| No Dog training means more to most new puppy | | | | issue the command. That helps the dog |
| owners than that first important lesson: Not | | | | associate the command with the behaviour. If |
| in the House! | | | | the dog hasn't gone after a few minutes and a |
| | | | few 'quickly' commands, take it back inside |
| Teaching your Dog to go to the toilet outside | | | | for an hour. Of course, if you spot the |
| the home, not in it, usually starts between | | | | pre-toilet behaviour in less time, go outside |
| six and eight weeks of age. Dogs as young as | | | | again immediately. |
| four weeks old, have been started on the | | | | |
| house training, but at such a young age, a | | | | Dogs have a surprising ability to quickly |
| puppy is unlikely to have enough muscle | | | | learn what their 'alpha' (the leader of the |
| control. | | | | pack) wants. This is almost always |
| | | | accomplished by associating a verbal command |
| Like any dog training, the trainer's patience | | | | with behaviour, followed by praise. |
| is as important as the dog's temperament. | | | | Punishment is usually counter-productive, and |
| 'Sit', 'stay' and other behaviours can often | | | | nowhere more so than in toilet training. |
| be learned in a few days. 'Potty' training | | | | Never rub a dog's nose in waste. |
| can take weeks - sometimes as short as two, | | | | |
| often a month or more. | | | | Paper and/or crate training is preferred by |
| | | | some. A pup can be trained to go on a |
| As with other learned behaviours, you should | | | | newspaper, or on one of the chemically |
| look for signs of the impending action, then | | | | treated puppy pads designed for the purpose. |
| enforce and direct them with a voice command | | | | Some small breeds that live all day in the |
| followed by praise. In this case the | | | | home may not need to go outside at all. |
| technique works to the trainer's advantage, | | | | |
| since all dogs will naturally go to the | | | | The technique has a couple of down sides |
| toilet. The trick is to get them to do it | | | | however. Unlike cats, dogs will rarely go in |
| when and where you want! | | | | a perfumed litter box. Newspapers (even with |
| | | | the top layer removed after the dog goes) |
| Look for signs such as circling or squatting, | | | | will eventually create an unpleasant smell in |
| then pick up the pup, say 'outside' and hurry | | | | the house. |
| outside. The puppy may circle some more, but | | | | |
| will often squat immediately. As it begins, | | | | Also, long before the odour becomes |
| say "quickly" (or some other phrase) in a | | | | unattractive to humans, dogs can smell their |
| clear, firm (but not angry) voice. Wait until | | | | own distinctive aroma. They don't find it |
| the puppy finished and give lots of praise. | | | | unattractive - quite the opposite. And that's |
| | | | the problem. |
| You won't always be able to catch the puppy | | | | |
| about to begin, but don't become angry or | | | | Dogs that are paper trained will often prefer |
| impatient when the dog goes to the toilet | | | | to eliminate indoors. Sometimes they'll miss |
| indoors. It takes time for the dog to learn | | | | the paper by only an inch, creating a mess to |
| to tell you it's time to 'go outside'. It | | | | clean up. |
| also takes time for the muscles needed to | | | | |
| control bladder and bowels to develop. | | | | Once the odour is in the carpet, the dog will |
| | | | often seek that spot out as its proper 'place |
| Young dogs need to go to the toilet every 2-3 | | | | to go'. This makes training the dog to go to |
| hours, on average. If you haven't spotted | | | | the toilet outside even more difficult. Best |
| evacuation behaviour within that time, take | | | | to suffer a few accidents than to create a |
| the dog outside anyway. Issue the command | | | | hard-to-overcome habit. |
| 'quickly" and wait. At first, usually, the | | | | |
| dog will have no clue what you want. | | | | Patience, praise and consistency are the keys |
| | | | to any dog training. Elimination training is |
| Again, even when outside, it helps to wait | | | | the first test for you and your dog. |
| and watch for the desired behaviour then | | | | |