I get questions all the time about tips and methods for housebreaking a dog.  There are several aspects that are important when house training or housebreaking your dog.  One of those aspects is that of a food routine.  Dogs are creatures of habit.  One of the best ways to get them in a habit of going to the bathroom only outside is by keeping them on a food schedule.  YOU should be the one controlling your dog’s meal times.  There are several benefits to regulating the feeding time of your dog.

Health benefits

Believe it or not, it is often not healthy to ‘free feed’ your dog.  By free feed I mean just putting down a bowl of food and allowing your dog to feed freely whenever he wants.

Dogs that are free fed often become very picky with their eating habits.  The food is always there so there is no reason to eat a full meal.  What happens is that dogs become ‘grazers’, just taking a bite here or a bite there.  For puppies this is especially not good.  Puppies need to eat full meals at certain times of the day so they get a good, steady, healthy stream of calories to help their young bodies develop.

Control your dog’s meal time and make sure he eats a full meal when you put down the bowl.  If he doesn’t eat, just take away the bowl.  If you are consistent your dog will learn that there is a time to eat, and he needs to eat at that time or he won’t get the chance.

Establishing dominance

It is important that every dog understands that his owners are the dominant ones in the household, the leaders.  A good way to establish that relationship is by being in control of meal time.  Canines that live in packs in the wild (wolves, coyotes, dingos, feral dogs, strays, etc.) have hierarchal structures.  The leader of the pack eats first and then has control over when the others eat and for how long.  You, as your dog’s owner, can emulate this behavior by giving your dog food, waiting fifteen minutes, and then removing any uneaten food.  The subtle message to the dog is that you are in control.  This can go a long way in helping maintain a proper hierarchal structure in your home.

Help with housebreaking

If you know what time your dog eats you will also learn to know when he has to go to the bathroom.  By being able to better predict when your dog needs to go to the bathroom you can avoid many accidents from happening.  If your dog is eating at random times throughout the day you may never get him on a regular bathroom schedule.

Dogs love and crave structure.  Help provide that structure by controlling meal times.