3 Starting Points When Housebreaking Portuguese Water Dogs by:Richard Cussons

There are always ways and means to helping a puppy mature

, as there are to raising a child. But most of us are one in saying that children, unlike dogs, are governed by universal and unchanging rules. But here are three things that still make people ooh and ahh when it comes to taking care of their, say, portuguese water dogs, or weimaraners. Indeed how many times are we still going to hear those "My dog doesn't mind me at all", or "He's changed irreversibly!"?

1. Dogs can't get through to our English, until we show them how.

Noticed how a dog or a puppy seem to regard us the way a kid would look at a magician? Dogs act this way because our lives really become theirs; they study our body language, and our facial expressions. Until we make our English easier to learn, it's all they have! If we say, "Wee wee?" on one day, "Wanna pee?" on the next, "OK, let's go out?" on the third, take note that they make moves towards the door because they are already accustomed to seeing us picking up the leash and moving out the door.

But if you want your dog to speed up on his training, why not pick one single command for each trainable behavior without ever changing it? Tell also all family members to stick to the words.

2. Puppy metabolism works sometimes faster than our own estimates.

This all means that you don't need to be shocked when your pup eats and drink so much, and so pees and pottier even more. Punishing your puppy for a housebreaking mistake is really and simply put, your own fault. Even a large 6-week old puppy will not have enough of a pee break of once every hour! So housebreaking a dog beyond 7 to 8 weeks of age smacks already of negligence.

Examples of behavior that tell you the dog is about to eliminate: when he wakes up from a nap, after eating, or when he starts sniffing and circling the floor. You may want to pick him up and hurry outside. When he is successful, make a big show of praising the dog for a job well done.

3. Dogs are quick when it comes to learning about our facial expression and body language.

This simply means that the worst punishment you can give your dog (which you have to befriend well) is to give him a frown and to turn your back to him. If you punish him this way (instead of spanking, ranting or throwing stuff) for a violation, he is sure to get your message. But since he has a short attention span, give him your happy face once more.

To end, dog owners from everywhere need to employ consistent commands and affectionate praise. This way their dogs (and your portuguese water dogs) will have an easier time knowing what you want of them. They will become a master of your body language and facial expressions in no time at all.

About the author

Richard Cussons admires reliably trained portuguese water dogs. Learn more about this breed at portuguesewaterdogsavvy.com and discover how to achieve successful portuguese water dog puppy training.

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