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House Training Rule Number One: If you don't catch your puppy as he is doing it, don't punish him for it.
House Training Rule Number Two: Praise your puppy when things go right. Don't let this be a situation where your only action is saying "No" when they are caught in the midst of using the wrong area. If they do it right – let them know.
House Training Rule Number Three: Preventing accidents is the secret behind helping your dog become house trained quickly.
House Training Methods
House training puppies, and dogs accustomed to living outside have many similarities. With adult dogs, just like with a puppy, you need to supervise 100 percent of the time when they are indoors, until the habit of waiting to relieve themselves until they get outside is firmly established. If you are working with an adult dog who is not used to holding their bladder or bowels, they will need time to develop bladder and bowel control. Dogs are not all the same about these needs, and the frequency also changes with age, illness, changes in diet, and changes in schedule - your schedule as well as the dogs' schedule.
One main difference is that puppies have smaller bladders and simply can not hold urine for the same length of time as an average adult dog. Puppies, like small children, generally do not have the urinary or bowel control that allows them much warning, as such, it falls to us to make sure they get out and go frequently before they feel urgency. A good rule of thumb is that the number of months in age reflects the amount of time in hours a puppy can hold it, i.e. 3 month old puppy can hold for 3 hours, 6 month old can hold for 6 hours. Common sense though dictates that once you get to 10-12 hours, it becomes harder even for adult dogs to hold urine…not unlike people. It is important to remember that as dogs get into senior ages, they may need to relieve themselves more frequently as well.
When you adopt a rescue dog it is important to remember that while your new companion will be happy and excited to have a loving home, he will initially find new experiences stressful. You and your home are unfamiliar to him. He doesn't know where he is or even where the doors are that lead outside. The food and water are different. He doesn't know where he is going to sleep. He may or may not have been housetrained previously.
One of the most important things you should do upon arriving home is introduce the dog to his yard or exercise area and let him eliminate before entering the house. He may or may not have been exercised on a leash. He will be curious and want to explore. Be patient, wait for him to eliminate and praise him to let him know this was the right thing for him to do.
Changes in food and water, plus the stress of a new situation, can result in episodes of diarrhea. It would be a good thing to make certain he has frequent access to his outdoor elimination area the first few days. Don't expect him to tell you when he needs to go out. Go outside with him and praise him each and every time he eliminates.
Cues that Your Dog Needs to Go
· Sniffing the Floor
· Whining
· Going to the Door (or in the direction of where your dog potties)
· Just had something to eat
· Just had something to drink
· Gas
· Your Dog may have individual cues, watch to see if you can recognize them
Constant Supervision Method
In this method, you chose to spend all the time necessary with the puppy. This works very well for people who live and work in their homes, retired persons, or in situations where the owners are always with the animal. Whenever you see the puppy doing his "pre-potty pattern" quickly bring him outside. It is important that the dog is watched at all times and that no mistakes are allowed to occur. This method has less room for error, as there is nothing like a cage to restrict the animal's urges. When he is taken outside, watch the puppy closely and as soon as all goes as planned, he should be praised and then brought back inside immediately. You want the dog to understand that the purpose for going outside was to go to the bathroom. Do not start playing; make it a trip for a reason. Verbal communications help this method and we will discuss them soon. For those with the time, this is a good method. We still recommend having a crate available as a backup when the owners have to be away from the animal.
Crate Training Method
Another popular method of house training involves the use of a crate or cage. The often-stated reasoning is that the animal is placed in a cage that is just large enough to be a bed. Dogs do not like to soil their beds because they would be forced to lay in the mess. It works, and while in these confines, most pups will control their bladder and bowels for a longer time than if they are not confined and under supervision.
During house training, whenever the puppy or dog is inside the home but cannot be watched, he is placed in the crate. This might be while you are cooking, reading to the children, or even away from the home. The last thing you do before you put the puppy in the crate is take him outside to his favorite spot. The first thing you do when you take the animal out of the crate is another trip outside. No food or water goes in the crate, just a blanket and maybe a chew toy to occupy his time. Until he is house trained, overnight is definitely crate time. As your faith in the puppy grows, leave him out for longer and longer periods of time.
Crate training not only stops the animal from messing in the house, but puppies in particular also learn that when the urge to urinate or defecate occurs, he can hold it. Just because the pup feels like he needs to relieve himself, the pup learns that he does not have to. This is thought to be the main reason why puppies that have gone through crate training have fewer mistakes later on.
What is the right size cage? You want one that has the floor space that provides just enough for the puppy to lie down comfortably. The crate can be useful throughout the dog's life so purchasing a cage with a divider panel as an accessory allows for expansion of the living area as your dog grows.
The right size crate is important as using too large of a crate can often cause long term problems. The puppy will go to one corner of the cage and urinate or defecate. After a while, he will then run through it tracking it all over the cage. If this is allowed to continue, the instincts about not soiling his bed or lying in the mess will be forgotten and the puppy will soon be doing it every day when placed in the crate. Now a house training method has turned into a behavioral problem as the puppy’s newly-formed hygienic habits becomes his way of life.
Scheduling for House Training Success
Schedules work well for dogs, because dogs are such creatures of habit. The dog will never “understand why” you want house training. But dogs are good with habits and that you can help your dog form good, strong house training habits. That’s what housetraining really is.
Especially with outdoor adult dogs, start by taking the dog outside at least once per hour whenever you are at home and awake. Watch him for any movements toward bladder or bowel relief, too, and promptly take the dog outside.
Verbal Cues for House Training
Specific verbal communications will also help the puppy/dog understand what is desired. It is an excellent idea to always use a particular word when it is time to head to the bathroom like, "<Dogs name>, outside?”. Remember that whenever you use a verbal command or signal, it is important that everybody in the family always uses the same word in the same way. Think of the word "Outside" in this situation not only as a question you are asking the pup, but also as an indication that you want to go there. The puppy to come to you and quickly sees you as part of the overall activity of getting to where he needs to go. Your interest creates positive reinforcement.
Once outside, encourage the pup to get on with his business. Use a phrase like "go make", “get busy”, “hurry up”, etc (something simple and used consistently). As soon as they eliminate, it is very important to praise them with a "Good Dog" and then come back inside immediately. It is best to make this trip that started outside with a specific word like "Outside" be for the purpose of going to the bathroom. This reduces confusion when you take them out for other reasons like going for a walk, playing ball, etc. They learn and link that phase with elimination.
When an 'Accident' Happens
One of the key issues in housebreaking is to follow Rule Number One: If you do not catch your puppy doing it, then do not punish him for it. If you find a mess that was left when you were not there, clean it up and forget it. Discipline will not help because unless you catch the puppy in the act, he will have no idea what the scolding is for. Your puppy has urinated and defecated hundreds of times before he met you and someone always cleaned it up. Nobody made a fuss before and the pup will not associate the punishment with something he has done without incident numerous times before, especially if he did it more than a minute ago. At this point in his life a puppy's memory is very poor, and they remember things that are fun (positive reinforcement), more than an act itself (i.e. urination). Realistically, if you are training the pup or dog by the supervision method you should have noticed the puppy suddenly walking in circles or searching with his nose down smelling for the perfect spot to go to the bathroom. The signs may vary a little from pup to pup but they always show their own "pre-potty pattern" before the act.
You Catch Him in the Act
When you catch him starting to urinate or defecate do not get mad. Quickly, but calmly pick them up and without raising your voice sternly say "No" and carry him outside. It will help to push their tail down while you are carrying them as this will often help them to stop urinating or defecating any more. They may be excited when you get them outside, but stay there with them a while, use the verbal cue, and if they finish the job, reward them with praise like "Good Dog."
If you overreact and severely scold or scare the heck out of a puppy for making what is in your mind a mistake, your training is probably going to take a step backwards. With house training this is especially difficult for them to understand as they are carrying out a natural body function. Punishment rarely speeds up house training. Rather, it makes the dog nervous or afraid every time it needs to go to the bathroom.
Cleaning Up the Mess
Make sure all spots in the house where the dog might have relieved himself have been cleaned in the right manner to tell his keen sense of smell and doggy instincts that the house is not a bathroom. If you don't do this, the scent he can smell - even though you can't smell it - will draw him back to use the spot again. Try covering the spot first with a good absorbent paper towel using very gentle pressure (to avoid forcing the fluid down into your pad and floor). There are many commercial products available to remove odor, and they should be used to prevent the dog from returning to that spot. White vinegar will work only on a fresh spot that is still wet. The vinegar must be really saturated down through carpet and pad - it will smell strongly of vinegar for a day or so. Bacterial enzyme odor eliminator products (such as Nature's Miracle or Outright Pet Odor Eliminator) will work either on a fresh spot or on a spot that was not treated promptly. Deodorants and disinfectants normally used for cleaning don't remove this special scent that lures dogs to use the spot again.
Feeding and House Training
The feeding schedule you use can help or hinder housebreaking. You will soon notice that puppies and dogs will need to go outside soon after they wake and also within 30 to 40 minutes after eating. Be consistent when you feed the animal so you can predict when they need to relieve themselves. Plan your trips outside around these patterns.
All of this may seem simple, and it really is. The keys are that it will take time and you must be consistent. And, of course, you must never lose your temper or even get excited.
Spontaneous or Submissive Urination
Puppies may spontaneously urinate when excited. This may be when they first see you, at meeting a new dog, or when they are scared. It is often referred to as submissive or excitement urination. Do not discipline the puppy or even an adult dog for this, as it is something they cannot control. Simply ignore it and clean up the mess. If you do not overreact, puppies will usually outgrow this between 4 and 7 months of age, and as adults become more confident and understand they have a caring home and loving owner.
Health Related Issues
Quite a few medical problems can affect housetraining, including urinary tract infections, prostate problems, hormonal incontinence, neurological incontinence, pain when squatting, cognitive dysfunction, intestinal parasites, steroid therapy for various conditions, diabetes, and more. Some conditions will require rechecks and adjustments to medication. Noting the dogs condition and behavior will help the veterinarian make correct adjustments to medications.
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