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Housetraining

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Housetraining-at-a-Glance:  In its simplest form, housetraining is teaching a puppy how to adapt to a human household.  It's guiding to the appropriate elimination area, teaching them what to chew, where to dig and how to relax (time-out).  Here are a few basic tips on making housetraining easy, while being mindful that this is a learning experience for the pup/dog:

  • Crate train or short term confinement trains your puppy to prevent them from making mistakes.  

  • When a puppy first comes home, it's nice to giggle and enjoy the pleasure of watching their antics.  Be mindful of giving the puppy-free-rein to wander unsupervised.  They need a designed "haven" to eat and eliminate (inside with a transition to elimination outside).

  • Pups have a natural desire to eliminate after being confined, eating, drinking, playing, resting or sleeping.  The general amount of time is about every 90-minutes.  This isn't "etched in stone."  Puppis / dogs are individuals, just like we are.  After play, eating or awakening, puppies will sniff, circle or whine.  Take them to their designated elimination area.  Be sure they eliminate outside and in your presence.  Praise and stay outside for a few seconds of play.  Smile!  Puppies get use to your body language.  Smile and reinforce the behaviors you want, like eliminating on cue, outdoors.

  • If your lifestyle predicates being away for several hours at a time, feeding your pup on a schedule with a measured amount of food will help.  Water is essential for good health, but can be picked up at night after 8:00 PM or so.  Take your pup out before bedtime.

  • Put elimination on cue, using "ritual" words like "outside and tinkle" (whatever).  The words aren't as important as the understanding and connection.  The connection will be driven home if you wait until the puppy eliminates outside (pee and poo), then PRAISE PROFUSELY.  I advise positive-reward based training.  This means, set some goals for the behaviors you want your pup to learn, and put the plan into action using behavior shaping.  Focus on praising the good behaviors, instead of punishing the negative ones.  Catch your Dog in the act of doing something right!

  • Practice!  Families with children should have a schedule that is supervised by adults.  If a puppy makes a mistake, and you don't immediately catch them in the act , then let it go.  Even 5-seconds afterward is to late for teaching.  Your body language and voice simply scare the pup.  There is no connection to the act, at this point in learning, after the accident. 

  • If you catch your puppy in the act of eliminating, scoop them up and out to the designated area. 

  • If you are stressed or busy, time-out!  Don't set the puppy up for failure by ignoring them or leaving them loose in the house or yard.  If you do, pick up a mirror ... you need to change your behavior, not the pups.

Excerpt taken from Train Your Dog, Change Your Life

by Maureen Ross and Gary Ross, Howell Book House, Wiley Inc., 2001.

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