You have brought your long-coveted puppy home and now you need to start the house training process. However, imparting proper guidance to a pet is a challenging job and if it goes wrong it can cause a rift between you and your pup. Time and patience are the two key factors in the process of house training a puppy and a good behaved dog needs a lot of supervision and encouragement on the part of the owner.
Training a puppy – understanding his mind
Understanding your puppy’s mind is the very first step of house training. When a puppy comes to your home from his mom or breeder, it has already urinated or defecated hundreds of times. So it is not easy for him initially, to understand that you need him to go to a chosen spot (suppose your garden) to eliminate. What is important for the pup is the need to relieve himself when the notion takes him. The only major criteria, as inherited naturally by him are that, the spot should be a quiet one, away from his food and his bed. And for all good reasons, it can be behind your living room sofa or on the floor of your bedroom!
However, don’t feel disheartened. Start the training with a lot of patience and understanding. Chose a spot that is quick and convenient to reach from the puppy’s bed, food and play areas and encourage him constantly to use it as his loo. Take a puppy to the loo after every walk, every food and drink session and especially when he is excited. Try to learn your pet’s body language and soon enough you will be able to spot signs like sniffing in a specific manner, circling round on one spot or holding the tail high when he feels like eliminating. And most importantly, DON’T SCOLD him for an accident because he will have absolutely no idea what the scolding is for. He cannot relate the scolding to his fault, if 30 seconds have lapsed after that!
The various methods of house training a puppy
For a first time dog-owner, I feel certain information about puppy’s behavior is going to work wonders. He will clearly know what to expect from his pet. Until the age of 4 – 5 months, a puppy’s bladder remains very small and it cannot hold anything for a long time. Up to 4/5 months of age, a puppy needs to go to the bathroom for about 12 times per day every two hours, on an average. Therefore consistent vigilance is very effective as you can pick up the hint, even if it is outside the schedule. Other than vigilance, some other important methods can be adopted, too.
The different methods of house training
Starting inside: You can use chemically pre-treated pads (with special scents to attract your pup) or papers and encourage the puppy to use specific areas as his bathroom. Whenever you pick up the signs or notice the pre-potty patterns of your puppy, carry him over to the papers / pads. Praise him when he uses the stipulated pad / paper correctly.
Crate training: Another popular method of house training is the use of cage or crate. A puppy is placed in a cage that is just large enough to hold his bed (i.e. a blanket). The theory that goes behind this is ‘dogs do not like to soil their beds because they would have to sleep in the mess.’ Thus they learn to control their urge to eliminate, for a longer period of time.
However it is essential to take the puppy to the bathroom just before putting him in the crate as well as immediately after taking him out. Don’t put any food or water in the crate. Don’t buy a very big cage because then the puppy will go to its one corner to urinate or defecate and the whole purpose of crate training will be nullified. Buy a cage that has enough room to hold the puppy when he grows up. Otherwise you will need to keep on buying crates with the changing size of your pup.
Verbal cues and constant supervision:Specific verbal cues used repeatedly to indicate a definite action, is also very useful. Suppose, the word “outside” can be used to make the dog understand that you want him to go there. But this command has to be used by every family member to indicate the same thing. Once outside, you can encourage the pup to excrete by using commands like “do your numbers” or just “do it.”
However, there can be no substitute for supervision. For retired people or for those working from home, vigilance is the best method. Watch your puppy continuously and whenever you notice the pre-potty behaviors in him, take him outside or give him verbal command. Once done, praise him with phrases like “Good boy” or “Nice pup” and bring him inside. This method has less room for error.
When an accident takes place
One of the primary rules of house training is – If you do not catch your puppy doing it, then do not punish him.
So if an accident has taken place, don’t be too harsh with your pup. Actually it’s more of your fault than the puppy’s because if you had been noticing for those telltale signs, you would have understood. But since your attention faltered, don’t get mad at him. Quietly clean up the mess with a good commercial detergent to leave no odor on the floor. The cause is that the dogs like to eliminate on the spot where they had eliminated before. Their bathroom scent attracts them. So, consciously remove all odors and do not penalize him. This is because he cannot relate it with his own mistake, particularly if 30 seconds have lapsed. On the other hand, as house training Rule No. 2, praise him when he does it correctly.
House training a puppy – some tips
Sometimes medical problems can cause accidental elimination so you should consult in such situations. While greeting family members a dog can urinate too. This is caused by over-excitement. To avoid these, keep the greeting low key and perform them outside the house. Remember! Even the best house trained dogs can sometimes cause accidents. Don’t panic! Try and find out what has gone wrong.
