Help with housetraining
In the old days, dog owners "housebroke" their dogs, pushed their noses in mistakes, and screamed in rage when the pooch
made a mistake on the rug again. Today we're more enlightened. Here are some hints for house training your dog:
· First, buy a puppy from a breeder who has already started housetraining by putting the puppies outside every morning
and after meals and praising when they relieve themselves. It's also helpful if the breeder has done some crate training as
well. Puppies raised in wire cages in commercial kennels and shipped to pet stores have nowhere to relieve themselves
except their living quarters, a habit that is difficult to overcome.
· Buy a crate or an ex-pen and a baby gate or two to keep the puppy confined when you cannot watch him. If the
puppy is kept in the kitchen, he can't pee on the rug in the living room, a simple fact that escapes many pet owners caught
in the midst of a housetraining debacle.
· Feed a premium food, preferably the brand used by the breeder. If that food is unavailable, get about some from
the breeder and gradually switch to a locally-available brand. Begin with a mix of about three-quarters of the original food
and gradually increase the volume of the new food until the pup is eating only the new food.
· Confine the puppy to rooms with tile or other washable flooring so mistakes don't ruin carpets.
· Feed on a schedule and take the puppy outside to the appropriate relief spot immediately after eating.
· Don't play with the pup until he relieves himself..
· If he doesn't urinate and defecate within 10 minutes, bring him inside and place him in his crate for 10-15 minutes,
then try again. Continue this routine until he is successful, and then praise him as if he just won a blue ribbon.
· Take him out on a leash to his bathroom spot so he learns to relieve himself under your control.
· Puppies do not soil the house out of spite or stupidness; they soil the house because they have not been taught to
do otherwise. If the puppy does urinate or defecate inside, he should immediately be taken outside to the appropriate
spot. (Keep a leash near each door to the house for easy access just in case.)
· Keep the bathroom spot clean by picking up feces every day. Cleanliness prevents worms and spread of intestinal
viruses and infections and cuts down on smell that might bother the neighbors.
· Realize that a puppy should have a schedule, that he should be taken to his outside relief spot last thing at night
and first thing in the morning as well as after meals and naps, and that he should be praised when he does his duty. When
taking the puppy to his outdoor spot, don't play with him or allow the children to do so. First things first. If the pup does
not relieve himself, put him in the crate for a few minutes, then try again. Most puppies will not soil in their crates if they
can possibly help it.
· Failures in housetraining are human mistakes, not puppy errors. The puppy does not understand that carpets are for
walking, not bowel relief. If eight-year-old Steve is told to take Sam outside after the pup finishes his dinner and Steve is
busy watching television and says "in a minute" or ignores the request altogether, and if Sam then poops on the floor, it is
not the puppy's fault. It is also not the child's fault. Mom or Dad tried a shortcut by making the child responsible for the
dog's behavior and that never works.
· Never punish for mistakes. Once you're fairly confident that the puppy understands where to relieve himself, scold
him for mistakes, but don't spank, scream, or push his nose in the mess. The spot should be cleaned up, preferably with an
enzyme odor eliminator. (If the odor is left untended, the dog will find it again, even if people cannot detect any smell.)
· Most puppies learn fairly quickly (especially when compared to children who can take two years or more to graduate
from diapers to underwear) to whine or scratch at the door when they need to go out. Easy-to-train pups can be reliable
in the house at around five to six months of age; difficult pups may take a month or two longer.
· If a puppy reaches five or six months of age and is still having regular accidents in the house, make sure he does not
have a bladder infection, intestinal parasites, or other medical reason for his failure to signal that he needs to go outside.
Then redouble the efforts to teach him what you want him to know.
Sherry Schneider
TexasCotons@ sbcglobal. net
www.angelcloudcoton s.com
In the old days, dog owners "housebroke" their dogs, pushed their noses in mistakes, and screamed in rage when the pooch
made a mistake on the rug again. Today we're more enlightened. Here are some hints for house training your dog:
· First, buy a puppy from a breeder who has already started housetraining by putting the puppies outside every morning
and after meals and praising when they relieve themselves. It's also helpful if the breeder has done some crate training as
well. Puppies raised in wire cages in commercial kennels and shipped to pet stores have nowhere to relieve themselves
except their living quarters, a habit that is difficult to overcome.
· Buy a crate or an ex-pen and a baby gate or two to keep the puppy confined when you cannot watch him. If the
puppy is kept in the kitchen, he can't pee on the rug in the living room, a simple fact that escapes many pet owners caught
in the midst of a housetraining debacle.
· Feed a premium food, preferably the brand used by the breeder. If that food is unavailable, get about some from
the breeder and gradually switch to a locally-available brand. Begin with a mix of about three-quarters of the original food
and gradually increase the volume of the new food until the pup is eating only the new food.
· Confine the puppy to rooms with tile or other washable flooring so mistakes don't ruin carpets.
· Feed on a schedule and take the puppy outside to the appropriate relief spot immediately after eating.
· Don't play with the pup until he relieves himself..
· If he doesn't urinate and defecate within 10 minutes, bring him inside and place him in his crate for 10-15 minutes,
then try again. Continue this routine until he is successful, and then praise him as if he just won a blue ribbon.
· Take him out on a leash to his bathroom spot so he learns to relieve himself under your control.
· Puppies do not soil the house out of spite or stupidness; they soil the house because they have not been taught to
do otherwise. If the puppy does urinate or defecate inside, he should immediately be taken outside to the appropriate
spot. (Keep a leash near each door to the house for easy access just in case.)
· Keep the bathroom spot clean by picking up feces every day. Cleanliness prevents worms and spread of intestinal
viruses and infections and cuts down on smell that might bother the neighbors.
· Realize that a puppy should have a schedule, that he should be taken to his outside relief spot last thing at night
and first thing in the morning as well as after meals and naps, and that he should be praised when he does his duty. When
taking the puppy to his outdoor spot, don't play with him or allow the children to do so. First things first. If the pup does
not relieve himself, put him in the crate for a few minutes, then try again. Most puppies will not soil in their crates if they
can possibly help it.
· Failures in housetraining are human mistakes, not puppy errors. The puppy does not understand that carpets are for
walking, not bowel relief. If eight-year-old Steve is told to take Sam outside after the pup finishes his dinner and Steve is
busy watching television and says "in a minute" or ignores the request altogether, and if Sam then poops on the floor, it is
not the puppy's fault. It is also not the child's fault. Mom or Dad tried a shortcut by making the child responsible for the
dog's behavior and that never works.
· Never punish for mistakes. Once you're fairly confident that the puppy understands where to relieve himself, scold
him for mistakes, but don't spank, scream, or push his nose in the mess. The spot should be cleaned up, preferably with an
enzyme odor eliminator. (If the odor is left untended, the dog will find it again, even if people cannot detect any smell.)
· Most puppies learn fairly quickly (especially when compared to children who can take two years or more to graduate
from diapers to underwear) to whine or scratch at the door when they need to go out. Easy-to-train pups can be reliable
in the house at around five to six months of age; difficult pups may take a month or two longer.
· If a puppy reaches five or six months of age and is still having regular accidents in the house, make sure he does not
have a bladder infection, intestinal parasites, or other medical reason for his failure to signal that he needs to go outside.
Then redouble the efforts to teach him what you want him to know.
Sherry Schneider
TexasCotons@ sbcglobal. net
www.angelcloudcoton s.com