Potty Training

Oh the joys of owning a new puppy.

Potty training can be one of the most frustrating parts of training.

Some old school methods that you may remember using as a kid - don't really work. i.e. rubbing the dogs nose in the mess and putting the dog outside, or smacking it with a rolled up newspaper. While these were the methods of our parents - they do not work. The only thing they work for is instilling fear in your new puppy. Fear of you.

There are some basic rules you need to remember when starting the potty training process

#1 - If you don't catch the puppy in the act - DO NOT PUNISH THEM!!!

The way a dog's mind works is that if you punish them for a puddle you find on the floor, they aren't going to know you are punishing them for the puddle on the floor. They are going to think that you are punishing them for whatever they were doing when you punished them.

#2 - When the puppy does the right thing (i.e. go potty outside) praise like crazy!!!!

If they use the bathroom outside and you act a fool and praise them (every time in the beginning) a little light bulb will eventually go off in their head as the they get the hang of it. They will realize that going to the bathroom outside makes you happy - and gets them treats.


Okay now on to potty training methods - you can use newspapers, or the puppy pads, or the method that I have been more successful at and seems to be a little bit quicker and it actually doubles as getting the puppy used to being in a crate for periods of time when it cannot be supervised - Crate Training.

CRATE TRAINING

Now with a crate - do not get one that is too large - it should be large enough for them to lay down comfortably. That being said if you have a puppy like a rottweiler that will eventually be rather large, buy a crate that has a removable metal divider in it. This way the cage can grow with the puppy.

Dogs do not like to lay down in the same place they use the bathroom.

The easiest way to house train a puppy, is whenever they cannot be supervised they should be in the crate. It may seem a little harsh, but once a dog is used to their crate they will see it as a safe place for them to be even if they don't have to be.

Now before locking them in their crate - get in the habit of taking them outside to potty right before you lock them up. And as soon as you let them out take them outside. This will decrease the chances of accidents.

Do not put any food or water in the crate - you will be defeating your purpose of house training if you do this. Just a blanket and a safe chew toy (some chew toys should not be given to dogs unsupervised - which will be another blog topic in the future).

Also to begin with do not let the dog sleep outside of the crate. Once you know he or she is potty trained, you can increase the amount of time left outside of the crate.

There are two other methods - but the first of these two methods usually is not feasible in most instances. It is constant supervision

Constant Supervision

Constant supervision is just that. It does not involve a crate, or papers which will be discussed in the next method. You spend any and all necessary time with the puppy. This method only works for those who spend every waking minute with their animal. This method also means that you have to be very 'in tune' with your puppy in noticing when he does what is called the 'pre-potty pattern' Now depending on the dog's personality, the 'pre-potty pattern' can be hard to recognize. Some puppies pace, or get in your face to get your attention, some sniff the floor, some will whine, and others do nothing. With this method there is no room for error. There is no place in the home for accidents - other than your nice carpet, linoleum, tile or laminate flooring. Also with this method - it restricts the amount of playing outside. When you take them outside, after they do their business, you praise like crazy and bring them inside immediately. They need to associate the outside with potty time.

Papers & Pads

Many people and actually one method of the past that can work is laying down newspaper or puppy pads. With this method you place many pads in one area that is okay if they get it off the papers. Once they get the hang of using the papers, when you see them going into the 'pre-potty pattern' pick them up and take them outside to do their business.

As they get better at using the papers, begin moving the papers closer to the door that you usually use to take them outside. Then eventually you will have one set by the door, but you will also want to place another set outside. The next step, again as the puppy gets better at understanding that pottying happens outside, is to eliminate the papers inside.

On a final note: There is a flaw with this method. This method tells the puppy in the beginning that it is okay to go to the bathroom inside. Making it harder to housebreak the puppy. So this method is more difficult and more time consuming.

VERBAL CUES

This part of potty training should be used with all methods. Figure out a word to use to signal to the dog to go outside. In our household we use 'Outside?' And it is a question. That extra tone in your voice will help to get the dog excited about going outside.

An important note about verbal cues: If you live with more than one person, make sure that every person in the household knows the verbal cues to use and to NOT misuse the cues under any circumstances. That will only lead to confusion and the training process taking longer.

Now another verbal cue to use is once the dog is outside you can actually train the dog to go to the bathroom by saying certain words. In our household it's 'Go Potty.' As the dog gets the hang of going to the bathroom outside, he or she will get used to the verbal commands and go to the bathroom on command. Please note the important note about verbal cues. If this cue is misused you may have some messes to clean up in your own home for someone misusing the verbal cues.

Once the dog uses the bathroom, praise like crazy and go immediately back inside.

Those are the potty training methods. Now there are some other important aspects to potty training that also need to be discussed.

What to do when accidents happen

Accidents will happen. Refer back to rule #2 at the top. If you do not catch your dog in the act... DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES PUNISH OR YELL AT THE DOG!!! If you find a mess and you didn't catch the puppy or dog doing it, clean it up and forget about it.

Now if you do catch the dog in the act. Here are some rules to follow.
#1 - it is your fault that you did not catch the puppy in the 'pre-potty pattern'.
#2 - Do not get mad
#3 - Quickly and calmly pick them up (if they are small). If they are to big to pick up. Give a stern 'No!' without raising your voice or yelling.
#4 - Directly after 'No' take them outside to do their business

If you are carrying them outside, it will help to push their tail down because that will help to signal to them to not defecate or urinate any more.

#5 - You may have to wait a few minutes outside for them to finish their business and once they do praise them like mentioned before. (If your neighbor says you look like a crazy person - you're doing it right)

#6 - If you are too harsh in the scolding you will actually cause your house training efforts to go backwards, possibly resulting in the dog being fearful of you. Not only will the dog be fearful of you, but it may become fearful of going to the bathroom.

Feeding Schedule

Puppies need to go outside soon after they wake, and roughly 30 minutes after they eat or drink. Another way to help with housetraining is have them on a feeding schedule. You can feed a few times a day - allow them say 30 minutes to eat what is in their bowl and then take the bowl up off the floor. However, always allow them access to fresh water. 30 minutes after they eat, take them outside.

With house training two things to keep in mind: consistency, and if the dog has an accident that means you have to pay better attention to your dogs behavior.

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