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| The Rules |
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Housebreaking
Rule Number One:
If you don't catch your puppy doing it, then don't
punish him for it!
Housebreaking
Rule Number Two: Praise your puppy when
things go right. Don't let this be a situation
where your only action is saying "No"
when they are caught in the midst of using the
wrong area. If they do it right – let them
know!
If
your dog is going to live inside the home, and
in America over 90% of our pets do, you are going
to have to go through the housebreaking process
unless you have grossly different hygienic standards
than most. It is not hard, it need not be messy,
and it need not be a struggle. It does not have
to take a long time. Remember that it is a training
issue and you will need to have more than casual
input. It will take some of your time but the
more involved you get, the shorter that span will
be.
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| Methods
of housebreaking |
Starting Inside: There are
several ways to housebreak a puppy. With the
first, you can put down papers or pretreated
pads, encouraging them to use these areas
for going to the bathroom. The pads are scented
with a chemical that attracts the puppy to
use them. Whenever you see them starting into
their "pre-potty pattern," such
as walking around and sniffing the floor,
you gently pick them up without talking and
carry them over to the papers/pad and then
praise them when they go to the bathroom.
When all goes well and they are using the
papers consistently, the papers are either
moved closer to the door and/or another set
is placed outside. The transition is made
from concentrating the toilet habits to one
spot inside the home to one spot outside the
home. Finally, the papers inside are eliminated.
The only problem with this method is that
for a period of time it encourages the animal
to eliminate inside the home. In our experience,
housebreaking may take longer when this method
is used.
Constant Supervision: The
last method involves no papers, pads, or crates.
Rather, you chose to spend all the time necessary
with the puppy. This works very well for people
who live and work in their homes, retired
persons, or in situations where the owners
are always with the animal. Whenever they
see the puppy doing his "pre-potty pattern"
they hustle him outside. It is important that
the dog is watched at all times and that no
mistakes are allowed to occur. This method
has less room for error, as there is nothing
like a cage to restrict the animal's urges,
nor is there a place for him to relieve himself
such as on the papers or pad. When he is taken
outside, watch the puppy closely and as soon
as all goes as planned, he should be praised
and then brought back inside immediately.
You want the dog to understand that the purpose
for going outside was to go to the bathroom.
Do not start playing, make it a trip for a
reason. Verbal communications help this method
and we will discuss them soon. For those with
the time, this is a good method. We still
recommend having a crate available as a backup
when the owners have to be away from the animal.
Verbal cues: Specific verbal
communications will also help the two of you
understand what is desired. It is an excellent
idea to always use a word when it is time
to head to the bathroom. We like "Outside?"
Remember that whenever you use a verbal command
or signal, it is important that everybody
in the family always uses the same word in
the same way. Think of the word "Outside"
in this situation not only as a question you
are asking the pup, but also as an indication
that you want to go there. Some dogs may get
into the habit of going to the door when they
want to go outside. This is great when it
happens but it is not as common as some believe.
We have found that it is better to use verbal
commands to initiate this sort of activity
rather than waiting for the puppy to learn
this behavior on his own. It seems like your
consistent use of a word or phrase like "Outside"
will cause the puppy to come to you rather
than the door when he needs to go outside.
The pup quickly sees you as part of the overall
activity of getting to where he needs to go.
We believe this is much better.
When an 'accident' happens: One of
the key issues in housebreaking is to follow
Rule Number One: If you do not catch your
puppy doing it, then do not punish him for
it! We do not care what someone else may tell
you or what you read, if you find a mess that
was left when you were not there, clean it
up and forget it.
Discipline will not help because unless you
catch the puppy in the act, he will have no
idea what the scolding is for. Your puppy
has urinated and defecated hundreds of times
before he met you. Mom or the breeder always
cleaned it up. Nobody made a fuss before and
the pup will not put the punishment, regardless
of its form, together with something he has
done without incident numerous times before.
Especially if he did it more than 30 seconds
ago! Puppies are just like our children. Unless
something was really fun (and a repetitious
act like going to the bathroom is not), they
are not thinking about what they did in the
past. They are thinking about what they can
do in the future. At this point in his life
a puppy's memory is very, very poor.
Anyway, let us face it. It was your fault,
not the pup's. If you had been watching, you
would have noticed the puppy suddenly walking
or running around in circles with his nose
down smelling for the perfect spot to go to
the bathroom. It is just as consistent as
the taxi cab driver behind you honking immediately
when the light changes. The puppy will show
the same behavior every time. It may vary
a little from pup to pup but they always show
their own "pre-potty pattern" before
the act.
They are going to be excited when you get
them outside or to the papers, but stay there
with them a while and if they finish the job,
reward them with simple praise like "Good
Dog."
Feeding and housebreaking: The feeding
schedule you use can help or hinder housebreaking.
You will soon notice that puppies will need
to go outside soon after they wake and also
within 30 to 40 minutes after eating. Be consistent
when you feed the animal so you can predict
when they need to relieve themselves. Plan
your trips outside around these patterns.
All of this may seem simple, and it really
is. The keys are that it will take time and
you must be consistent. And, of course, you
must never lose your temper or even get excited.
Spontaneous or submissive urination:
Puppies may spontaneously urinate when excited.
This may be when they first see you, at meeting
a new dog, or when they are scared. It is
often referred to as submissive or excitement
urination. Do not discipline the puppy for
this, as it is something they cannot control.
Simply ignore it and clean up the mess. If
you do not overreact, they will usually outgrow
this between 4 and 7 months of age.
Summary: Your new puppy is home and
you have started the housebreaking process.
This is just as much a part of training as
the "Come" and "Stay"
commands. However, mistakes that occur with
housebreaking can cause more problems between
you and your pet than those encountered with
any other form of training. Be patient and
stay calm.
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Puppy
Care
