First Coast Pet

Posts Tagged ‘Dog Housetraining’

The key to house training your puppy to make the transition from going to the bathroom on paper indoors to holding it and waiting until it can go outside is a bit of common sense and outdoor manners. Going from the papers to the outside means you need to carry your puppy to the right area. Little dogs can be easily carried outside, however you may need to get a carrier to transport bigger dogs if you do not have the strength. Once you have taken the dog outside without any accidents occuring and you are face to face with city block after block, where do you begin to go?

It should go without saying, that all areas frequented by people, including flower beds, children’s play area, city trees and other landscaping are all off limits. Letting a male dog lift his leg on somebody’s garbage can or other things that might be touched by humans is not very nice. Make sure you are properly prepared to invest a lot of time outdoors with your puppy potty training. A puppy who is scared will be unable to relax enough to go potty and also a distracted puppy may find too much stimuli prevents it from wanting to go outside too.

Can your pup focus enough amidst all the noise of traffic and people to ever learn to use the concrete? With training, yes. One technique for outdoor potty training sessions is known as ‘curbing’ and entails having your puppy do his business over a curb or into a gutter. Place the rear end of your puppy over the curb and let it do it’s business. Give gentle and somewhat quiet praise to your puppy while he is going then praise with exuberance afterwards. Just be aware that if you praise too much during the act, your puppy will get distracted and wriggly – not a good combination in mid-elimination.

When there is a mistake, don’t panic, just work on it next time and smile at people and pick up after your dog. You cannot drag the puppy away and reprimand him while he is still in the middle of going, rather just make certain he is in the correct location the next time. Make it become a habit and always praise your pup and eventually you will have success with your dog potty training. Life will be easier if you teach your pup to potty on cue. Once it’s about to start urinating or defecating, calmly say the cue words and praise your pup and after it’s done, praise it once again.

Other Training Options In The City

There are plenty of alternative potty areas for pet owners who live in urban settings that they may not even have considered like utilizing a fenced or walled off rooftop which may be more convenient than getting down to the street. Be sure the area is secured with a strong fence that pups can’t wriggle through. If there is a wall, you may want to keep the dog leashed to prevent the puppy from exploring the other side. A terrace is one other option that works well for larger dogs. Additionally, some buildings have a basement area or storage room that can double as a potty area, just choose a concrete or tiled area that’s easy to clean and hose off.

There are folks who have thought to put in gravel pits or fake and real grass strips on the patio for the puppy to use, but these certainly get soiled fast. You have to be very consistent with replacing the grass and cleanup when it is necessary to keep it clean enough so your dog will continue using them. The last point is to remember your neighbors as the smell can become pretty intolerant especially through the hot summer, so cleanliness is key. Dog house training, inside or out needs a little bit of time and patience, but it is well worth the effort.

Puppies have very little control over their excretory functions until they are over seven months of age, so keep that in mind when puppy housetraining. At least once per hour and possibly more often, it will have to relieve itself. After playing, eating and sleeping your puppy will have the urge to use its bowels. By keeping your puppy confined to a relatively small area lined with papers, it will not have the opportunity to make a mistake and necessitate a verbal reprimand. A puppy likes to keep its own bed clean and as a result will soil as far away as possible.

Take this cue and after it naps, eats or plays, place your pup on its papers, or outside in the yard. After your pup has successfully soiled where you have placed it, lavish it with sincere praise. A puppy will respond to sincere praise and will not be fooled if you do not mean it. Apartment dwellers who are away at work all day, are generally more successful at paper-training a puppy until it is old enough to have considerable control. It is not important where you live, the same rules apply to your dogs potty training.

Supervising your puppy at all times is required if you let it have the freedom of the whole house. Should it lower its head, sniff and begin to circle, be quick! Get it onto its papers or into the yard immediately. When it relieves itself, praise is in order. However, if, through your fault, it has an accident, no spanking or rubbing its nose in it. A pup has a memory of a couple of seconds and if it soiled ten minutes before, it cannot relate your anger to its action that long ago and will not be able to understand why you are angry.

Such punishment does not fit the crime and will only encourage bad habits such as stool eating and thereby re-infestation with parasites. By all means show your pup what it has done, scold it and place it on the papers. Remember, the accident was your fault for not supervising it properly, or not being aware of its warning signals. Clean and disinfect the soiled area thoroughly to remove any odour, otherwise your pup will seek out this spot again. Having the freedom of the whole house is the biggest disadvantage you have in teaching your puppy potty habits and you could end up with real housetraining problems.

Paper training an older dog is generally not required. Regular outings, timed to coincide with its peak urgency periods, after meals, naps and play periods should accomplish this in short order. While confinement to a very small area is probably unnecessary, supervision and praise must never be forgotten. These are the simple rules to puppy housetraining as you show how pleased you are with praise and affection and they reward you with good behavior as they want to please you, their leader.

Many dog owners find puppy housetraining their hardest challenge. A puppy should not be left unsupervised as it needs to learn what housetraining is. You can have the opposite effect if you over harass your pup as it may become neurotic.

House training a puppy means disciplining yourself to be consistent and by using methods established by professional trainers. In the long run, a few weeks of effort will result in a housetrained pup and later, a well behaved dog.

Confinement Rule In Puppy Housetraining

In puppy housetraining you have to consider several important factors.  You need to have a small area with an easy to clean floor and keep your pup in this area, a playpen is ideal. You are not being cruel keeping your pup in a confined area, as it is happier when it can slowly adjust to the whole house. Your pup is very small and everything around it can be extremely overwhelming. Confinement keeps little paws and playful teeth out of range of dangerous places, while ensuring that your dog is close to its papers, or the door to the yard.  This means it is more likely to behave correctly, than to have an accident, which results in lots of praise and affection from you.

Praise When Housetraining Your Puppy

Praise is the second important factor in housetraining. Your puppy loves you unconditionally from the time you bring it into your home and to please you is its aim in life. Puppies respond very quickly to your moods and know when you are angry and when you are pleased. Praise and affection will achieve more response from your pup than any physical correction.  There is no place for physical punishment for any puppy, it is totally unnecessary and inhumane.

Housetraining Consistency Rule

Consistency is the third vital factor in housetraining. Consistency in schedule, feeding habits, praise and reward for proper behaviour and in verbal reprimand when accidents occur. It is of supreme importance. As with children, a puppy must learn that your word is law and obedience comes from them understanding that what you say, you mean. If you ignore some mistakes, forget to praise, overlook a mealtime, forget where your puppy is and if it needs to use its paper or go outside, you will never housetrain your pup.

These are just a few factors to help you in housetraining your puppy. The ultimate house training guide is where a professional dog trainer answers many of the problems associated with housetraining your puppy. Following a few basic rules will help you when you begin housetraining your new puppy.

Your dog or puppy can be properly potty trained not to use the bathroom in your small apartment. You can lay paper in a specific area and housetrain your pup or dog to eliminate on the paper in a designated area. Training can include teaching your dog not to eliminate on the sidewalk when you are out walking.

It takes a bit of extra work and patience with your pup or dog to conquer the unique problems of city dwelling. Potty training is the same whether you live in the country, the suburbs with a yard, or in a high-rise in the city. Your puppy just needs to be educated about where the legal places are to eliminate. Dog potty training can be a simple procedure if you follow a few simple steps.

For both urban and suburban dogs, using a crate to housetrain your pet is the best option. Sometimes you have to creative when you live in the city and have to deal with small living spaces with no yard and no convenient parks.

Deciding where to put the crate is the biggest problem if you have a medium to large dog. The good news is that the bathrooms or kitchens in apartments, are often so small that they can effectively be used as crates. Many companies now make crates that also function as furniture, such as wicker or rattan crates that double as end tables or coffee tables.

Dog Pottying On The Paper

Training your pup to use paper or a crate uses the same principles. The pup sleeps or eats, then goes to the paper area to potty. When your pup uses the paper and you have praise it, spend time playing and loving your pup as a reward. Praise calmly during the act and profusely afterwards, so your pup knows exactly what it’s doing right. A 7 day dog potty training routine can be achieved.

After your pup has learnt that the paper is the place to potty, you can leave the paper anywhere in your apartment that is suitable and your pup will find the paper to use. That way, your pup knows it cannot merely step outside the crate and eliminate.

Go to the paper together and say to your pup in a happy voice ‘Papers’. Praise after the deed is done and give affection. It will learn to run to the papers no matter where they are. You have made finding the papers fun and exciting for your pup and you it will not make a mess in your apartment and you will be stress-free and have a happy pup. A  dog potty training review of all the techniques you have used, will give you the confidence that your little puppy friend won’t let you down.