(Back to Page 1 of Potty Training)
Let’s look at the physiological aspects of potty training - your pet will need to eliminate first thing in the morning, and then regularly after eating, sleeping, or active playing. Speaking of eating, you will find that if you use a good quality puppy food, and later an adult food that is also of a high quality, your pet will be able to digest the food more easily. Why is this important? Because when the food is digested properly, there is LESS LEFT OVER to be eliminated. Thus, the piles your pet will leave are smaller, and THAT is a good thing! With a young puppy, you will find that if you follow a repetitive schedule, the same thing every day at approximately the same time, it will be much easier to organize his day. In order to get a schedule arranged for the pet, YOU must first be on a schedule so that you can help the pet to recognize what it is that you want. Your puppy may not know that it is Saturday morning and you would like to sleep until noon, instead of getting him up at the 6:30 hour that he has to do each weekday. You are going to have to bite the bullet with this baby and keep HIS hours for a while. It will be worth it, as you will have a much better companion if he learns what YOU want him to do! It is most important that he spends time with his family and that he thus becomes an integral member of the family.
A pet dog is an animal that has changed from a pack situation with many members and one strong pack-leader who found themselves living in a confined space, or den. It is natural for the dog to want to keep his living space clean, and to recognize the "leader of the pack". This is where you, his "owner" comes in. You have become the leader in the situation, and his den has become your home. It will work best for you if you have a confined space, or crate, in your home where the dog is allowed to live and which he instinctively, will want to keep clean (with your help!)
If you have a crate that is a comfortable size for a dog, large enough for the dog to stand and be able to turn around, furnished with blankets for comfort and some toys for entertainment, and a cover over the top to afford privacy and security, but not heavy or tight enough to restrict air flow, your dog should be able to live comfortably. The crate is seen by the dog as "home", not a place of punishment or purely restrictive in nature. This is, indeed, his "den" and he will want to keep it clean. This is where you come in, because it is up to you to be responsible enough to take the dog outside when he needs to eliminate, so that he doesn’t make a mess of his living space. The dog will be happy to learn to eliminate outside at an early age if he is:
1.Taken outside as soon as HE wakes up in the morning (carried outside if possible so that he doesn’t have "an accident" on the way)
2. Fed breakfast
3. Taken outside again shortly after eating, drinking and playing (again, carried, until he learns)4. allowed to nap in his crate
5 taken outside right after waking from his nap (again, the carrying process to eliminate mistakes!)6 fed lunch with the process repeated as was done after breakfast
7 fed supper with the same procedure repeated
8. at bedtime, he needs to be taken outside until he eliminates, praised and put in his crate for bed.
When the puppy is taken outside, the same procedures should be followed each day. Many people attest to the fact that when they walk their old dogs, the dogs choose to go the same path each day and they always eliminate in the same locations each day. The creatures of habit that they are causes dogs to repeat the same behavior when they are rewarded for that behavior. If Fido goes outside and does his "business" and you praise him, and perhaps give him a special treat, he will be much more apt to repeat that behavior each time he goes out, than if you ignore him and don’t pay attention to what the dog is doing. Sometimes it takes a lot of patience. It does not teach the dog that he did right if you do not stay outside with him long enough to determine that the desired results have, in fact, occurred and you have praised him.
There are some little treats that can be utilized to help train your dog. Treats of this nature must be small enough to fit inconspicuously in your pocket so that you do not get the dog thinking abut the treat instead of thinking about the job that he is supposed to be doing outside. It is also suggested that you give the puppy a treat whenever you put him in his crate – JUST FOR FUN! There are three types of treats that work really well:
2. very small cat treats that can be purchased are a tasty quick treat to reward a dog for good work1. chicken hot dogs, sliced very thin and cooked almost to the point of dehydration in the microwave are a favorite. They do well in your pocket since they are a non-greasy quick treat
3. Cheerios are a quick, easy treat that works well as a reward
The main idea is to get the puppy outside immediately after eating, sleeping or actively playing, and then, after he has done his business, immediately give him a special treat and lots of praise. Dogs are not dumb! They will very shortly make the connection that when you do this job outside, you get the good stuff, and if you make a mistake and do it inside, you are either picked up while you are in the act of doing it and rudely put out in the grass, or you are completely ignored if your owner didn’t catch you "in the act". It becomes obvious that the lesser of two evils is to do the jobs outside!! Be sure that you remember that when the puppy goes outside his first concentration should be on elimination; after he has done his "duty", THEN he can play!
The most important factor in this situation is that you are the boss. You are the human in this situation and YOU are in CHARGE! You do not discuss the situation with your pet, you do not carry on a long dissertation about how important it is that the dog not mess up his house, and you do not go to lengths to explain the benefits of the crate to the dog. You show him where he is to live, and you let him know by praising his good behavior with hugs, praise, and a treat that he has done what you expect. As was mentioned earlier, YOU must be Potty Trained first, then you can impart that knowledge to your dog!!
Just always remember that the most important aspect of training is LOVING, and making your pet a very special PART OF YOUR FAMILY! Keep him with you lots, give him proper motivation to do well and PRAISE him when he does well. He will want to please you and, in doing this, you will enjoy him!!!! Does this sound like a new child in the family??? You are right!! Love him lots!!!!!!!