Dog Training Articles
The following article offers many effective tips for potty training your dog. If you would like professional help potty training your puppy or dog, contact us. We offer range of convient dog training and obedience classes, private lessons and consultations that both you and your dog will enjoy. We can help with dog potty training, dog crate training and dog leash training. Would you like to hunt with your dog? Or train your dog for agility? Let us help! Our dog training center in Baraboo, Wisconsin, is within convenient driving distance of Wisconsin Dells, Lake Delton, Reedsburg, Portage and other central Wisconsin cities and towns.
Dog Potty Training
There are a number of reasons for dogs soiling in the house. Some of these reasons are behavioral in nature. They can include changes in the environment (addition of a person to the household, a new spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend or another pet) a move to a new home, change in routines because of work schedules for instance, diet, marking territory, stress or high-level excitement, anxiety over being separated from you
Some of the reasons for dogs soiling in the house are physical and include medical issues like urinary tract infections, spay incontinence and a host of others.
If a behavioral issue is at the core of your problem, contact a professional dog trainer. If the core issue is physical, a trip to your veterinarian is in order. Success in housebreaking may elude you without the help of a professional.
However, if your best friend is a puppy, without physical problems, chances are very good you can potty train your dog and see measurable results in two weeks!
The following dog training tips will give you a clear concise plan, complete with do's and don'ts, but the most important thing to remember is that the dog is living and functioning under what he was given at birth and that is dog psychology. He lives by rules given to him through genetics and lessons learned while with mom and his liter. These rules are frequently at 'odds' with our human world. When it comes to eliminating, he was programmed to respond to the urge right now, right here. That, as you very well know, is not acceptable. We are obligated to teach the puppy exactly what we want it to do and that quite simply is to eliminate outside, not inside. It is a simple goal and if you consistently and diligently follow the instructions and advice below, you will be successful. Do this right regardless of how it might be inconvenient sometimes. Remember, success is dependent on you and how you teach and manage the puppy through the process.
Steps to Successful Housebreaking:
Dog potty training does not need to be frustrating or a long-term process if you remember two important words; scheduling and supervision.
Scheduling: Feed your dog on a schedule. It does not necessarily need to be the same time of the day (though recommended) but definitely when you want to feed the puppy. In other words, do not leave food down on the floor accessible by the dog to eat when it demands. We want to get an idea on how fast your dog's digestive system operates. Some dogs need to eliminate immediately after eating. Some dogs take a bit longer before needing to eliminate. You need to find your dog's "time" so that when you take the dog out, you stand a better chance of success and won't have to stand in inclement weather waiting and waiting for the dog to eliminate. You will become more efficient with the use of your time by finding your dog's 'schedule'. You can also expect your dog to need to eliminate first thing upon waking up in the morning, within ten to twenty minutes after drinking water and before going to bed for the night. Until the dog is about 16 weeks of age, the muscle control over urinating or defecating is not fully developed. Rule of thumb until then is that you cannot take the young puppy out too much!
When you take the dog out:
Be sure to go out the same door as much as possible. We would like the dog to use his presence near the door to later help signal his need for you to let him out. Using the same door over and over will help the dog to know that this leads to welcome relief! Put the dog on a leash and lead the dog to an area that is acceptable to you for him to eliminate in. Do not talk to the dog. Do not touch the dog. Do not excite the dog in any way. Doing this will cause the dog to 'forget' the purpose of the trip outside, so remember, you are out for business not for play. Walk the dog into and out of the designated area over and over again. Movement helps to stimulate elimination. When the dog begins to potty, praise him verbally but in a low and calm voice. No excitement or you could cause him to stop prematurely only to 'finish off' later in the house. As he is eliminating, mark the behavior with a word like, 'potty', 'hurry up', 'bombs away' or whatever. Be consistent with the 'elimination command word, and the dog will learn to relieve himself on command. When the dog is finished (be aware you may have a dog that needs to go 2-3 times to completely finish) praise verbally using a very proud and satisfied tone of voice to reinforce the behavior..
If you are out there for 10-15 minutes and success has not been realized, take the dog back inside.
When you take the dog back inside:
You must supervise your dog like a hawk when you return inside. You have two choices. First, you can crate the dog. If the dog had not gone when out previously, leave it in the crate for ten minutes and then take the dog out again, repeating the process as described. You can use the crate to keep the dog secured if it did eliminate before coming back in but need some time to do things where you would not be able to watch him. See the Crate Training a Dog article for specifics on crate use.
Lastly, if you do not use the crate (using a crate will increase your odds of success in housebreaking a great deal) tie the puppy to you using a strong cord or leash and clip the swivel snap to the dog's collar. Then tie the leash or cord to your body around your waist. This enables you to keep an eye on the dog. We call it the umbilical cord. With it on, you can continue to do your tasks for the day while the dog 'comes with you'. This is a great opportunity to help teach the dog to 'follow' which leads to improved results when you ask it to come to you, and it also lays a foundation that will actually help when teaching the dog to walk next to you on a loose leash. You can go from cleaning the kitchen to walking to the laundry room to do some laundry, knowing your pup is right next to you and not running off around the corner to urinate or defecate out of sight. Carry a favorite chew toy to keep the dog occupied while tending to your tasks. Regardless of the method you choose to supervise your dog, keep taking the dog out every ten to fifteen-minutes if the dog did not go outside previously.
Other valuable things to know to attain success housebreaking your dog
Do not punish your dog for 'accidents'. Do not rub it's nose into its mess and do not strike it with your hand or a rolled-up newspaper or kick your dog. Doing so will help to teach your dog to hide it behind a chair or maybe in a closet. Surprise! Or, he may learn to eat it. Imagine that! You cannot correct a dog after ten seconds from an action because they will not be able to relate the correction to the offense. If you do catch the dog in the act of eliminating inside, clap your hands together hard, in a loud voice say, "AHHH... and then take it outside as previously described. The loudness of the handclap and voice is to hopefully 'startle' the dog, stopping the elimination.
Take your dog out after a play session.
Take your dog out after a nap.
Always go with the dog. Do not let them out on their own.
Clean up any accidents with a pet-enzyme cleaner. The bacteria must be destroyed or, no matter how well you clean it, the dog will return to that spot repeatedly.
Water intake: Water must be given to the dog throughout the day. However, remember that dogs in the wild may travel or some time over a significant distance to drink. They don't have a bowl of water available to them continuously. You may want to offer times of drinking water to the pup several times a day. (Take the dog out after drinking) Or, depending on where you live, place the water outside and take the dog to it several times a day. That way, he'll be outside and able to urinate after drinking.
Some breeds can be notorious for having accidents in the house and will make you think the dog will never get trained. While some breeds are a challenge, if you consistently use this method you will have success. Remember, the most important factor in whether or not your dog learns to eliminate outside is YOU!
