House Breaking Your Puppy
You're the proud owner of a new puppy. Unfortunately, you are also
the not so proud owner of a soggy living room carpet. It doesn't
take long to realize this can't keep happening. So what do you do?
It might just be time to housebreak your new pet.
Housebreaking may sound painful but relax. It really isn't all that
difficult. It is your dog's natural tendency to want to keep its
living area clean so once the home is firmly established in your
pets mind the problem will be resolved. There are several ways you
can assist the process to move faster.
The first thing you want to do is be sure your pet is healthy to start
with. If your pet has not been to the vet already, make an
appointment. Your dog should be checked for overall healthiness and
for conditions that would make house training difficult, such as
cystitis and kidney or bladder dysfunction. While your pet is
visiting the veterinarian, ask to have them checked for worms and
parasites also by way of a faecal exam. Also bear in mind the
truthfulness behind mothers' wisdom when she said "You are what you
eat." A poor quality dog food, in addition to contributing to a poor
nutritional state, can cause digestive problems resulting in loose
stools, thus contributing to your pup's inability to control itself.
The most important part of housebreaking your pet is close supervision.
This is necessary because your puppy learns by repetition. If you
see your dog showing signs of needing to relieve itself, then
immediate action must be taken to get the animal outside to its
designated area. Consistency in training is critical. Do not think
being lax because it's cold or dark outside is acceptable or your
pet will adopt these same attitudes.
Close supervision during housebreaking is also necessary because it
gives you time to learn your dogs special quirks such as needing to
urinate right after eating or a certain action they take prior to
soiling the floor so you can watch for these actions and respond in
the future. Also it allows you to correct a situation while it is
still fresh in the dogs mind. While being very intelligent
creatures, short term memory is not the strong point for most
animals of this species and correcting them after more than a few
minutes have passed serves no real purpose.
Another key to Housebreaking is giving your dog a limited amount of
space. Baby gates across doorways or a pet crate help to make a more
confined area and help your pet to recognize this as his living
space. Their natural tendency is to go outside of their own living
space to urinate so making this association for your pet will make
your job easier. Lining this space with old news papers is a good
idea at first as it facilitates a much easier cleanup of any
accidents your pet might have. Also be aware that some surfaces are
more pet-friendly than others. Try to confine your new pet to areas
of the home with tile or vinyl floors which are much easier to
clean. Avoid letting them have access to carpet or hardwood floors
which retain odours and can be extensively damaged by an errant pup.
Remember to limit the amount of water your dog has access to at the
end of the day as you will otherwise be making a walk with your pet
in the middle of the night. A quick walk outside at regularly timed
intervals is advisable to training as this helps your pet to set an
internal schedule. Be certain to use a consistent keyword to tell
your pet why you are out in the yard such as "potty" or "toilet" or
anything you choose and do not return indoors until they have
relieved themselves. Also remember to give praise when your dog
relieves itself in appropriate places such as on newspapers or
outdoors.
Again consistent training is the key. If your pet does have an
accident indoors, correct the animal immediately and then clean the
area using non-ammonia based products. Instead use an Enzyme based
deodorizer to clean the area and be sure to remove all odour of the
accident or the animal will repeat the behaviour again.
If you follow these simple rules, your carpets and your new pet
should be able to coexist peacefully and relatively free from
stress.
Recommended Resource
Dog Potty Training Secrets
Dog Article courtesy of
I-Love-Dogs.com