To begin the house training process with your Pit Bull puppy, you need to first determine a suitable place outside your house where he can relieve himself. Once you have found that place, give your puppy a little tour around to let him get acquainted with the new area. The next step is to restrict his/her freedom inside the house. Your Pit Bull puppy is less inclined to relieve himself near his sleeping quarters.
By restricting him to certain areas in your house, he will be more likely to hold himself. However, do not make him wait too long. Even if your Pit Bull puppy is physically strong, he still has very weak control over his bladder and bowel movements.
In fact, any dog is physically incapable of controlling their bladder until they are approximately 14 weeks of age. If you do not find the time to take him outside often enough, and whenever he needs to go, then you leave him with no other choice but to relieve himself on your carpet. Once you notice that he needs to use the bathroom, then you need to take him outside immediately and stay with him until he has finished relieving himself. As soon as he is finished doing his deed, remember to reward him with praise and plenty of treats to let him know how pleased you are.
Do not expect more from your Pit Bull puppy than he is physically able to do. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that a puppy can hold his bowels for as many hours as his age in months. For example, a three-month old puppy can hold it in for about three hours.
There is however, a limit to this rule. It is sensible not to expect your twelve-month old puppy to hold his bladder or bowel movements for twelve hours. If he is forced to stay inside the house for longer than you can reasonably expect him to hold it in, you are causing an accident to happen.
At the same time, you are teaching your puppy to go in the wrong place. Installing a doggy door is a very effective way to house train your Pit Bull puppy. Once he gets the idea and becomes familiar with where he needs to go, he will usually let himself out to do his deed while you are gone. When he relieves himself inside the house, he labels that area as his bathroom and will likely to go there again. If your Pit Bull puppy does have an accident in your house, clean and deodorize the area thoroughly and then block his access to that area.
If you catch him in the act, say "no" in a firm voice and rush him outside. Punishing him for relieving inside your house will not help him learn any faster and in fact can hinder progress.
Gene Sower is the publisher of the Happy Housetraining ebook. Get the FREE "Housetraining Report" by signing up here: http://www.lucy-the-dog.com/frehousrep.html.
