| Dogs need to be trained as soon
as they become a part of your home. Dog training involves
different aspects but prior to beginning this, you need to
decide where you would like your dog’s living space
to be. This should include the place where you want the dog
to be during its resting hours, its waking hours and the place
where he should be urinating and defecating. Under housetraining
a dog, we have information on getting your dog to use his
‘toilet’ and getting your dog to use his ‘home’
within your home.
The first item on the Housebreaking Dogs’ list is to
train the pup to urinate and defecate in a suitable place.
Dogs do have a natural instinct by which they do not like
to mess their surroundings and we as dog owners can use this
instinct to our benefit while housetraining training a dog.
Depending upon your lifestyle which will no doubt have an
impact on the amount of time you spend with your pup, you
can choose any one of the following dog housebreaking ways
to ‘toilet train’ your pup:
The Supervision Method: This method by far is the most successful
and works best for people who are not out for long durations
during the day. Here you are required to keep constant watch
over your pup and as soon as you find him going in circles,
sniffing the floor, you need to take the pup to his ‘toilet’.
You can use verbal cues to help your dog understand later
what is required of him. Some owners use ‘Outside’
while others use ‘Toilet’, choose what you want
to call it and then stick to the same word every time. While
you are at the toilet encourage your dog by saying ‘Go
on’ so that he understands the verbal cue to do his
business. Once the pup has relieved himself praise him using
words like ‘good dog’. Immediately bring him back
to where he was so that he understands that you want him to
use his ‘toilet’ when he has the urge to relieve
himself. This method requires consistency from you and therefore
it means constant supervision. If you have to travel and will
be away for long durations, you may want to combine this method
with the next method which we call the Home Clean Home Method.
Home Clean Home Method: In this method, the natural instincts
of a dog come to the fore. You will need a cage that is big
enough to accommodate your dog but small enough to not accommodate
anything more than your sleeping dog. Put in a rug for your
dog to lie down. Every two to three hours, take your pup out
to his ‘toilet’ so he can relieve himself giving
him verbal cues to encourage him and then praise him once
he has done his job. With time, reduce the frequency to every
four to five hours. Dogs don’t like messing the place
they sleep in and they will soon know where they are expected
to relieve themselves if you consistently do this.
The Odor Spot Method: Here you will need paper or the specially
treated pads that are available for the purpose. What you
need to do is spread these papers in any part of your house
where you wouldn’t mind your pup relieving himself.
Whenever you see your pup getting ready to go, pick him up
and take him to that spot. Over a period of time, you may
either move the papers towards the door to finally leave them
in the actual spot outside where you would like him to go.
If you want him to continue going inside your house ensure
that you stick to the same spot so that he is well aware.
This method also requires you to issue verbal prompts as mentioned
in the previous method. Points to note while housebreaking
dogs:
- Use one method for the best results without switching
over to another one as this will only confuse your dog.
- Spend as much time as possible with your dog in the first
couple of weeks to ensure quick results.
- Be consistent. Use the same prompts for instructions.
If you have family who are likely to be a part of the housebreaking
process, then please ensure that they are aware of the verbal
prompts to be used and ensure that they understand the importance
of consistency.
- Any praise or punishment should be given immediately after
you have seen him do something wrong. There is no point
in praising or punishing your dog if it is not immediate
as he there is no way he can connect the praise or punishment
to the incident. If you have been out for a long time and
the puppy relieves himself in the wrong place, do not punish
him as he will no way understand why he is being punished.
- You can praise your pup verbally with words like ‘good
dog’ and if you pat him and rub him under his ears
he will get the message that he has done something right.
- Punishment for a wrong deed should only mean a firm ‘No’.
Raised voices don’t help. If he persists committing
the same mistake over a long period of training, the maximum
you can take it to, is to lightly smack him with a rolled
up paper, nothing more. Rubbing your dog’s nose in
his urine or feces is not acceptable and will result in
behavioral problems later.
- Study your pup’s schedule and time his meals accordingly.
He will want to go to relieve himself soon after waking
up and around 40 minutes after eating a meal. If you have
a consistent feeding schedule, your dog may soon have a
more consistent ‘potty schedule’.
Note: Your dog may urinate when he is excited to see you
or even when he is scared of something. This is usually outgrown
and punishment for this behavior will only worsen the condition
or lead to other behavioral problems.
We will now look at how we can get the pup to use his living
quarters be it a kernel, a crate or a blanket in a corner
of a room. Your dog will not necessarily know the place you
have chosen for him as his home. You need to attract him to
the place so that he finally begins to consider that place
as his favorite spot. You can begin by playing tug or some
other game with him in the vicinity of where you expect him
to be. You can leave his toys in that area. Spend some time
with him while he is in the kernel and leave a few treats
from time to time. Leave his meals there so that he begins
to feel that this area is a good place to be in. In some time,
you can put him on a leash within his home. Don’t forget
to leave a blanket or a rug so that he can rest there. Once
he get used to his rug, he will usually choose to sleep on
it, even if you move it to another place.
Success at housebreaking dogs is a feather to your cap as
dog housebreaking is not easy. Successful dog housebreaking
should therefore be celebrated as a big step of success. Please
visit our Dog Training page for information on dog training
lessons besides housetraining a dog,
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