Commandment #3:
THOU SHALT KEEP IT CLEAN

When it comes to your housebreaking program, cleanliness is definitely next to godliness! One of the reasons that dogs can be housebroken is that they have a natural tendency to avoid soiling their living areas. A big part of housebreaking is simply preserving Fido's natural cleanliness. If Fido is forced to be near his own waste, he can lose his natural tendency toward cleanliness, which will make his housebreaking much more difficult. This often occurs if he spent his puppyhood in a small cage at a pet store or in a dirty kennel. It can also happen later in life if he's left in his confinement area for too long and he's forced to relieve himself there or if you aren't diligent about cleaning up after him with the proper cleaning products.

You will need to buy an odor neutralizing product specifically designed to eliminate pet odors. You can find these products at any pet store or online pet supply site. Try to avoid using regular household cleaners, especially those containing ammonia, when cleaning up accidents. These products will not sufficiently eliminate the odor, since Fido's sense of smell is much stronger than yours. Even if you can't smell it, he can! Products that contain ammonia can actually draw him back to the same spot, since one of the compounds excreted in urine is... guess what?... AMMONIA! So, of course, if he smells ammonia there, he may just think it's the perfect place to potty!

Fido's confinement area and crate must be kept very clean. If Fido has any accidents, clean the area thoroughly with odor neutralizer according to the manufacturer's directions. The cleaner his living area is, the less likely he is to soil there, so even if Fido isn't having accidents, his crate or confinement area floor should be cleaned at least once weekly using odor neutralizer.

If you suspect Fido or another dog had accidents in your home recently or in the distant past, those areas must also be thoroughly cleaned to remove all of the odor, so that Fido is not drawn to them. If you're not sure where the accidents occurred, you can find out the high-tech way or the low-tech way.

The high-tech solution is to buy a blacklight from the pet store and use it to examine your carpets, furniture, etc. at night with all of the lights off. This can be quite a horrifying experience, so be prepared... especially if you watch crime dramas on TV that use similar technology to find blood at crime scenes... your house might look like there's been a massacre! But, don't worry, it's just a bit of pee (we hope!). Just clean, clean, clean once you find it.

The low-tech method is the good ol' sniff test. Just get on your hands and knees and start sniffing around for suspiciously stinky areas. If you have a friend with a sensitive nose who owes you a favor, you might want to ask him or her to do it, since you may be desensitized to the smells in your house.

You'll also need to keep Fido himself clean. If he's stinky and surrounded by the smell of pee and poo, he's more likely to have accidents. If you keep him fresh and clean, he's more likely to try to stay that way. Whether he's having accidents or not, you should bathe and brush him regularly, and, if necessary, trim any excess hair around his backside and genitals that may tend to hold urine or feces after he relieves himself. He must be bathed after any accidents that cause him to come into contact with his urine or feces. You will need to do this EVERY TIME. If you find that you're having to bathe him frequently, be sure to use a mild, conditioning shampoo.

Fido's potty area should also be kept clean. Although a trace of his scent is helpful to draw him back to the area, 30 piles of poo in his corner of the back yard or potty pads that are soaked through with urine aren't very appealing to Fido. If his potty area is so icky that he doesn't want to go there, he may begin to seek greener pastures... like your nice, clean carpet. Scoop the poop and hose down the urine outside and for indoor dogs change the potty pads, papers or litter tray regularly.

Most owners have good intentions, of course, and intend to keep Fido and his surroundings clean. However, many owners get frustrated and stop cleaning thoroughly after Fido's made a mess, since they figure he's just going to have another accident and get everything dirty again. Please don't fall victim to this kind of thinking! It will only make matters worse, creating more discomfort for Fido and for you. Remember, if you don't seem concerned about keeping your house clean, Fido certainly won't be!

One other important thing to remember... you should not let Fido watch you clean up his accidents. This comes as a surprise to most owners, who think they're teaching Fido a lesson when they make him watch them clean. Even if you give him a lecture the whole time you're cleaning, this method will not effectively minimize accidents. On the contrary, cleaning up in front of Fido can actually encourage him to have accidents. If he realizes that a misplaced tinkle can get you down on the floor to talk to him, having an accident starts to seem like a good way to get your attention. The situation gets worse if Fido's one of those spunky characters who will steal the paper towels while you're down there and lure you into a chase game. If he thinks accidents lead to all that fun, why would he ever stop? To prevent Fido from learning that accidents create action, just put Fido outside, in another room or in his crate before cleaning up.