House
Training
The key to house training your
dog is to rely on your dog's natural
instincts and tendencies. |
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Dogs are instinctively
clean animals. If they can avoid it, they
would rather not soil themselves or their
usual eating and sleeping areas. Dogs also
naturally develop habits of where they would
like to eliminate. For example, dogs that
have a habit of eliminating on grass or dirt
would rather not eliminate on concrete or
gravel. You can use these natural tendencies
for rapid and successful house training. |
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Establish
the Living Area |
 Establish
your dog's living area in
a small confined space such as a
bathroom, part of the kitchen or
garage. |
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Try
to spend as much time as
possible with your dog in his
area. It is important to play
with him in this area as well as
let him eat and sleep here. Give
your dog a special bed; this can
be anything from an open crate
to a large cardboard box to a
beach towel. In the beginning,
he may eliminate in here but
once he realizes that this is
his special space, he will try to
avoid soiling it. |
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Once
your dog gets used to sleeping
on his very own bed, you can
move it around your house from
room to room, where ever you go.
Confine your dog to the bed when
ever you are somewhere other
than their living area. If the bed is a
crate, simply close the door. If
the bed is a towel or blanket,
place it next to a piece of
furniture and leash your dog so
he can't get out of the bed.
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Since
you should never leave your dog
unattended while leashed, it's
an even better idea to leash
your dog to yourself! Tie one
end of the leash around your
waist or belt loop. Now your dog
can accompany you around your
home and you can monitor his
behavior. |
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Establish the Toilet Area |
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Second,
establish your dog's toilet
area. Every time your dog needs
to eliminate be sure he has
access to this place. Until he
develops a strong habit of
eliminating here, it is
important that you accompany him
every time. If he eliminates
some where else, then he'll be
establishing a habit of
eliminating there. |
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To
make things easier on both
yourself and your dog, you
should put your dog on a regular
feeding schedule. What goes in
on a regular schedule will come
out on a regular schedule. If
you know when your dog needs to
empty out, then you'll know when
to take him to his toilet area.
Healthy adult dogs should be
able to control their bladder
and bowels for eight hours. |
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It's
important that you do not
confine your dog without access
to her toilet area for too long.
If he can't hold it, he will be
forced to soil himself, his bed
or his own living area. If this happens, it
may become a habit and will take
much longer to housetrain him.
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Once
your dog consistently eliminates
in his toilet area and stops
soiling his personal area, then you can
start extending his space to the
rest of your house. Begin by
giving him access to one room at
a time, but only when you know
without a doubt that his bladder
and bowels are completely empty.
Let him eat, sleep and play in
this room but only when he can
be supervised. When you cannot
supervise him, either confine
him to his bed in that room, or
put him back in his own space Once he
accepts this room as an
extension of his living quarters, then go on
to the next room. |
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Praise and
Reward One way
to speed up the process is to
praise and reward your dog each
and every time he eliminates in
his toilet area. It is equally
as important not to reprimand
your dog for accidents and
mistakes. Reprimand usually
confuses the dog and slows down
the house training process.
If you catch your dog in the
act, just head for the towels
and cleaner. You have no right
to scold him, because if he is
going in the wrong place, it is
your fault, not his. If you find
an accident after the fact, just
clean it up.
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House
Training Problems |
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If
your dog continues to soil his
personal space either you have left him
there too long or the space may be
too large an area for him. Take
him to his toilet area more
frequently or establish his
space
in an even smaller area. |
If
he soils his bed, then you
probably confined him there too
long and he couldn't help
himself; or he doesn't
understand yet that this is his
bed. Urinary tract problems and
medical conditions can also
cause your dog to soil his bed
while he is sleeping. |
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Some
dogs drink excessive amounts of
water out of boredom or habit
and therefore have to urinate
too frequently. If this is your
dog, limit his water, take him
to his toilet area more
frequently and give him
activities to do so he isn't
bored. |
| If
the living area is not properly
introduced, your dog may feel as
if it is a prison and show signs
of anxiety, barking, chewing,
whining, etc. Make sure your dog
enjoys being in his own personal
space. |
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