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How to Housebreak Your Dog in 7 Days
For almost twenty years, dog owners have turned to this compact guide for sensible, step-by-step advice how to housebreak their beloved pets—in just one week! Now revised and updated, pet expert Shirlee Kalstone's foolproof method for housebreaking your dog is available with a fresh new look and up-to-date information.
Whether your dog is a puppy or getting on in years, whether your goal is to housebreak, paper train, or litter train, this practical, easy-to-follow plan will help you transform your pet into a dependable member of the household—in a way that works with both his innate behavioral instincts and your individual lifestyle. You'll never again have to worry about your dog acting out, feeling anxious or depressed—or ruining your brand-new rug—as you
• The simple secret of successful housebreaking—understanding your dog as a den dweller
• Step-by-step programs tailored to both apartment dwellers and home owners, as well as to people who go to work, versus those who are home all day
• Schedules for training puppies and (re)training adult dogs
• How to identify your dog's natural behavioral rhythms—and use them to your advantage
• How to cope with housebreaking lapses, marking territory, separation anxiety, and health problems
• The power of praise and positive reinforcement, not punishment
Including sample schedules and timetables, and a list of related resources and websites, here is the essential, proven advice that will make training a pleasure, for both you and your dog.
Whether your dog is a puppy or getting on in years, whether your goal is to housebreak, paper train, or litter train, this practical, easy-to-follow plan will help you transform your pet into a dependable member of the household—in a way that works with both his innate behavioral instincts and your individual lifestyle. You'll never again have to worry about your dog acting out, feeling anxious or depressed—or ruining your brand-new rug—as you
• The simple secret of successful housebreaking—understanding your dog as a den dweller
• Step-by-step programs tailored to both apartment dwellers and home owners, as well as to people who go to work, versus those who are home all day
• Schedules for training puppies and (re)training adult dogs
• How to identify your dog's natural behavioral rhythms—and use them to your advantage
• How to cope with housebreaking lapses, marking territory, separation anxiety, and health problems
• The power of praise and positive reinforcement, not punishment
Including sample schedules and timetables, and a list of related resources and websites, here is the essential, proven advice that will make training a pleasure, for both you and your dog.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
258 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
February 11, 2019
My new baby, Harriet, will be coming home from the breeder in two weeks. As a result, I’m reading five books on positive reinforcement-based puppy training and comparing them for anyone trying to decide which of the most popular puppy books to read. Links are below.
The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skete
Before and After Getting Your Pupppy by Ian Dunbar
The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller
Zak George’s Dog Training Revolution by Zak George
***
This is the shortest of the 5 books by far, and unlike the others it concentrates on just one all-important thing: housetraining.
This is the book I liked the least, mostly because it was the only one that really endorsed the “alpha of the pack” mentality, this idea that you’re supposed to “dominate your dog” to “show it who’s the alpha in the pack.” As the other books point out, dogs are not wolves. They are descended from them, but they have not been wolves for thousands of years and have very different behaviors and traits— they’ve been bred to be human companions and to integrate themselves into human families. They behave like dogs in a human family, not like wolves in a pack. They want to please you if you give them reasons to trust you; they aren’t trying to “dominate” you.
There also wasn’t much new information in this one, as compared to the other four. I’ll give this one a pass.
The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skete
Before and After Getting Your Pupppy by Ian Dunbar
The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller
Zak George’s Dog Training Revolution by Zak George
***
This is the shortest of the 5 books by far, and unlike the others it concentrates on just one all-important thing: housetraining.
This is the book I liked the least, mostly because it was the only one that really endorsed the “alpha of the pack” mentality, this idea that you’re supposed to “dominate your dog” to “show it who’s the alpha in the pack.” As the other books point out, dogs are not wolves. They are descended from them, but they have not been wolves for thousands of years and have very different behaviors and traits— they’ve been bred to be human companions and to integrate themselves into human families. They behave like dogs in a human family, not like wolves in a pack. They want to please you if you give them reasons to trust you; they aren’t trying to “dominate” you.
There also wasn’t much new information in this one, as compared to the other four. I’ll give this one a pass.
January 2, 2016
This book has very clear, step by step instructions on how to house break your puppy. As my husky is only 8 weeks he isn't quite at the recommended age (the books says they do not have bladder control until 16 weeks), but I am beginning the schedule and hope to see great results by the time he is about 4 months old. It's a quick read and easy to understand, I would highly recommend this to anyone needing to house break a dog of any age.
May 16, 2020
Great book with lots of great advice
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!
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!
December 29, 2020
Just the answers I needed to break problem potty behaviors with tips for further help. I think this program will be manageable for me and my pups and our schedule. I will have to make some changes to our routine but it will not be anything that is impossible to change. My grown dogs will probably need more than 7 days for this program as she mentions in the book for grown dogs who are set in their ways. But I think this will work! A great quick read.
March 26, 2017
Idk. I think this book had good information in it to use when housebreaking your new pup! I don't understand why anyone would wait as long as the book tells you to. Puppies do have to pee more when they're so little (and it can be a little randomly timed), but I think waiting until the book says (16 weeks) can allow bad habits to form first and breaking them is harder than instilling good habits in the first place.
My little pupper is 7 1/2 weeks old and he certainly has his accidents, but I generally take him outside to a certain spot (a good idea from this book ... I mean I went into this knowing nothing, so this book was actually good for me). He almost always does his business there or finishes there if he starts having an accident in the house. He may be a little too young to totally get it, but he doesn't have a lot of opportunity to think he's supposed to be doing something else. I think he even knows now that he's supposed to get us to take him outside.
I just disagree on the timing indicated in this book a little bit after gathering info from other places too. Still, it's a good short read that's pretty much all good, useful information if you want to get through it before you adopt a puppy so you can start housebreaking right away.
There is also information in this book about housebreaking an older dog, so if you're a fan of rescues this can also help you out a lot. I thought the book was well-organized and simple.
My little pupper is 7 1/2 weeks old and he certainly has his accidents, but I generally take him outside to a certain spot (a good idea from this book ... I mean I went into this knowing nothing, so this book was actually good for me). He almost always does his business there or finishes there if he starts having an accident in the house. He may be a little too young to totally get it, but he doesn't have a lot of opportunity to think he's supposed to be doing something else. I think he even knows now that he's supposed to get us to take him outside.
I just disagree on the timing indicated in this book a little bit after gathering info from other places too. Still, it's a good short read that's pretty much all good, useful information if you want to get through it before you adopt a puppy so you can start housebreaking right away.
There is also information in this book about housebreaking an older dog, so if you're a fan of rescues this can also help you out a lot. I thought the book was well-organized and simple.
March 12, 2018
Helpful and Informative
It was an easy read and did not talk down to the reader. I am going to start this tomorrow. My puppy is ten months old now and we have only had him several weeks. I now know mistakes I have made and am going to change my strategies to match the book and see if I get better results.
It was an easy read and did not talk down to the reader. I am going to start this tomorrow. My puppy is ten months old now and we have only had him several weeks. I now know mistakes I have made and am going to change my strategies to match the book and see if I get better results.
November 16, 2021
If this is the only book you’re going to read on dog training/housebreaking it would be a good one. However, if you’re reading other training books the same information is likely covered there without the need for this standalone book. The book didn’t offer any top secret information that I haven’t found in housebreaking chapters of other training books.
February 14, 2025
Good tips to housebreak your pup
This book offers lots of good tips overall about housebreaking your dog. I like the schedules she provides broken down by the age of the dog and whether their person is at-home or works away from home. This book offers not only strategies to use but explains dog psychology to help us how to bond with our pooches.
This book offers lots of good tips overall about housebreaking your dog. I like the schedules she provides broken down by the age of the dog and whether their person is at-home or works away from home. This book offers not only strategies to use but explains dog psychology to help us how to bond with our pooches.
January 2, 2023
Meh Probably not for all dogs
Probably the most useful things in here are the schedules, if it works for you and your dog. It did not for mine but hey we gave it a shot. It was a very quick read.
Probably the most useful things in here are the schedules, if it works for you and your dog. It did not for mine but hey we gave it a shot. It was a very quick read.
February 16, 2017
Helpful
Good and helpful tips for first time house training a dog. Simple concept and all about being consistent with the puppy.
Good and helpful tips for first time house training a dog. Simple concept and all about being consistent with the puppy.
June 26, 2017
I followed this plan for my dog back in 2004. It works. We are getting a new puppy, and so I needed a refresher. I expect excellent results once again.
Read
May 3, 2022Read because I’m getting a puppy.
July 18, 2023
I followed this book one other time and it produced the best trained dog I have ever seen.
August 5, 2023
It’s really good and it works!!
February 7, 2025
Great book, if your daughter will read it and follow the directions. HA!
I read it. It gives clear instructions and examples of how to train your dog.
I read it. It gives clear instructions and examples of how to train your dog.
July 6, 2025
The other dog training books I’ve been reading have been far more informative
July 3, 2012
How can you say that you really like this kind of book?!? That being said it did address the anxious dribbling issue that we are having with Gimpy and it explained why Isaac needs to be a better pooper-scooper. He has thankfully taken the challenge to heart, for the health of his dog. It was a useful, easy read.
August 14, 2015
Clear and concise
The instructions are very clear on what to do in different kinds of situations. It also explains why do each thing very well, and it provides schedules as well. As someone who likes to use positive reinforcement, I liked it and will be doing everything instructed.
The instructions are very clear on what to do in different kinds of situations. It also explains why do each thing very well, and it provides schedules as well. As someone who likes to use positive reinforcement, I liked it and will be doing everything instructed.
April 10, 2012
OK, the timing she gives here is a little ridiculous, but she has some great ideas and good guidelines based on the age of your puppy. I found the book quite helpful. For the results, talk to me in 6 months! :)
March 9, 2016
Excellent book. A very quick read. Broke the whole process down to the age of your dog, time spent at home alone, how to effectively crate train...can't wait to get a crate and try this out with Murphy, our 18-month old Bichon Frise mix. I know he's going to "hit the bullseye", so to speak.
June 25, 2014
Great Book!
Great Book!
This book is written in easy to understand wording. she gives many examples when she introduces a new
method. Easy to understand and follow.
Great Book!
This book is written in easy to understand wording. she gives many examples when she introduces a new
method. Easy to understand and follow.
November 24, 2015
Good start for puppy
Great information and realistic. You will have a housebroken dog who is also comfortable with his crate/pen -- necessary not just for housebreaking, but also for his safety when you can't be watching his every move (or chew).
Great information and realistic. You will have a housebroken dog who is also comfortable with his crate/pen -- necessary not just for housebreaking, but also for his safety when you can't be watching his every move (or chew).
May 17, 2021
Unfortunately it is very limited in telling you how to deal with a 8 weeks old Puppy as this suggested program is only for dogs older than 16 weeks. I'd like to know how to deal with house training the moment you bring your puppy home and that is usually on the 8th weeks mark.
April 5, 2009
Yeah, seriously...don't ask. DANG DOG!!!
January 9, 2010
We'll see now, won't we. I might change my rating!
April 16, 2011
Mostly useful information, bur I've read most of it elsewhere. Best resource in this book us probably the schedules listed for various lifestyles and dog ages.
January 25, 2012
Basic, but helpful.
February 4, 2013
Going to try this with my dog and see how it works!
May 31, 2013
Every puppy owner should read this.
August 15, 2013
Very helpful. Keeps it simple and fast and easy to read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews