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HOUSE TRAINING TIPS
most by Kathy Davis One thing you need to be sure you're doing is properly deodorizing any accidents he has had
in the house. After the spot has dried, the only thing that really works is a bacterial enzyme odor eliminator product, such
as Nature's Miracle. Without this treatment, the scent of his past marks will draw him back by instinct to use the spot
again. Remember, his nose is much more sensitive than yours. Dogs
sleep about 14 hours a day, so most of the crate time is sleeping time, for a dog who has learned to rest calmly in a crate.
The crate is not likely to be forever, but it will help condition him physically and mentally to be able to make it on the
bathroom issues. You don't want to count strictly on
a dog's asking to go out. He needs a schedule. In fact, many dogs never ask to go out, and that works fine, as long as
the owner keeps to a schedule. It is very common for boy dogs to want to go out just for fun. The dog having to hold it for more than 8 hours is a problem. Some dogs simply can't do it,
so keep that in mind as you work with him. Think about whether you need to provide him with a way to relieve himself during
that time, that is acceptable to you and him both. Owner
comment:I tried newspapers and wee wee pads, but she tore them to shreds as soon as they hit the floor. If she starts to go
and I interrupt her and take her outside, she doesn't start again, she just waits with me, legs crossed. I didn't
hear about crate training until just recently and I have serious doubts about whether I can do it. I work and feel guilty
enough as it is leaving her alone during the day. If I had her in a crate while I was at home, I know I'd let her out
with the first whimper. Any suggestions? I've called a couple of trainers, but they don't think this is something
they can help with. A: I can understand why the trainers are reluctant to take on the case, because you've kind of
given up! What you might try at this point is confining her to a fairly small room, with the entire floor covered with newspapers.
She's older now, and may not chew them, especially if you provide her with tastier things to chew. When she starts relieving
herself on the papers, you may be able to work this into paper training. Can you see him from the back door? That's where I stand or sit to supervise my dogs once they
are housebroken, without having to go out there every time. By keeping him inside between potty trips outside, you'll
also get a better feel for his schedule, and he'll do better on developing bladder and bowel control. Why crate training is important Crate-training is important for puppies. For one thing, when your dog goes to
the groomer every 4 to 8 weeks (if you take her even more often, that would be great) she will spend time in a crate. She
will also be crated when she stays at the veterinarian's office. And there may be occasions in your care at home where
a crate will spare your dog many problems, so she needs to feel at ease in a crate. It will never again be as easy for your dog to learn to rest calmly in a crate as in puppyhood.
At the same time, the crate helps your puppy develop bowel and bladder control (which is not complete until at least 4 months
of age and could be longer in a small dog, even with the help of a crate) and avoid forming bad habits that are difficult
to change. The use of a crate can spare you and your dog much unpleasantness. To housetrain a puppy you need 100% supervision. The puppy needs to be in the room with you as much as possible --
never loose in the house until much later. If you see the puppy start to have an accident, you don't punish or yell. You
scoop the puppy up and rush her outside, in the hopes of getting her to finish there. You praise her for relieving herself
in this proper place. Any accidents need to be thoroughly deodorized with either white vinegar (only works while the spot is still wet)
or a bacterial enzyme odor eliminator product such as Nature's Miracle. This will neutralize the odor to your nose, but
more importantly, to the puppy's much more sensitive nose. If you don't do this properly the scent of past mistakes
will signal the dog to come back and use that spot again. When you cannot watch your
puppy she needs to be in her safe place where she can't make mistakes, and the crate is an excellent choice for this place.
Put the crate in your bedroom at night, and be careful not to let her out of the crate when she is in the act of making noise
so she will learn to be quiet in there. If you plan to allow her on the bed, don't do it until she is older. Make sure young children are never allowed to treat your puppy in any way that
could cause her to feel pain or fear. Try to look at it from the puppies point of view, and interrupt any such behavior from
the kids whether the puppy complains or not. It is common for dogs to tolerate this for a long time, then suddenly defend
themselves when they just can't take it any more.Your pup should have a place to go be, that it can
get away where kids will not bother it a safety zone
Very small dogs can have extra trouble getting
housebroken to a large home, especially with an upstairs. Dogs have an instinct not to soil the den, but when the area is
so large, a small dog may feel that some areas are so far away that they are not part of that den You might also try feeding her in some of the spots where she has had accidents. That tends to
make a dog think these areas are part of the pack's den, and not to want to eliminate there. This is not a problem of defiance. It's
just too large an area for her yet.
When a dog starts having housetraining accidents, it’s easy to believe the dog is acting
out of anger or some other defiant motive. That is rarely the case. Let’s look at reasons for housetraining accidents,
and methods for improving your dog’s batting average. 1.
Sometimes we think a dog is housetrained when that is not actually the case. Housetraining does not automatically transfer
to a new location, either. Dogs need consistent human help to keep the housetraining habits we humans want from them. Be sure
not to give your dog too much responsibility for housetraining before the dog is ready. Add freedom a little at a time. 2. Dog instincts can be overwhelmed by the scent of past accidents, whether this
dog’s scent or scent left by another dog. It’s imperative to remove this scent, and people often use the wrong
products. The most reliable results are from bacterial enzyme odor eliminator products such as Nature’s Miracle. 3. Dietary problems cause a lot of housetraining issues. Feeding your dog too
much can result in the dog not being able to hold feces until the next relief opportunity. Feeding a high-fiber diet can do
the same thing, as can feeding on a schedule that just doesn’t work for this particular dog. Any change in food (including
treats) can result in loss of control, too. Feed your dog carefully and consistently for the best housetraining results. 4. Intestinal parasites or other illness affecting the intestines can cause the
dog to lose control. Having the dog and a fecal specimen evaluated by your veterinarian is a good idea. 5. A dog with a urinary tract infection, kidney failure, or urinary incontinence
from other causes needs veterinary care. In most cases, housetraining problems from these causes can be solved or vastly improved
by treating the medical condition appropriately. 6. Orthopedic
problems in the dog can make it painful to squat for relief. The dog may wait and wait, afraid of the pain, and then lose
control in the house. Sometimes the family thinks the dog’s arthritis or other orthopedic pain is under control because
the dog doesn’t complain. With older dogs and those with known or suspected orthopedic problems, your veterinarian can
likely help the dog be more comfortable and at the same time improve the housetraining problem. 7. When dogs are over punished for housetraining errors, a common side effect
is that they become afraid to relieve themselves in front of people. This makes it extremely difficult to teach the dog your
desired relief location. 8. Sometimes dogs become afraid
to go to the relief area. This can happen for various reasons, including weather conditions that scare the dog, leaving the
dog outside alone too long, the dog being shocked by an electronic fence collar, a nervous temperament in the dog, other animals
outdoors, humans teasing or abusing the dog outside, and frightening sounds such as fireworks or gunfire. Solving this one can require detective work to find the cause, and changing how
you handle the dog’s relief outings. Usually it works to go with the dog every time at first and give rewards. Gradually
as the dog gains confidence, you can probably just stand in the doorway while the dog is outside, ready to let the dog in
immediately when the dog is finished. 9. If the dog doesn’t
have access to the relief area when the body needs relief, that’s a recipe for housetraining problems. Take the dog
out more often10. Separation anxiety keeps a dog from taking advantage of your absence to get in a good nap. During sleep
the need to urinate and defecate is suppressed, so the dog can wait a bit longer than at other times. If the dog is anxious,
exactly the opposite happens—the stressed body needs to relieve MORE Fear of the crate can cause the same symptoms as separation anxiety. Some dogs can be rehabilitated when they’ve
developed a fear of being crated, while with other dogs it’s better to permanently use an alternative method of confinement.
11. Male dogs tend to mark their territory. Female dogs often do, too, but their drive is usually much lower. Larger male
dogs often prefer to mark outside for a bigger territory. Your little fella may feel that a corner of the living room makes
his territory a nice size. If your house has more than one level, the level less used by the family could seem like a perfect
area to his instincts. Neutering helps this problem. Other
solutions include treating it as a housetraining issue, with careful supervision and confinement. A belly band—soft
fabric around the tummy to catch urine—can be helpful in managing urine-marking, but could foster infection if overused.
12. Female dogs in estrus tend to urinate frequently. Spayed
female dogs don’t go into heat, so spaying is one solution for this possible housetraining issue, as well as the potential
for staining on home furnishings from the discharge. 13. When
there is more than one male dog in the household, you can get “dueling tinklers.” One marks and then the other
“has” to mark there, too. One solution to this is prevention—avoid getting two males. If you want two dogs,
make it a male and a female. If you already have the dueling tinklers, you’ll need to use supervision and confinement
to manage them.
Most by K. Davis-trainer
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