House training puppies
House training is a stage which
must be worked through with every new puppy. Some pick the idea up
very quickly, others seem to take a while to catch on. If your pup
is one of the slower ones, take heart - they all get there in the
end.
Understanding how your puppy's
mind works can help to take some of the hassle out of house
training for both of you. Remember what being clean means to you,
and what it means to your puppy, are not necessarily the same
thing. To your pup it is important to relieve himself where and
when the notion takes him. The puppy's only major criteria are
that he would prefer to perform in a quiet place away from his
food and his bed, which is a health and safety rule of nature.
From the puppy's point of view,
this makes behind the sofa or on your bedroom floor perfectly
acceptable places. It is up to you to show him that this is not
what you had in mind, and guide him to a better spot.
So - let's get everybody on the
same wavelength and make housetraining as easy as possible for
both of you. Right from the start choose a spot in the garden
which you would like the puppy to use as his toilet area.
Remember that a puppy's early
warning system is not very good in the early weeks so make life as
easy as possible for both of you by choosing a spot which is quick
and easy to reach from the puppy's bed, food and play areas.
Anticipate when the puppy will
need to be taken out:
- As a general rule, puppies
need to go to the loo at the following times:
- Immediately after waking
- After eating or drinking
- When excited
- After playing and sometimes
during a wild game even if he did not have a chance to go out
before the game started
- At least once every waking
hour
These are your guidelines - get
the pup to his appointed toilet area at these times and you are
well on your way to cracking the problem.
Watch for the signs
Learn to read your puppy's body
language and you will soon spot tell-tale signs that he is about
to urinate or defecate. Typical signs to look for are sniffing
around in a purposeful manner, circling round on one spot or
holding the tail high. As soon as you spot these signs, pick the
pup up and take him straight to his toilet area.
Show him what you expect of
him
Don't expect your puppy to know
where he has to go without being shown. Take him, stay with him,
and encourage him. Start using a chosen word now and, in time he
will learn to go on command. Praise him every time he gets it
right.
Don't let it turn into a game
House training time is not
"wild game in the garden" time. If the puppy does not
perform straight away when taken to his toilet area, don't keep
him out for ages. Instead take him back inside but watch him
especially carefully. Don't let him wander off behind a chair or
into another room. If you have an indoor kennel pop him inside for
a few minutes. Take him out again 10 minutes later. This vigilance
will quickly bring rewards so persevere.
Do not expect a very young puppy
to last all night without needing the toilet, or if you have to go
out for a while, even after he has got the hang of daytime house
training. Some puppies are unable to last all night until they are
almost a year old. Provide the puppy with a suitable surface that
is easy to clean. Cover the appointed area with polythene under a
layer of newspaper. The paper is quick and easy to dispose of and
the polythene will protect your floor. A relatively enclosed night
time bed area will speed up the house training process, but do
make sure as your puppy grows that he still has enough space to
avoid soiling his own bed if he cannot wait - a prospect neither
of you will relish.
NEVER chastise a puppy for having
an accident - he can not wait and it is unfair to expect him to
hold on until you are ready to take him out. Punishment will only
confuse him and may in fact teach him to be more secretive about
toileting. You don't want him to be afraid of going to the loo
where you can see him, but rather to perform quickly in your
presence when you take him out.
Mistakes will happen; it's all
part of brining up a puppy. Instead of getting annoyed with the
pup or yourself clean up accidents which happen as quickly as
possible, with the minimum of fuss. Treat the area with a pet
deodoriser (we sell proprietary sprays or you can make your own by
diluting a small amount of biological washing powder in water -
check that the spray won't bleach your carpets first though). Such
a spray will completely eliminate doggy odours detectable by his
sensitive nose as well as yours. To our noses an area may smell
perfectly fresh when cleaned with a normal cleaner, but to a dog's
nose there will be a residual scent, which may attract him back to
use the same area again.
While you are cleaning up think
why the accident happened?
- When was the puppy last
outside?
- When did he last eat?
- Have you changed his diet?
- Has there been a change in the
household routine?
- Do accidents happen when he
gets excited?
- Have you relaxed your
housetraining a little too early?
- Have you cleaned any accident
area with a deodoriser?
- Does he understand what is
expected of him?
If the puppy is having a lot of
accidents this would suggest that he does not really understand
what is expected, so take the time to go to the beginning and show
him again what you want. No shouting or smacking, just lots of
time and patience.
It is quite common for a puppy to
appear to have become house trained and then to relapse for a
while. Do not despair; consider the possibilities and you will
probably be able to pinpoint what has gone wrong. From there, take
a few steps back and retrain.
Very rarely, medical problems can
cause a form of incontinence in which the dog really does not know
that it needs the loo and so has no stimulus to ask to go out. If
your puppy is continually having accidents, and normal house
training methods are simply not working, make an appointment to
see one of the vets.
Finally, some dogs, however well
trained have little accidents when they are greeting visitors or
family members. Every time these dogs become excited a little
puddle appears, and no matter how much you chastise the dog the
problem just seems to get worse. This is a natural response called
submissive urination and is quite separate from normal house
training.
The dog is actually trying to
show you how much she respects you, and how lowly she (the problem
is more common in bitches) thinks she is. To help your dog break
this habit do not shout at her, instead keep greetings very low
key, and ideally outside. Build up the dog's confidence gradually
and greet her gently. If she has an accident clean it up and don't
make a fuss.
Good Luck!
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