| House
Training Made Easy
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PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE!
When
you see the signs of an impending puddle, react! Quickly -before he has the
chance to squat- ask him in an excited voice, "Do you have to go OUTSIDE?" Lead
the way, continuing to praise all the way. Once outside, stay with him until
you witness the desired results and praise him as he goes. "Good, go potty outside!"
Make him feel that he is the most special dog in the whole world.
CONFINE WHEN YOU CAN'T WATCH
By
confining him to a small place, like an airline kennel, you will teach him to
wait to be let out. He will be more reluctant to soil his crate, because if
he does he will be forced to sit and look at it and smell it until you return.
When you do let him out, take him directly to his assigned toilet area and praise
for quick results. (See CRATE TRAINING.)
Tethering
is another option to keep your little one from pitter-pattering off where you
can't see them.
KEEP A REGULAR SCHEDULE
Take
him out first thing in the morning, last thing at night, and many times in between.
Feed and exercise on a regular schedule. Remember, what goes in regularly, will
come out regularly. How soon after he eats does he need to go out? Keep track.
Free-choice feeding may hamper your house training efforts - what trickles in
will trickle out unpredictably! Your dog will probably need to go out soon after
eating, after napping, and after exercising. If you can anticipate when he needs
to go and hustle him to the appropriate spot at the first sign, you'll avoid
accidents.
DON'T JUST PUT HIM OUT - STAY WITH HIM
If you don't stay, you'll miss the chance to
praise and you'll also miss the chance to name the behavior. "Outside" is where
he needs to go, "Go potty", "Find a tree", or, "Do your business" (call it what
you like) is what he needs to do when he gets there. If you stay with him, you'll
also know for a fact that both duties were accomplished before he comes back
in. (You'll also be glad that your dog is comfortable eliminating in your presence
when you're standing in the rain at that rest stop while vacationing with your
pet!)
HE COMES RIGHT BACK IN AND MAKES A MESS
If you leave him out alone, you won't know if
he completed his assigned tasks or was distracted by a butterfly. Many young
puppies are distraught about being separated from their owners. They may spend
the entire time while outside just sitting on the porch. It's unlikely that
your pup will want to ask to go outside if it is a negative experience to be
separated from the security of its human family. "He was out for two hours and
came in immediately made a mess." He may have spent most of the past two hours
napping, awoke to the sound of the door and came running. Now he's finally back
inside - is he apt to want to ask to be left out again?
NO PUNISHMENT
If he has an accident, swat yourself with the
rolled up newspaper, not the dog. It was your fault for not watching him closely
enough! Rubbing his nose in it (yuck!), scolding or hitting will only teach
him to avoid you when he feels the need, rather than come find you. Correcting
before the dog learns how to ask only teaches the dog to sneak off down the
hall where you won't see him.
TEACH HIM HOW TO ASK
If you have been a good
cheerleader, your dog has probably made the association between the feeling
of a full bladder and your excitement at the prospect of going outside. You
may notice that he circles and then looks to you like, "Well? I'm feeling it
- are you going to get excited?" Now is the time to start playing "stupid".
"What? What do you want? Show me!" The more stupid you appear, the more explicit
he will be when trying to communicate his needs. Before you know it, he will
be asking.
ACCIDENTS HAPPEN
Upsets
in schedule, changes in food, or illness may contribute to temporary lapses
in housetraining. See your veterinarian if it persists. Outside stresses, changes
in weather, a new pet or baby in the family, may also upset your dog's toilet
habits. Punishing long after the fact will only add to his stress. Back up,
give him more structure; confine & supervise. Help him be good!
HOUSETRAINING VIDEO FROM KAREN PRYOR'S CLICKERTRAINING.COM
Need a crate? Have a crate you don't need? Check out out CRATE EXCHANGE page.
Stinky carpet? Try the following:
Remember, if the pad and floor underneath are saturated, it doesn't matter how clean you get the rug, the smell is still there. You will have to tear out the carpet and scrub the floor to eliminate serious urine damage.
Live
in an apartment and would like to set up a deck or patio potty area?
Check out the Pup-Head
Portable Dog Potty with K-9 Grass!
This handout may be reprinted in its entirety for distribution
free of charge and with full credit given:
© CAROL A. BYRNES "DIAMONDS IN THE RUFF" Training for Dogs & Their People -
ditr_training @ hotmail.com - http://www.diamondsintheruff.com
