Originally Posted by Angelmerritt

Congrats. I absolutely love Eskies. We had one until she passed at the ripe old age of 17.5 yrs. Since then, I've been taking in rescue eskies and fostering them until they find a home of their own. After 13+ yrs of rescue work, here's our game plan that works for us.

Housebreaking Rules
1) For the next few MONTHS, your dog is not allowed to "roam" freely in your home unless they have recently gone potty outside (recently being the last 30-40 minutes). When your dog has not properly used the outdoor facilities you can keep a leash on them and keep them tethered to you throughout the day (what a pain, but it works as you will be able to catch them in "mid-stream" and correct them) or keep them in a kennel. Once you catch the dog having an accident once or twice you've likely gotten to the heart of the problem and will see quick improvement for your hard work.
2) Everyone in the home uses the same phrase to cue the dog to go outside. Eventually that phrase will condition the dog to go on command. When you get ready to take the dog outside to do his business, use that phrase in an upbeat, high-pitched voice as you head out the door "go potty!" (grab some scooby snacks for successes). Write down your “phrase” and tape it to the back door so that it is a handy reminder to all in the house. Ignore the dog outside until they do their business. When your dog successfully makes their “deposit”, praise in a high-pitched voice "good dog, good potty" or something that includes similar verbiage to your first phrase (if you want your phrase to be "go outside" then the praise is "good Rover, good outside!"). Act like a raving lunatic who just won the lottery. This is key. Put some effort into it and be consistent about it for the next 2 weeks. Give Rover a treat as well as lots of praise, cuddles, and ear scratches. Then lots of play and some well deserved house freedom.
3) If the dog is playing first thing out the door, then go right back inside and kennel the dog. Wait 15-20 minutes and try again. This is the longest/challenging to do (try on a weekend when you have lots of time and patience). You want to condition the dog that the first thing you do when going outside is to do their "business", then play. If they go out there to play, then they get confined (three reasons: one is to confine the mess, should they really have to go really bad . . . two is that most dogs won't go potty in a kennel that they have to lay/stand in . . . three is to make it boring and they get no attention for not doing what is expected of them).

What to do when you find an accident in the house:
• Caught in the act: Discipline . . . If you are within an arms length of the dog as they are in mid-squat, you should grab them by the collar and head to the door saying "Bad dog" in your deepest voice (with no eye contact). Do the potty routine outside (even if they are completely finished) then put the pup up in a bathroom while you clean the mess. If you see the dog going potty from across the room . . . yelling across the room will not help. Fly across the room to the dog and hope you get their in time (then grab the collar, "bad dog" and head to the door). If you don't get there in time, do not, I REPEAT, DO NOT DISCIPLINE. Dogs live in the moment and you cannot scold for something that happened a few seconds ago (at least, not at this age).
• Whoops, how did this get here: You were not able to “catch them in the act”, but found a soiled spot. First, remove the dog from the area/room without giving the dog eye contact or talking to them. Take them outside or lock them in a bathroom, whatever. Just don't let the dog see you cleaning the mess. This inadvertently sends a message that the potty is something the owner is spending time with (cleaning up) and therefore is a means to get attention (even bad attention is better than no attention at all - kids do it too). When you are done with cleaning, then take them out and do your normal potty routine outside (even if they have nothing left to deposit). When you come back in, act as if the spot never occurred (and this is difficult to do). Do not rub their nose in it, scold them, point out, or even mention the spot on the floor.

Pee Pads: Why do people use pee pads? Most are uneducated about the most effective housetraining methods or too lazy to execute the methods correctly. Many people who use them are stuck with cleaning up pee pads for the dogs’ entire life. This is especially true regarding toy breeds who are especially difficult to potty train (yes, a stereotype, but it's usually the norm and not the exception) where the owner gives up ever truly potty training the pet and just accepts the clean up and expense of pee pads. The main reason they were invented were for elderly/geriatric pets who can no longer hold themselves all day while owners are away or for apartment dwellers. Why don’t I like them? Because a pee pad is sending a mixed message to a dog in potty training that peeing in the house is allowed and even promoted (most pee pads are treated with a pheromone scent that makes the dog want to go on the pad). You will need to decide if you are going to allow your dog to go in the house or not? Make the choice and stick to it. (Consider this similar to using pull-ups on a toddler - if it is there, why should they make the extra effort to avoid using the diaper/pee pad and use the potty/outside if they have been allowed to be lazy in the past?).

Consistency, consistency, consistency!!!!!! Set the expectations and be consistent with the praise and routine. Dogs are more like toddlers than most people think. Treat them accordingly. Loving but firm.

Originally Posted by Angelmerritt

When playing, try not to use your hands as toys. Some pups will try to play all the time and you will need to distract them from your hands. You don't want them to get use to having hands in their mouth. So try always playing with a toy so they can mouth it. I've heard of some people using hot mitts or old hand puppets to cover their hands for playtime until the pup has matured some.

I do have a technique, although I don't recall if it works for the very young. When they nip or mouth you, YIPE (loudly) like a young puppy would when you accidentally step on their paw. Curl up in a ball and hide your face and whimper until they show you affection and remorse. The YIPE is (1) a distraction from their unwanted behavior (2) the same thing their littermate would do to them if they were playing too rough (3) they begin to stress that they can no longer see your face and are trying to please you. Your body language and eye contact tells them if they are succeeding in pleasing you.

Over the next few months try to get your pup all wound up (which doesn't take much) to the point where they are excited and want to nip/mouth and YIPE exactly when their teeth are around your hand (not a second later - reaction must occur precisly when the behavior happens). When they play with a "soft mouth", praise them (exactly as it is happening). Always end training on a good note (when they play with a soft bite). These sessions should be very short at first (5 minutes) and can be done several times a day. You will likely do much more YIPING than play for a while. Expect a softer mouth over time. They will meet and likely exceed your expectations in a very short time.

This breed is a quick learner and so much fun with their spunky attitude. Enjoy!