For the love of large dogs.
Posts tagged Easily
How to Easily Housebreak your Dog
Aug 2nd
Some dogs are very sensitive to disapproval, and will virtually housebreak themselves once they have sense your disapproval of piddling on the carpet. Unfortunately, not all dogs are like that!
To housebreak your dog, you should get a crate which is just big enough for the dog to stand up in, but not too much bigger than that. If you place the dog in a large crate, the dog will simply use one corner for a toilet, and sleep in the other corner – which is not what you want!
The idea is that the dog should stay in the crate unless you are observing it, and it will not want to go to the toilet when in there. The only time when you take the dog out of the crate, is when you can give it your undivided attention. Of course, you will need to make time to ensure the dog is not confined in the crate for too much of the time.
Whenever your dog shows signs of anxiousness such as circling, sniffing or whining, this means the dog needs to go to the toilet. At this point, you should take your dog outside.
The big advantage of this method is that it becomes impossible for the dog to have an accident. No more accidents means a lot less stress for both you and your dog! The point is that you will either be with the dog (and able to take it outside for toilet), or the dog will be in the crate where it will not want to go to the toilet.
After about a month, you will be ready to take the dog out of the crate and give it some freedom around your house, including periods when you will not be observing it. Start gradually with short periods, at most of 10 minutes. If your dog manages several days without an accident, then you should increase the length of these periods by 10 minutes, but if the dog does have accident, go back to where you were several days ago.
Here are some other tips to help in housebreaking your dog:-
- Food is a trigger that causes your dog to go to the toilet. You should not leave food out, but instead give your dog food at the same set meal-times everyday, and allow it a maximum of half an hour to eat. After each meal, wait for a quarter of an hour and then take your take the dog outside for toilet.
- The smell of urine is another trigger that causes your dog to go. If you always use take the dog to the same area of your yard for toilet, it will soon learn to always use that spot.
- If you punish an accident by shouting at your dog, it will probably simply see it as attention and not learn that it has made a mistake. Instead, you should simply ignore and not interact with the dog when it has made a potty mistake.
- You must make sure that you reward and praise your dog whenever it does the right thing. However, do not use food as a reward, as that will simply cause your dog to go to the toilet again. Rewards should be emotional, so when your dog does do the right thing – give your dog a pat and a rub down.
Some of these training methods, particularly the crate method, may sound like a lot of work, but the investment of the time is well worth the effort. Your dog will soon forget that it can use your carpet as a toilet, and in just a few short weeks you will have a dog that you can trust around your home.
For more information about dog training please visit Guide to Dog Training
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This article is Copyright (C) 2007, Answers 2000 Limited.
Learn To House Train Your Dog Easily & Effectively
Aug 1st
The information in this article is based on the successful crate training method. Crate training is not cruel. I repeat: Crate training is not cruel. If used correctly, it uses the dog’s natural den instinct to your own advantage by encouraging the dog not to pee or poop where it sleeps. Dogs are naturally clean animals and will avoid going to the bathroom where they sleep. But you need to keep the following points in mind to be successful.
Establish A Regular Eating Routine
As I’m fond of saying, “what goes in must come out”. To help you figure out the best times to get your dog to go to the bathroom it’s important to feed your dog at the same times every day. This is the ideal time to practice your house training lessons. For your dog’s comfort it’s also a good idea to feed your dog in the same place every day, a place that they will identify as their eating spot. With your puppy, there’s a very short time between eating and eliminating. Figure around 15 – 20 minutes. When feeding your dog, give her 15-20 minutes and then pick up the uneaten portion (if any). This will also teach your dog to eat when fed. Again, these rules can be relaxed once your dog is house trained but for now it’s key to establish a routine.
Until your dog is house trained, also avoid treats and in-between meal snacks. The whole idea is to feed your dog, observe them constantly for the 15 -20 minutes after they eat and then bring them to the place where you want them to do their business. Do it like clockwork and you’ll be putting your puppy in a position to succeed. This is all about setting expectations and teaching your eager learner to do what you want. And when they do, praise them wildly. Make it seem like that little pee or poop that they did is the greatest and most magnificent thing you’ve ever seen in your entire life. Your friends and neighbors may think you’re crazy, but I can’t stress enough the power of praise. It’s what your puppy craves. Give it to her in generous amounts.
How Old Should Your Puppy Be?
How old should your puppy be before you begin house training? Start as early as you can but don’t expect results until the pup is about 14 weeks old. Before 14 weeks your pup cannot physically hold it in. Then why start early you may ask? Well, even though your pup may not be physically able to hold it in, she’ll at least begin learning what’s expected of her. Consider any training before 14 weeks to be “pre-school”. When her physical abilities catch up with what you taught her, it will make it that much easier to put the lessons into practice.
Size Matters
If you’re considering crate training your dog as a means of house training, keep in mind that the size of crate you choose is very important. A good rule of thumb about size is: the crate should only be big enough for the dog to comfortably stand up and turn around in. You don’t want the crate so big that the dog will mess at one end and sleep at the other. For large-sized breeds that will continue to grow substantially, you may need to buy a larger size later on if you intend for your dog to continue using the crate after it is house trained. And the most important rule of all: NEVER, under any circumstances, use the crate as a form of punishment. The crate should be a place where your dog wants to go, to sleep and get away from the bustle and activity in your home. You never want them to associate it with being punished.
Happy House Training!
Gene Sower is the author of the Happy House Training ebook. Learn To House Train Your Dog Easily & Effectively” http://www.lucythewonderdog.com/ebook.htm
