How to Housebreak Your Dog in 7 Days (Revised)

The dreaded "my mom was right," comes to mind after reading this book. We have 2 Boston Terriers who are now 2. After getting the second one the oldest and "house trained" pup reverted back to using the bathroom inside. It has been a very long 2 years of bad behavior and horrible training on my end with the second pup's arrival. I had recently installed dog gates to block off the areas where they both used the bathroom inside and it was starting to work and enter a new German Shepherd puppy..... This really turned everything upside down for me all over again. I purchased another book as it was an overall training book. Needless to say the advice in there for house training was horrible. However, I ran across this book on one of my lists and decided to give it a try. I have JUST finished reading and I already feel more prepared and have a better understanding of what to do now. I would like to say that this book was well written and very informative, it was also a very quick read. About an hour or two. That alone gets praise! I seriously didn't have it in me to read a novel on training my dogs quickly. I feel like I will be very prepared to start the program on Monday, as this will allow e the time to gather necessary supplies and get the new puppy as close to leash trained as possible. I will update (if I can remember) after my dogs are trained. Thank you for all the information and an easy read!

I purchased this book for my daughter & son-in-law who recently got a puppy from a rescue place. They were having a hard time trying to train him because he was a very anxious & fearful puppy. This book gave them some great tips for training a puppy & has some special tips for rescue-type animals as well. I would recommend it as an inexpensive, very useful book for someone with a new puppy.

I have bought this book more than once over the years as I always give it to friends when they get a new puppy or dog. I always think I won't need it again as I "don't want another dog." Then, of course, I get another dog and buy this again. I got smart this time and bought the Kindle version. I will have it always since I can't give it away. The schedules for crate training are invaluable and the genearl information is just clear, easy to follow, and the advice works every time.

The book has some good tips but I don't think you can actually house break a puppy within 7 days even after it is 16 weeks old. Grown up dog maybe since it probably was already exposed to some house training. Our puppy (already 4.5 months) can hold it through the night (and she could hold through almost immediately when I got her at 10 weeks). During the day she usually can hold it from 8 to 1 and from 2 to 6. But once she is out she can't hold it more than 2 hours. You can start reading her signs of wanting out pretty easy, depends on the puppy I guess. But I am not a professional trainer but we followed what the book told and it didn't quite work. We have a more difficult case since we live in an apartment building on the 4th floor. She was ok holding it till the outside door - we used so tips from the book. Plus if you have a dog from the working group like our Doberman pincher, it needs more exercise and not 30-40 minutes of free time otherwise those smart dogs start eating your expensive furniture and clothes. The book is not super expensive so it is a good source to start researching before you bring a new member to your family.

I purchased this book in November of 2015 and only cracked it open two months ago. A little background: My precious Mini Aussie was a rescue. He was kept under a porch outside for the first year of his life and as a result is a very traumatized and skittish animal. Potty training was an issue from day one. So much so that my dog would pee instantly as we walked through the door. We soon learned that this was out of fear and had to address the fear before the potty training. Fast forward to a year in a half later and he still isn't potty trained but is doing much better in other areas. The going to the bathroom in the house got so bad that my boyfriend and I almost called our relationship off. Out of desperation I called a trainer who wanted $600 to train my dog but I remembered I had ordered this book and figured I would give it a try before spending an obscene amount of money on a trainer. Within one week, ONE WEEK, my dog was potty trained and hasn't pooped or peed in the house since! This solved all of my problems. I stuck to the schedule of letting him out immediately after I woke up, feeding him 15-20 minutes later, then taking him out to void 30 minutes after that. In the evening I take him out immediately after I get home, feed him 15-20 minutes later, take him out 30 minutes after that and then again right before bed. Before I knew it, he was potty trained!!! He knows the schedule and he knows when it's time for him to go outside and void. I didn't give him treats but instead lots of love after he went to reinforce his behavior. This book is wonderful!

I will advise the reader to buy the book before getting the puppy. READ IT!!! and think if you are ready to do what its needed... if you are still COOL with the idea. This is the BEST 7.99 you have spent in a long time. Adopt the schedule that best suits your style and star doing in it from day one. The schedule will help you and the puppy to get ready for the paper training, out door o whatever you decide. I have trained TWO shelties using this book, and on the first day. I GOT POSITIVE RESULTS, becuase I adopted a schedule from day one. Shelties are very easy to train, but getting them on the schedule from the start help to make it easier on you and them. The book gives you different choices depending on your life style, and it makes you feel good if you work all day (YES!!! THERE IS A SCHEDULE FOR YOU TOO) It is a quick read, no more than 30 minutes to a fast reader, around an hour for a slow.. it is easy to follow and you can skip a chapter depending on what you need. STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!!!

I read this book before getting my 9 week old wheaten terrier. Although the book has some good suggestions for crate training, most are already out there (keep the puppy in the crate unless they've just gone out, etc) and/or are just logical. However, each dog is different, and the book doesn't express that very well. By providing a schedule to stick to, it's assuming that all dogs are similar in their elimination habits, which is NOT true. Additionally, I was following the schedule and providing limited water for my puppy, which my vet said was NOT HEALTHY. Puppies need all the water they can get. Additionally, unless your puppy can tell you that it needs to get out of the crate to go out, you won't know, and it will go in the crate, causing a bigger headache for both you and the poor puppy. The best advice I got with potty training is to take them out every 1.5-3 hours depending on how small and young the puppy is (aka, how small their bladder is and how much control the have over it), and to give them a treat immediately after they relieve themselves. My advice: ask your vet about the best course of action for your puppy and forget about buying this book.

I recommend this book to anyone that is bringing home a new puppy or dog! Simple, quick and easy to read! A little repetitive, however the author is bringing home the basic steps for different types of house training throughout. If you think about it, repetition is what you need to do when training anyways. So don't let that scare you off. It's worth it. I rescued a full blooded 6 month old Border Collie. All he knew was a life in a 16X10 dog run. I live in an apartment, so I knew there was going to be a learning curve. I looked online & spoke with my vet for reputable house training guides. This book was in the top 5 of almost every web review & and the first to be recommended by my vet! I followed the guide and honestly my new pup was a little reluctant at first, but with positive reinforcement, he caught on pretty quickly. In the first 7 days, he only had one accident. I caught him in the act, and took him outside immediately, and he finished his business. When I got back inside the apartment I cleaned up the mess & sprayed the area down with an oder blocker. He's not had another accident since. Looking back, he gave me plenty of notice that he needed to go potty, but I had my nose in a book. It reminded me that it's not just the dog we're training, but ourselves as well. Hope this review helps!

Great book for beginners...I bought this book as she also takes into consdieration those that work all day and can't follow the same plan as others home all day. Included are a few schedules which are easy to follow and adjustable. Fast read!

I first bought this book almost 20 years ago. My then new puppy was trained in 3 days. A few months later we got another dog from a rescue that came with serious behavioural problems, although this grown up dog had not had any potty training before, she was clean around the house after 10 days. Since then, the book, and schedules in it, have been a companion that comes back into service everytime the dogs get out of schedule, for example when their rotine is disturbed for a few days due to visitors, illnesses or operations, holidays and kennel stays. It has been a godsend even at geriatric stage. We just got another dog from a rescue, and the book is still as good, I needed to re read the pages about giving the dog some reassurance by staying with her in the garden untill she did her business, just while she was getting familiar with our home. 4 days of following the book and she was clean around the house. Having said that, this book doesn't present you with a magic solution, or makes your dog hold ad infinitum, it just gives you some clear and concise advice on how to make your puppy or dog understand what are you expecting of them, and some very useful routines to ensure your dog eats at the right time to be ready to go out to the toilet at certain convenient times of the day.

This is a great book! We started implementing the recommended advice and it was much easier to house train our puppy. I recommend this book to any new puppy owner!

I got my puppy when he was 8 weeks old..the info doesnt really start until 12 weeks.....however I applied the rules(most of which are common sense) and now he is 11 weeks hes pretty good/reliable. The stuff about cage/crate training was very good, the puppy cried for 20 mins on his first night here, 10 the second, five the third and hasnt cried since, he goes into it at night without being asked, lies down quietly and goes straight to sleep. never having used one before, I definitely will again..it has made the nights peaceful and dry!

I've always had dogs, but only got them when they were already housebroken. Getting my new 10 week old puppy, I decided to arm myself with this book. The things that are said are just so simple, you wonder why the heck didn't I think of it? Routines, keeping a steady schedule, controlling water and food intake and mot of all, watch them like a hawk! Well worth the price and it truly did take 7 to 10 days before my pup was housebroken. My friends and coworkers were amazed and wondered how I managed. Highly recommend!