jw
05-28-2005, 08:39 PM
There are 4 keys to housebreaking a puppy/dog. A pup CAN be completely housebroken in under 2 weeks.
Key 1: A crate training foundation.
There are many links on the net and most puppy obedience classes teach crate training. Here is one: http://dogs.about.com/cs/basictraining/p/crate_training.htm
This is not a prison for your pup, it is his own safe place.
A crate helps in housebreaking by leveraging a dogs own natural instinct not to soil his or her own sleeping area. It teaches them at a young age to "hold it".
Your dog should not be forced into the crate, rather gently introduced to it. If you choose a plastic varikennel type, you can take off the top half and lure the dog in with treats. Then when your dog learns to go in, you can put the top back on and start associating a command. I say "kennel up!" and the pup learns to go in.
The crate should be near you, such as in your bedroom at night. The puppy at first will most likely scream during the night the first time, and the first few days, because they want to have fun and be near people. Ignore it. Never let a pup out when screaming, it only teaches them that "hey, if I scream and whine, I get to romp and play". Only let out a quiet dog.
That said, there are some minimums on how often a pup needs to go outside. A good rule of thumb is 1 hour for every month of a pup's life. That means that a 2 month old puppy will need to eliminate at least once every 2 hours. This is true during the daytime, there is some debate on whether puppies can hold it overnight or not. At 2-3 months, I would take the puppy out on leash at least 1-2 times overnight. At 4-6 mos you can start full overnights.
A crate needs to be sized properly. Just enough room for the pup to sit, stand, lie down and turn around and no more. You can buy a bigger crate and use dividers or boxes to shorten it up.
Also, a crate should NEVER be used as a place to punish your pup for bad behavior.
Key 2: Doing your business outside is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Praise and reward it.
Recognize and praise when your dog eliminates outside. Praise and pet like crazy. Can you teach your dog to "sit" by saying "sit" and holding a treat up? Yes, you can teach your pup to go on command with a phrase like "do it" or "go potty" as well.
When you take your dog out and they go, the second they start say "do it!", then when they do, pet and scratch and rub and make as big a fuss as you can that they just did the best thing in the entire world. If done consistently, "do it" means praise and the dog WILL go when you say it.
This is a bit more difficult, but a dog CAN learn to do #2 on command. I use the phrase "big business" with the same reward. My dog likes to chase the laser pointer, so I lead him around a small circle to encourage the natural "circle and sniff" that dogs will do before doing their business. Alternatively, walking your dog around in a short circle on a leash can sometimes work.
Key 3: A supervised pup should not have the opportunity to make a mess in the house.
This is very important. Unforunately, the way to teach your puppy not to go in the house is to catch them trying to go. Otherwise they don't learn that going inside is not OK.
If you have a puppy, and you do not watch them, they will mess in the house. The 3-second rule applies here. If you don't catch your pup making a mess within 3 seconds and say "no!", any correction is practically useless. No rubbing your dog's nose in it. They will not make the connection.
Catching #2 is fairly easy. Most dogs will sniff and circle before deciding to drop a bomb. Once you see sniffing and circling, say "Ah Ah!" and whisk outside and praise.
#1 is more difficult since you don't get as much advanced warning. Once you see the sniff, do the same thing. Even if you catch them 1/2 way thru it, whisk them outside. Praise that they finished outside, then go clean up the mess. No big deal.
When your puppy has outside the crate time, it is your responsibility to supervise. Any accident that happens is your fault for not watching closely enough, so don't yell at the pup, clean it up and move on. Some of the things that can help are baby gates and locking bedroom doors so your pup does not have the opportunity to venture outside your supervision area.
Key 4: A regular daily routine
There are some folks who use doggie doors, or have a little bell near the door, or let the puppy scratch to let them know when they need to go. This can work in some cases, but I don't really agree with it.
My dog and I have an agreement. He eliminates outside on schedule, and I schedule walk and play time. Unfortunately, I have to work to put kibble in the bowl, and I want my dog fully relieved before I head in to work.
A lot of elimination time can be predicted around meal time. Most dogs will want to eliminate right after eating, or #2 about 30-60 mins after a meal. So guess what? If you feed breakfast and dinner at the same time every day, you can predict when your dog needs to go.
So a sample schedule for an adult dog might look something like this:
6:00 AM Wake up. Outside for #1.
6:15 AM Feed breakfast.
6:45 AM Outside for #2.
7:00 AM. Walk.
7:30 AM Head in to work.
12 Noon Home for a #1 break.
5:00 PM: #1 Break.
5:15 PM: Outside fetch game or walk.
5:45 PM: Dinner.
6:15 PM: Outside for #2.
10:00 PM: Last outside for #1 then bed.
For puppies, you need to increase potty breaks based on the 1 hour per month of age rule. Also, puppies may have a 3 meal a day schedule, but the same principle applies. By putting the dog on a schedule, they understand reliably when they need to go.
Summary
The 4 keys work together to housebreak:
The crate teaches the pup that they CAN hold it
The outside praise and commands let them know what you want them to do
The inside supervision lets them know what you don't want them to do
The schedule lets both of you have mutual expectations of what and when needs to be done
Key 1: A crate training foundation.
There are many links on the net and most puppy obedience classes teach crate training. Here is one: http://dogs.about.com/cs/basictraining/p/crate_training.htm
This is not a prison for your pup, it is his own safe place.
A crate helps in housebreaking by leveraging a dogs own natural instinct not to soil his or her own sleeping area. It teaches them at a young age to "hold it".
Your dog should not be forced into the crate, rather gently introduced to it. If you choose a plastic varikennel type, you can take off the top half and lure the dog in with treats. Then when your dog learns to go in, you can put the top back on and start associating a command. I say "kennel up!" and the pup learns to go in.
The crate should be near you, such as in your bedroom at night. The puppy at first will most likely scream during the night the first time, and the first few days, because they want to have fun and be near people. Ignore it. Never let a pup out when screaming, it only teaches them that "hey, if I scream and whine, I get to romp and play". Only let out a quiet dog.
That said, there are some minimums on how often a pup needs to go outside. A good rule of thumb is 1 hour for every month of a pup's life. That means that a 2 month old puppy will need to eliminate at least once every 2 hours. This is true during the daytime, there is some debate on whether puppies can hold it overnight or not. At 2-3 months, I would take the puppy out on leash at least 1-2 times overnight. At 4-6 mos you can start full overnights.
A crate needs to be sized properly. Just enough room for the pup to sit, stand, lie down and turn around and no more. You can buy a bigger crate and use dividers or boxes to shorten it up.
Also, a crate should NEVER be used as a place to punish your pup for bad behavior.
Key 2: Doing your business outside is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Praise and reward it.
Recognize and praise when your dog eliminates outside. Praise and pet like crazy. Can you teach your dog to "sit" by saying "sit" and holding a treat up? Yes, you can teach your pup to go on command with a phrase like "do it" or "go potty" as well.
When you take your dog out and they go, the second they start say "do it!", then when they do, pet and scratch and rub and make as big a fuss as you can that they just did the best thing in the entire world. If done consistently, "do it" means praise and the dog WILL go when you say it.
This is a bit more difficult, but a dog CAN learn to do #2 on command. I use the phrase "big business" with the same reward. My dog likes to chase the laser pointer, so I lead him around a small circle to encourage the natural "circle and sniff" that dogs will do before doing their business. Alternatively, walking your dog around in a short circle on a leash can sometimes work.
Key 3: A supervised pup should not have the opportunity to make a mess in the house.
This is very important. Unforunately, the way to teach your puppy not to go in the house is to catch them trying to go. Otherwise they don't learn that going inside is not OK.
If you have a puppy, and you do not watch them, they will mess in the house. The 3-second rule applies here. If you don't catch your pup making a mess within 3 seconds and say "no!", any correction is practically useless. No rubbing your dog's nose in it. They will not make the connection.
Catching #2 is fairly easy. Most dogs will sniff and circle before deciding to drop a bomb. Once you see sniffing and circling, say "Ah Ah!" and whisk outside and praise.
#1 is more difficult since you don't get as much advanced warning. Once you see the sniff, do the same thing. Even if you catch them 1/2 way thru it, whisk them outside. Praise that they finished outside, then go clean up the mess. No big deal.
When your puppy has outside the crate time, it is your responsibility to supervise. Any accident that happens is your fault for not watching closely enough, so don't yell at the pup, clean it up and move on. Some of the things that can help are baby gates and locking bedroom doors so your pup does not have the opportunity to venture outside your supervision area.
Key 4: A regular daily routine
There are some folks who use doggie doors, or have a little bell near the door, or let the puppy scratch to let them know when they need to go. This can work in some cases, but I don't really agree with it.
My dog and I have an agreement. He eliminates outside on schedule, and I schedule walk and play time. Unfortunately, I have to work to put kibble in the bowl, and I want my dog fully relieved before I head in to work.
A lot of elimination time can be predicted around meal time. Most dogs will want to eliminate right after eating, or #2 about 30-60 mins after a meal. So guess what? If you feed breakfast and dinner at the same time every day, you can predict when your dog needs to go.
So a sample schedule for an adult dog might look something like this:
6:00 AM Wake up. Outside for #1.
6:15 AM Feed breakfast.
6:45 AM Outside for #2.
7:00 AM. Walk.
7:30 AM Head in to work.
12 Noon Home for a #1 break.
5:00 PM: #1 Break.
5:15 PM: Outside fetch game or walk.
5:45 PM: Dinner.
6:15 PM: Outside for #2.
10:00 PM: Last outside for #1 then bed.
For puppies, you need to increase potty breaks based on the 1 hour per month of age rule. Also, puppies may have a 3 meal a day schedule, but the same principle applies. By putting the dog on a schedule, they understand reliably when they need to go.
Summary
The 4 keys work together to housebreak:
The crate teaches the pup that they CAN hold it
The outside praise and commands let them know what you want them to do
The inside supervision lets them know what you don't want them to do
The schedule lets both of you have mutual expectations of what and when needs to be done