One of the most confusing and anxiety-ridden areas of dog training is
house training. Yet, it is one of the most important, especially for the
humans involved.
The best way to understand and find success with house training is to use
the dog’s own nature to help you.
Dogs are, by instinct, very clean animals. They would rather not soil any
areas where they normally sleep or eat. Dogs are also creatures of habit
— they like to know where they’re supposed to go urinate and defecate.
If the dog is taught to eliminate on gravel or concrete, they will tend to
look for either of those surfaces to do so. If they’re taught to eliminate
on grass or dirt, that’s where they will choose. Use these habits to your
advantage.
Setting up the training area
This is the first step. Make sure the area you choose is small and
confined. A bathroom works for this, or a place in a kitchen or garage
also work well. Remember that crate training works well for puppies or
small dogs, but for the larger animals, the crate is too confining.
You need to spend some time with this aspect of the training. You need to
play with your dog in this area, and this is also where the dog will be
taught to sleep and eat. Put together a special bed. This can be something
you make up with items around the house, or you can go to the store and
purchase a bed. Don’t worry of your dog eliminates in this area at first.Once they figure out that this is where the sleep and eat, they’ll stop
eliminating there.
Once your dog realizes that the bed is for sleeping, you can begin to move
it around the house. But, only when you’re there. When you’re not, put the
bed back in the training area.
Setting up the toilet area
Now you need to determine where the toilet area is going to be located.
Presumably, this will be outside the house. Wherever it is, it has to a
place that the dog can go to whenever it needs to go. You need to go there
with your dog so you can give the appropriate rewards for good behavior.
Establish a set feeding schedule for your dog. If the dog is in the habit
of being fed at certain times, the natural process of elimination will
also begin to occur at certain times. Once you learn when those times
relate to the eating times, it will become much easier for you to guide
the dog to the established toilet area.
Don’t forget to make sure your dog has ready access to the toilet area.
That way mistakes aren’t as likely to occur.
Continuing the house training process
Once your dog is in the habit of eliminating in the toilet area and not in
the sleeping/eating area, you can begin to extend the training area to the
rest of the house. Do this slowly. Start by expanding to one additional
room, and then gradually expand into other areas. Don’t expand into new
areas until you’re sure your dog has control of its bladder and bowels. At
first, do this only when you’re around. If you’re away, then put your dog
back in the original training area.
Speeding up the process
If you have to move this process along more quickly, you can do so.
Remember to proceed with caution, though. It’s better to go slowly than to
have to try to retrain a dog later. If you’re going to try to speed things
up, you will have to be there in order to reward your dog for successfuleliminations. It is also important not to punish for mistakes. That will
only confuse the dog and slow the process even further.
One of the most confusing and anxiety-ridden areas of dog training is
house training. Yet, it is one of the most important, especially for the
humans involved.