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| Regardless of your new dog's history, start with the
assumption that they are not housetrained. Always approach house
training from the dog's perspective. Your dog does not understand
that it is wrong to eliminate in the house! |
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| Dogs, like people, learn at different rates. |
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Feed your dog on a schedule.
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Instead of free feeding, feed your dog at set meal times. Most
adult dogs do well with two meals a day, but puppies need more
frequent meals. Stick to a high quality, dry dog food and keep
your dog's meal times as close to the same times each day as
possible. Give them access to food for about 20 to 30 minutes at
each meal. Remember to walk them after they eat! |
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Take your dog outside to eliminate as often
as possible and reward them whenever they eliminate outside.
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If you are considering a young puppy, remember that they
need to eliminate every hour. Regardless of your walk
schedule always take your new dog outside after playing,
napping, and about 20 minutes after eating. Try to use the
same spot each time. Keep walks brief and encourage your dog
to sniff (this is an important part of the canine
elimination sequence). Praise the dog as soon as they begin
to squat and as they eliminate. Do not play or take long
walks with the dog until after they have eliminated outside. |
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Pay attention to your dog's body language when inside. |
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Behaviors such as pacing, whining, circling, excessive sniffing
or squatting indicate that the dog may need to eliminate. If you
catch your dog exhibiting any of these behaviors, interrupt the
dog and immediately take them outside. If they eliminate outside,
praise them profusely. |
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Catch them in the act! |
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If, and only if, you catch your dog eliminating in the house
can you correct them. The correct must take place at the same time
as the undesirable action (preferably as the act begins). The most
effective correction is to startle the dog with an unpleasant
stimulus (a loud noise, squirt of water, etc.) as soon as they
begin the unwanted behavior. You can then redirect their behavior.
This means that after interrupting them, you should immediately
take them outside to eliminate. Praise them if they go outside.
Remember to always use the weakest stimulus possible to interrupt
your dog. Your goal is not to scare the dog, but to startle them. |
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Punishment |
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Punishment has no role in house training and can actually
intensify the dog's undesirable behaviors. Dogs make immediate
associations. |
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Crate Training |
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One of the first decisions you have is whether or
not to use a crate. The crate has two main functions. First, it
keeps your dog and your possessions safe while you are away, and
second, it encourages your dog to inhibit the urge to eliminate.
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For example, if you come home and find a puddle of
urine on the floor, show it to your dog, and punish your dog
(either physically or vocally), your dog will associate the
punishment with you and the puddle of urine and not with the act
of urinating in the house. This may seem like the same thing to
you, but for your dog there is a huge difference between the act
of urinating and a puddle of urine. |
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Since your dog does not understand that it was their act of
urinating that contributed to the punishment, they may in the
future cower or act guilty when you come home to find another
puddle or urine on the floor. Your dog's guilty behavior is merely
canine submission and it is their way of telling you that they
acknowledge your anger, but does not understand its cause. |
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In fact, punishing a dog for eliminating inside has been known
to lead to other behavioral problems. A classic example is the dog
who after repeatedly being punished for eliminating inside,
develops coprophagia (the nasty habit of eating feces). In this
case, the dog views the feces as the cause of punishment and
attempts to get rid of it by eating it. Again, the dog did not
understand that their defecating caused the punishment. |
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Clean any soiled areas with mild soap and an odor
eliminator. |
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If your dog has an accident (and most will have at least one),
getting rid of the underlying odor is crucial. Dogs use scent cues
when deciding where to eliminate and the average dog as 215
million more scent receptors than you. Thus, even if you cannot
smell that spot on the rug, chances are that your dog can. Never
use an ammonia-based product to clean up after your dog. Many of
these products just smell too much like urine for your dog to
resist. Always place your dog in another room before cleaning
up mess. You do not want this to become a game. |
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Health and Behavior |
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If your dog continues to eliminate inside after repeated
attempts to house train or if your house trained dog begins to
eliminate inside, they may have a medical problem or behavioral
problem that needs to be addressed. First, have your dog
thoroughly examined by your veterinarian (including urinalysis and
fecal exam) to rule out any medical problems. If your dog is
healthy and the problem persists, ask your veterinarian to refer
you to a qualified animal behavior specialist. |
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An alternate to crate training
is to confine your dog to one area of the house using a baby
gate or door, when left unsupervised. Just make sure that
the area is puppy proof. You can gradually expand their
access to the rest of the house. If you use a crate remember
the following: no dog should be crated for more than four
consecutive hours! Your dog may still have accidents in the
crate. The crate must be large enough for the dog to
completely stand up and turn around in, and your ultimate
goal is not to use the crate. |
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Paper Training |
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Teaching a dog to eliminate indoors, even on
paper, makes it more difficult to ultimately teach the dog to
eliminate outdoors. If you do not have to paper train your dog,
then don't. This said, there are some circumstances when you might
want to consider paper training. For example, if your dog is very
young or very old and you can not take the dog outside to
eliminate as frequently as they need, you may need to paper train.
Small dogs can even be litter box trained. It is possible to
housetrain a dog that has been paper trained, but it may take more
time and vigilance on your part. |
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