimented routine as soon as your puppy comes home. A puppy age 8-12 weeks old will need to go out often the first day or two just to learn where to go to relieve himself. This time can be lengthened so that within a few days, you only have to let him out every few hours, depending on the puppy's age. Puppies always need to be taken out:
- first thing in the morning,
- after every meal
- after every nap
- after playing hard for more than 1/2 hour
NEVER crate a puppy for more than four hours in the beginning. Most puppies can go longer overnight as long if they are let outside immediately before going to bed, and first thing in the morning. We are not talking 12 hour nights though. Try for 6 and build up to 8!
If you pup does make a mistake, never rub the pup's nose in urine or feces to punish the dog. Cavaliers are extremely sensitive and you do not want to break their spirit, nor do you want to cause them to be fearful or shy in nature. Praise and a watchful eye will be much more rewarding and will work the best. Praise them highly when they go in the right place, and ONLY if you catch them in the act of going where they are not supposed to, PICK THEM UP, and say NO in a harsh voice and carry them to where they are supposed to go. Even thought it's too late, make them stay there for a couple of minutes. Remember; make a really big deal of praise when they go in the correct place. Accidents happen, and it is extremely important you DO NOT GET ANGRY if you find a mess.
Very IMPORTANT...They are babies. It will not work taking your puppy to it and showing it to them, sticking their nose in it, yelling, etc., as once it is done and the puppy moves on, it's forgotten in their mind, and your puppy will not understand why you are angry.
INDOORS:
If you have a small room they can be confined to when you want them in a quite place alone for a while, put pee pads on 1⁄4 of the room. As the days go by and they are hitting the pads, keep making the area smaller until you are down to one pad opened fully. By this time your puppy should be almost potty trained. It will be an event!
Another system is the Puppy Go Potty, a litter box made of special litter for puppies. DO NOT use cat litter. You can fns link on the Good Stuff page. You can just pick up with a tissue or paper towel and flush down the toilet. I only use this system until 4 months.
Doggie Doors are great, but MUST open into a secure, safe fenced area. I will have the puppies trained to go through a doggie door, and then I will start working on having them potty on the correct side of the door, which takes awhile.
OUTDOORS:
Taking puppies outside to relieve themselves the moment they awake is one of the big keys to early success. As soon as you see your pup start to make a little “dance” in circles looking for a likely place to go (you will soon recognize this) take him out immediately. At first, repeat this every half hour while they are awake. Give plenty of praise when he/she does the right thing,
and say out loud "Go Potty" so they learn to associate what this command means.
If you see the pup is about to have an accident in the house, clap you hands and say NO! loud enough to startle him/her until you can pick him/her up and take them out to the proper area.
