Generally, dogs are very clean animals – they won’t soil close to where they eat, or where they sleep. But living in a house is unnatural for an animal whose instincts would be to roam wherever she wants to go, so you will have to help her learn where and when she can relieve herself.
It is essential that you form good toilet habits for your dog as early on as possible. Trying to break the habit of a dog is quite difficult and it can be very frustrating. You need to use guidance and encouragement to help the pet. Animal behaviorists have some helpful tips that you can use to help with the housebreaking of your pet.
Believe it or not, dogs are sanitary creatures. If a dog does soil accidentally in the wrong place, it is likely that it will be far from his dog dish, at least six to ten feet. This is true for the place where the dog sleeps as well. But, unless you find a good place for her to go and train her in that manner, the rest of your house is okay to them.
The process for housebreaking a dog is the same if he is a puppy or an adult dog new to your home. Youll need to take him outside every few hours and also 30 minutes after he eats. Take your pet to the designated bathroom spot. Stay with the pet until she goes, and then praise her when she does. If she does not go, bring her back inside and try again in fifteen minutes. Watch her though. If the dog starts sniffing and circling take them out right away as this is a sign that she is about to go. Pay attention to her signs and take her out. Soon, she will relate to going outside to going to the bathroom.
Some dogs are housebroken much faster than others. Some dogs personality will cause her to go one way or the other. But, if you take her outside at the right time, it will go smoother. A puppy of less than four months old will need to go out during the night. Older puppies can hold it that long. A dog that cries to be let out has an urgent need. Get up and take her out, she needs every chance to succeed that she can get. Positive reinforcement is necessary for success.
How you treat accidents will affect your dogs overall learning curve. If you catch your dog going in the act, distract her with a clap or call her name. Take her outside calmly at that time and praise her for finishing outside. Clean up any accident that you find on the floor. If the dog approaches during this time, ignore her. Dont talk to or punish her at this point. The worst thing that you can do is to yell at her or physically punish her. This will cause her to fear you and to not bond as well to you. She wont connect it to the accident at all. Ignoring her is the best course of action here.
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Aug 10, 2010 | | Dogs
Toilet training your pet dog as early as possible is always a better idea. It always feels good to see your dog well trained and behaved; however this can only achieved with a fair amount of persistence and patience. Although dogs are supposed to be very clean animals; their animal instincts can drive them to relieve themselves wherever they find it convenient. This can be very frustrating for the dog owner and we know how it feels like to your have your floors and carpets soiled and messed when least expected. With a fair amount of training; your dog can be perfectly potty trained. Mentioned below are a few tips that will help you to toilet train your pet dog and in all probability you would no longer need that carpet cleaner.
Patience and Persistence
It is important to take note of the fact that the younger the puppy; the longer he may take to learn and get into the mode of habits that is being taught to him/her. Therefore; it is important to be patient and with a fair amount of persistence; your dog will gradually learn the rules and form toilet habits when trained on a daily basis. Remember, that every dog has his own individual learning curve. So, spanking your dog every time he makes a mistake is not going to solve the problem.
Get the pet dog into a mode of habit
Many animal behaviorists believe that by getting the dog into a habit mode is the key to perfectly toilet train your pet dog. It is therefore recommended that the dog owner takes the dog out every few hours as well as 30 minutes after he eats his meal. Choose a specific spot outside where you would be taking him on an everyday basis. Also, praise the pet now and then or when he obeys well. If however, he refuses to go outside; try again in 15 minutes. Gradually, he will understand that going out is a sign of going to the bathroom. Also, pay attention to the dogs body language. If he/she starts to sniff or circle around; it is a sign that they need to relieve themselves. Select a designated spot each time you notice that your pet dog needs to relieve himself and take him/her to that spot every time.
Learn how to react to accidents
Like mentioned above; every dog has its own individual learning curve. This learning curve is greatly affected by the pet owners reaction to the accidents caused by their pets. Each time the pet dog displays symptoms of relieving himself; call out his name or clap in order to distract his attention. Constant control on his activities will help you determine his/her behavioral patterns as well. Make sure that you dont vent out your anger or frustration on the pet dog if he does cause an accident. Carefully clean up the mess and ignore the dog completely while doing so. If he/she does try and approach the accident area; make sure you dont yell at the dog. Simply ignore the pet or he may not be able to bond with you. The key is to train the dog and not instill fear in him.
Confining the Pet Dog
At times confining your pet dog is the best approach towards their toilet training. Large crates or cages are used to confine the pet dog. A dog usually refrains from reliving himself at the spot where he sleeps or sits as they are essentially sanitary creatures. So whenever, Mother Nature calls; a dog would instinctively move out of the cage or crate in order to relieve himself. This gradually would become a mode of habit for him. However, it is important to ensure that the pet owner gets large sized crates and cages to confine the pet dog so that he/she has enough room to move about. This helps in creating a pattern that the dog will follow even after he is no longer confined to a crate or cage.
Use of repetitive Commands
The home owner would need to use a certain set of words for the dog repeatedly till the dog understands what exactly it is a sign for. So for example; if you take him outside; you could say go potty. Dogs have a keen ear and a sharp learning curve. They would gradually understand what exactly the owner is signaling at. Use of these commands on a regular basis is important so that your pet dog becomes familiar with it and would gradually start to follow them.
Keeping your pet dog happy
It is important for your pet dog to develop a bonding with the owner. This only comes with love, affection and care. Treat your dog to a feast once in a while and praise him every time he obeys your command or responds well to the training.
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Aug 06, 2010 | | Dogs
A crate is a valuable and useful training tool. Its main purpose is to provide security, safety and protection for short term confinement while training a puppy or new dog about its own and house boundaries.
A crate may look like a jail cell, but when used properly is your dogs natural den a personal space where hell feels secure and comfortable. The best place to place a crate would be where your dog can see the environment and family members, hear and smell your house – the kitchen is usually a good spot.
An ideal crate should be large enough to allow your dog to stretch out, stand without hitting his head and be able to turn around. The crate should not be so large that your dog can relieve himself in one corner and play move away to play and sleep in another. If your puppy is still young and is not fully growth, try to block off certain section of the crate with cardboards or wood boards.
To encourage your dog to like his new den, you should preferably equip it with soft beddings, a bowl of water and a toy that he likes. (You might want to remove the water at night when you are potty training your dog)
You must introduce the crate slowly to your dog. Crate him in smaller interval, about 10 minutes, and gradually increase over time. Your dog need time to get used to being crate. Never crate him for more than 30 minutes or longer for the first time.
It is not advisable to crate a young puppy for long period of time about 2 hour and pup should always be exercised before being crated.
Its quite normal for dogs to kick up a fuss, bark and moan while in the crate. If these things happen, do not give your dog any attention! Yes! Do not even look in his direction.
Dogs are intelligent animals Dont let him know that hell get your attention when he kicks up a fuss. Simply ignore him! Let your dog out only when he settles down.
*if its a young puppy whom youve just introduce the crate to, maybe you can offer him a treat in the crate to calm him down. Whatever you do, dont let him out of the crate at that very moment!*
The exception I can think of is if you think your dog has to relieve himself. Even so, bring it out only after he stops barking. Another exception is when your dog is chewing on himself. Let him out immediately and consult a trainer or behaviorist.
Lastly, dog should not be crate for too long day after day. Hell develop destructive behaviors and anxiety problems. If you notice that your dog displays hyper active behavior compare to before, you might be crating him for too long!
Most important of all, never ever punish your dog in the crate, hell dread going back to the crate. It is meant to be a comfortable and safe space, not where hell get punish.
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Jan 01, 2010 | | Dogs