Starting Off On the Right Track
The first course of action in housetraining is to promote the desired behavior. You
need to:
Has To Potty.
Timing Is Important!
A six- to eight-week old puppy should be taken outdoors every one to three hours.
Older puppies can generally wait longer between outings. Most puppies should be
taken out:
Eliminating On Command
To avoid spending a lot of time waiting for your puppy to get the job done, you may
want to teach him to eliminate on command. Each time he is in the act of
eliminating, simply repeat a unique command, such as "hurry up" or "potty", in an
upbeat tone of voice. After a few weeks of training, you will notice that when you
say the command your puppy will begin pre-elimination sniffing, circling, and then
eliminate shortly after you give the command. Be sure to praise him for his
accomplishments.
Feeding Schedules
Most puppies will eliminate within an hour after eating. Once you take control of
your puppy's feeding schedule, you will have some control over when he needs to
eliminate.
Crate Training
Training a puppy to be comfortable in a crate is a popular way to provide safe
confinement during housetraining. The majority of puppies will rapidly accept crate
confinement when you make the introduction fun.
Nervous Wetting
Direct Him Away from Problem Areas
Don't Make Things Worse
Success!
The basic principles of housetraining are pretty simple, but a fair amount of patience
is required. The most challenging part is always keeping an eye on your active dog
or puppy. If you maintain control, take your dog outdoors frequently, and consistently
praise the desirable behavior, soon you should have a house trained canine
companion.
The first course of action in housetraining is to promote the desired behavior. You
need to:
- Designate an appropriate elimination area outdoors
- Frequently guide your dog there to do his business
- Heartily praise him when he goes
- By occasionally giving a food reward immediately after your dog finishes, you
can encourage him to eliminate in the desired area. The odor left from previous
visits to that area will quickly mark it as the place for the pup to do his
business.
Has To Potty.
- Buy a 3 inch Xmas brass bell, the type you put on a XMAS package, etc.,
- Tie the bell to the bottom of the door frame, (about 6 inches from the floor)
- Everytime you take the puppy outside, gently tap the bell with your shoe.
- He will probally never seemed to pay much attention to it, but all of a sudden,
may take a couple weeks , you may get a surprice in that bell ringing! - This will teach him to tell you without having to whine or scratch the door
Timing Is Important!
A six- to eight-week old puppy should be taken outdoors every one to three hours.
Older puppies can generally wait longer between outings. Most puppies should be
taken out:
- After waking in the morning
- After naps
- After meals
- After playing or training
- After being left alone
- Immediately before being put to bed
Eliminating On Command
To avoid spending a lot of time waiting for your puppy to get the job done, you may
want to teach him to eliminate on command. Each time he is in the act of
eliminating, simply repeat a unique command, such as "hurry up" or "potty", in an
upbeat tone of voice. After a few weeks of training, you will notice that when you
say the command your puppy will begin pre-elimination sniffing, circling, and then
eliminate shortly after you give the command. Be sure to praise him for his
accomplishments.
Feeding Schedules
Most puppies will eliminate within an hour after eating. Once you take control of
your puppy's feeding schedule, you will have some control over when he needs to
eliminate.
- Schedule your puppy's dinner times so that you will be available to let him out
after eating. - Avoid giving your puppy a large meal just prior to confining him or he may have
to eliminate when you are not around to take him out. Schedule feeding two to
three times daily on a consistent schedule. - Have food available for only 30 to 40 minutes, then remove it. The last feeding
of the day should be completed several hours before he is confined for the
night. By controlling the feeding schedule, exercise sessions, confinement
periods, and trips outdoors to the elimination area, your puppy will quickly
develop a reliable schedule for eliminating.
Crate Training
Training a puppy to be comfortable in a crate is a popular way to provide safe
confinement during housetraining. The majority of puppies will rapidly accept crate
confinement when you make the introduction fun.
- Since it is important to associate favorable things with the area where your
puppy is confined, it is a good idea to play with him there, or simply spend
some time reading or watching television nearby as he relaxes with a favorite
chew toy. If he is only in the area when you leave, it becomes a social isolation
area that he eventually may resist entering.
- A good time to start crate training is at dinner time. Feed your puppy his dinner,
one piece at a time, by tossing pieces of kibble into the crate for him to chase
and eat. This way, you can make a game out of training.
- When you pick up his toys, store them in the crate so he will enter on his own
to play. You may even want to occasionally hide a biscuit in the crate as a nice
surprise.
- You should not use the crate for periods that exceed the length of time the pet
can actually control the urge to urinate or defecate. If you are gone for long
periods each day, you will need to provide a larger confinement area. You may
want to consider using an exercise pen or small room.
- Provide an area large enough so that if your puppy has to eliminate when you
are gone, he can do it in a space that is separate from his sleeping area. A 15-
to 30-square foot area is adequate for most puppies. If he chooses a specific
place to eliminate, cover it with paper to make clean up easier.
- Expect some mistakes Left on his own, the untrained puppy is very likely to
make a mistake. Close supervision is a very important part of training.
- Do not consider your puppy housetrained until he has gone at least four
consecutive weeks without eliminating in the house. For older dogs, this period
should be even longer. - Until then:
- Your puppy should constantly be within eyesight
- Baby gates can be helpful to control movement throughout the house and
to aid supervision - Keep them in the crate when unsupervised. When you are away from
home, sleeping, or if you are just too busy to closely monitor your pet's
activities, confine him to a small, safe area in the home.
Nervous Wetting
- If your puppy squats and urinates when he greets you, he may have a problem
called submissive urination. Dogs and puppies that urinate during greetings are
very sensitive and should never be scolded when they do this, since
punishment inevitably makes the problem worse. - Most young puppies will grow out of this behavior if you are calm, quiet, and
avoid reaching toward the head during greetings. Another helpful approach is to
calmly ask your dog to sit for a very tasty treat each time someone greets him.
Direct Him Away from Problem Areas
- Urine and fecal odor should be thoroughly removed to keep your dog from
returning to areas of the home where he made a mess. - Be sure to use a good commercial product manufactured specifically to clean
up doggy odors. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for usage. - If a carpeted area has been soaked with urine, be sure to saturate it with the
clean up product and not merely spray the surface. - Rooms in the home where your dog has had frequent mistakes should be closed
off for several months. He should only be allowed to enter when accompanied
by a family member.
Don't Make Things Worse
- It is a rare dog or puppy that can be housetrained without making an occasional
mess, so you need to be ready to handle the inevitable problems. - Do not rely on harsh punishment to correct mistakes. This approach usually
does not work, and may actually delay training. - An appropriate correction consists of simply providing a moderate, startling
distraction. You should only do this when you see your dog in the act of
eliminating in the wrong place, never after the fact because he will not know
why you are scolding him. A sharp noise, such as a loud "No" or a quick stomp
on the floor, is all that is usually needed to stop the behavior. Just do not be
too loud or your pet may learn to avoid eliminating in front of you, even
outdoors.
- Do not continue to scold or correct your dog after he has stopped soiling. When
he stops, quickly take him outdoors so that he will finish in the appropriate
area and be praised.
- Never rub your dog's nose in a mess. There is absolutely no way this will help
training, and may actually make him afraid of you.
Success!
The basic principles of housetraining are pretty simple, but a fair amount of patience
is required. The most challenging part is always keeping an eye on your active dog
or puppy. If you maintain control, take your dog outdoors frequently, and consistently
praise the desirable behavior, soon you should have a house trained canine
companion.
