[Rush]

I don't have a GSD yet, I'm looking into it. But I know when my new puppy comes, housebreaking is going to be an... interesting experience. The last time there was a puppy around, it was my mom's Mastiff, and we crate trained him. Eventually though, he began busting through the crate at night and sleeping in the kitchen (He slept there just fine on his own at four months old, no accidents nothing ripped up, anything) So needless to say our last crate training experience wasn't exactly textbook.

I know Crate Training is one of the best methods to go, I was just curious as to other methods that were out there for potty training. I'm not saying I will or won't use these methods, I just want to know what other ways there are of doing it.

How did you housebreak your dog?

 

[Emoore]

I've housebroken two of my own and 16 foster dogs using the crate training method. Only had a problem twice, and both were more separation anxiety issues than housebreaking issues. In my opinion crate training is the #1 method; everything else is nowhere.

 

[Good_Karma]

I think crate training is the easiest method. But it's the only method I have ever used, so I don't know about the other ways. It seems to me that unless you are watching your pup, literally every single minute, any other method is going to take longer. I'm thinking of the pee pad method. Seems like it would take forever to teach the dog not to potty in the house that way.

 

[ZAYDA]

Potty training needs to be what is best for the puppy and that is a crate. Having a safe crate that a puppy can grow into as his safe haven is a must.

A crate will teach a puppy to hold himself through the night and it also teaches them that when they are left alone in the house t is time to rest.

Nothing will be more successful or faster than crate training .

 

[beowolf]

The crate worked wonderfully on my GSD. He's now 7 months and he was houstrained using a crate very diligently and consistently on my part, and he was housebroken at about 11 weeks of age, he hasn't had an accident in the house since those formative months, he lets me know when he wants outside to "get busy" and will hold it until he's outside. I was very impressed at how quickly he picked it up, I knew GSD were smart, but the ease at which he was housebroken was amazing.