How to House Train Your Dog
Posted by admin on May 27th, 2008 filed in dog house | Comment now »
House training is undoubtedly the one aspect of dog training that is essential to ensure that your dog becomes a valued member of your family. As with many other aspects of dog training, the best method of achieving a successfully house trained dog is to use your dog’s own nature to your advantage.
A wonderful thing about dogs that can make house training much easier, is that dogs are instinctively very clean animals. The majority of dogs would rather not soil the areas where they sleep and eat. In addition, dogs are very good at developing habits. This can be used to your benefit in relation to establishing a set place for your dog to urinate and defecate. For example, dogs that are used to eliminating on concrete or gravel will prefer to eliminate there rather than on grass or dirt. It is possible, and desirable, to use these natural canine tendencies when house training your dog.
The first step in house training your dog is to set up your training area. A small, confined space such as a bathroom, or part of a kitchen or garage, works best as a training area. This method of training differs from crate training. Crate training is great for puppies and small dogs, but many larger adult dogs find a crate too confining if they haven’t been used to it from an early stage.
It is important that you spend as much time in the training area with your dog as possible. Use this area to play with your dog, and let your dog eat and sleep in the training area. Provide your dog with a special bed in the training area - this can be anything from a store bought custom dog bed to a large towel in an appropriately sized box. At first, you will probably find that your dog will want to eliminate in this area, but once your dog has recognized the training area as his or her own space, he or she will be much more reluctant to soil it.
The next step in house training is to set up a toilet area for your dog. Your dog must have ready access to this place every time he or she needs to eliminate. It is also important for you to accompany your dog into the toilet area until he or she gets into the habit of eliminating in that area. This will help reinforce to your dog that there is one area for toileting, and no other.
Regular meals for your dog assists in making the house training process easier for both you and your dog. Feeding your dog on a regular basis will also have the added benefit of creating a regular schedule for your dog’s toilet habits. Once you know when your dog is likely to need to eliminate, it will be simple to guide your dog to the established toilet area.
Once you have your dog using the toilet area on a regular and systematic basis, it is very important to not confine your dog without access to the toilet area for long periods of time. If your dog is unable to hold it, he will have no option but to eliminate in the training area. And this occurrence will confuse your dog. He will no longer associate the toilet area with being the ONLY area in which he can eliminate. You will thus be making your job of house training your dog more difficult for yourself.
When your dog is consistently eliminating in the toilet area and not soiling the training area, it is time to extend that training area to the rest of the home. This process should be done slowly, starting with one room and slowly expanding to the rest of the house. The area should only be extended only once you are sure of the dog’s ability to control its bladder and bowels.
First expand the training area to another single room, and allow your dog to eat, play and sleep in that room, but only when supervised. When it is not possible to supervise the dog, place it back in the original training area. Then, after the dog has accepted the room as an extension of the original training area, the area can be extended.
Once your dog has become used to sleeping in the bed within the training area, you can move the bed around the house, relocating it from room to room. But when you are not with your dog, he or she should be confined to the training area.
You can speed up the house training process, but it is important to proceed cautiously. It will be much easier to take your time in the beginning than to have to retrain a problem dog later. You should always praise and reward your dog each and every time it uses the established toilet area. It is equally important not to punish your dog for mistakes. Punishment will only confuse the dog and slow down the house training process. You wouldn’t consider punishing a baby for soiling its diaper, would you? Or even a toddler for soiling his or her pants from time to time? Your dog is the same as a human child in this respect - he needs time to learn both to control his toileting, and what you require of him.
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Puppy House Training
Posted by admin on March 29th, 2008 filed in dog house | Comment now »
House training is one of the most important things you can do for both you and your puppy. It is imperative that you begin your puppy’s housebreaking as soon as you bring him home.
It is natural for a dog to relieve himself where ever it is. You must teach your puppy to relieve himself outdoors. Keep in mind that the younger the puppy is, the less control he will have over his bladder and bowels. A very young puppy can seem like a pee and poop machine! Puppies can also mark and urinate when they are submissive or afraid.
Dogs are relatively clean animals and will typically want to eliminate in an area separate from the main living area. Keep an eye on your puppy for signs that he needs to go. You may notice him sniffing the floor, going into a room away from all the activity, or staring at the door. Some puppies will be more obvious, such as running between you and the door, jumping on you, or barking.
Designate a place in your yard specifically for your puppy to eliminate. This area should be kept clean of feces. Take extra care to keep the area clean from feces and safe from other dogs until your puppy is fully immunized.
Take your puppy outside to the designated area frequently. Develop a routine and take your puppy out on a regular schedule. Do not go more hours than your puppy is months old without taking him out. For example, if your puppy is three months old, do not go more than three waking hours without taking him outside. In addition, you should take your puppy to the designated area approximately twenty minutes after meals or long drinks of water.
If you see your puppy eliminating inside, immediately take him outside to the designated area. Don’t fall into the temptation of sticking his nose in it and telling him, “no!” This will not help. It will just confuse him as he will not understand why he is being yelled at and it will make him nervous and scared around you. Ignore the unwanted behavior and reward the good behavior.
Take your puppy outside on a leash. Give him five minutes to eliminate. If he doesn’t go in five minutes, take him back inside and put him in his crate. Ten minutes later, take him back outside again on the leash. Repeat if necessary.
When your puppy begins to eliminate, give him a command such as, “Do your business.” Say it continuously while he is going. Praise your puppy after he voids in the designated area. Reward him with something he likes. Many puppies are happy to be off the leash and have ten or fifteen minutes of play time outside with you.
It will take a few weeks to fully house train your puppy. Consistency is the key to success. When your puppy’s training is complete, he will eliminate on command when you tell him, “Do your business.”
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