The Truth Behind the Poop…
Every puppy is naturally programmed to be potty trained. Almost all animals that are born in a nest environment have an instinct to move away from the nest to relieve them selves without being taught. Dogs are no different. At three weeks of age, a puppy will naturally leave his sleeping quarters to urinate. Our job as owners is to teach them that our house is our nest and to relieve themselves, they must go outside.
To Crate or Not to Crate
Most trainers will tell you that crate training is the only way to go. True, but not always true. Studies have found that prolonged crating for long periods of time can lead to behavioral issues later on such as compulsive barking, digging, tail chasing, etc. If you have a puppy or a dog suffering from a separation anxiety, this is not a useful method to use and could make your dog even worse. Should you have a dog with any anxiety issues, let's tackle those before we move on and please bring it to my attention. Crate training is a useful and harmless tool for most dogs and can prove beneficial when traveling or visiting the vet. Because dogs are den animals, crate training, when used properly, is the way to go. Other methods such as paper training can also be used but are proven not as effective.
The Facts
Every puppy (depending on age) will have to relief itself at different times. These times will include the following:
- First thing in the morning
- After all meals
- After exercise, play or excitement
- Last thing at night
- For very young pups, every hour
If you have an older puppy, the times to take them out become less frequent and you will soon adapt to a schedule. Schedules are important to dogs because it let's them know when to expect things and they adapt very well to routines. If you have an older puppy, you may only need to take him out four times a day. The first thing you want to do is purchase a suitable crate for your dog. The crate should be big enough for him to turn around and stand up in but should not be too big or accidents may occur in the crate and we don't want that. Should you already own a crate but it's too big, have no fear. You can cut a board to fit in back of the crate to minimize space or make a trip to your local nursery and buy a piece of grass. (Not a strand of grass- a whole piece).
After bringing your new grass home, cut it appropriately to match the front portion of the crate. The back portion should have a blanket or towel of some sort for him to lie in. This will teach the pup if he has to go, he will eliminate in an appropriate area but not in his sleeping quarters.
In general, some breeds are more difficult to housebreak than others such as the Bichon Frise. Bichons are notorious for going to the bathroom in the crate. Aside from a few accidents with my German Shepherds, I showed them the grass and out the door they went- no problem at all but all my dogs are crate trained and they love their crate. The next step and the following exercises should be used to get your puppy used to the crate and have the overall completion take place over weeks- not days. This should not be used for punishing the dog ever. It should be a peaceful place that they feel safe to sleep or relax. In California, many of my clients claimed that during an earthquake, the first place their dogs ran was in their crates and that's the message that we want to portray: safe. Taking a treat or a favorite toy, place it in the back of the crate so your puppy will go in and investigate it. When he walks in, praise him with a calm voice telling him "what a good boy or girl".
The next step is to close the door using a treat or toy and a calm voice "What a good boy!". Now you are ready to close the door for a minute but still sit by the cage. "Good doggie!" Increase this time by (again with a treat) closing the door for 3 – 5 minutes while sitting in a chair near the crate watching TV. or reading as you normally would. No barking? "Good boy! Excellent job!" At this point your dog may wine or bark. If he wines, ignore it but if he barks- this is bad behavior we have to stop right away.
Barking While In the Crate
Should your dog bark in the crate for you to let him out, don't. That's the worse thing you can do. Instead, take your hand and make a load sound on the top of the crate. This sound should startle him and get him to stop. Once he has stopped barking for a minute, let him out and give him lots and lots of tail wagging praise. If it continues, the first thing to ask is did you make a loud enough noise hitting the top of the crate? Once the bark turns into a whimper, you can let him out but never reward him for his barking. You will only teach him that if he barks, he wins and barking is an unwanted behavior in certain circumstances.
The Final Steps to a Successfully Crate Trained Dog
O.K., so now you can sit in comfort in the same room as your dog. How about increasing the time periods to fifteen and then thirty minutes? Easy you say? Great. Now let's have you leave the room for five minutes. If this is O.K., go to fifteen and then thirty. Always give him lots and lots of praise as a reward.
Time to give the crate a command. I say "crate" and my dogs go right in. You can practice this by giving your dog a command before you put him in the crate- whatever you'd like it to be. Once you have reached thirty minutes in the other room, make a trip to the grocery store and then go to Blockbuster. Test your dog to make sure he's not barking by driving your car up the street and sneaking back to listen by the door. If this is successful, you have mastered crate training but remember to not leave your little guy in there more than three hours and always give exercise and bathroom time before crating- he'll thank you for it!
Using the Crate For Potty Training:
As soon as your dog is used to the crate, when he is not being supervised, that is where he should be. Over time, we will slowly allow the pup more room to roam but for now, he should be either outside to use the bathroom, eating, playing with you after he's gone to the bathroom or being exercised, trained, supervised, etc. At night, he should go to sleep in the crate. You should only allow him out of the crate when you're sure he's gone to the bathroom and you're able to watch him. If he can go a week with no accidents, it's time for the next step. If you have a kitchen, laundry room or bathroom, place the crate, your dog and invest in a baby gate. Depending on the dog's size, chose a space that is not too big but room that he's now able to walk around in. Remember, the bigger the space, the more room for potential accidents. Place his crate in the room with some water, a couple of toys, etc. Keep to his routine of bathroom time. At night, have him sleep again in the crate but during the day, should you go out (after exercise and a bathroom break) let him stay in his new room. If he does this for a week, give him another room beside the kitchen, etc. and so on and so forth until he has free reign of the house. The whole process (depending on the dog) should take place over a month's time and if he has an accident, maybe you need to go back to a previous step but don't get frustrated- it takes a patient owner to have a well behaved dog. A good place to keep you're pup until he's at least six months is in a puppy- proofed area such as the kitchen. That way, he can't get in to trouble.
Important Facts When Crate Training:
- Always give your dog plenty of playtime, exercise and bathroom opportunities before placing them in their crate.
- Do not under any circumstance leave a dog in a crate more than three hours at a time.
- Use common sense. Do not place a crate next to a heater or air conditioner. Don't feed your dog before you crate him.
- Crate training should not be a solution to destructive behavior. All puppies go though a natural teething process. Don't crate your dog to save your furniture- puppy proof an area such as a kitchen if you will be gone long.
- Do not put a choke chain, fur saver or any other collar that may catch on something when your dog is not being supervised.
- Crate training is a tool to use to get to the next step- it should never be used as punishment or a means to control hyperactivity, etc.
- Span out crate training exercises over weeks- not days.
- Keep your puppy in his crate all night to prevent accidents.
- Avoid salty items such as rawhides, etc. that tend to make them drink more water.
It's All in the Smell
Our goal in potty training is to prevent accidents from happening. When a puppy relieves himself in the house or another place, he is prone to go back to where the smell is to do it again. If you've ever seen a dog with it's head out the window of a car on a sunny day, it's not because he just loves to have all of that wind in his face. Actually, if the wind is blowing correctly a dog can smell things a mile away. A dog's nose can smell up to one million times that of a human's. So the next time you go to roll down your window, realize that it's the smell he's so curious about on the bushes, etc. that you're driving by. This is why smelling is the way of the world for dogs and all the more power it has if Fido's last poop was on the carpet. You need to make absolutely sure that you get any accidents cleaned up right away and for some, even a professional carpet cleaning won't do. A dog's nose is so powerful, although it may be smell free to us- not to him. I recommend using white vinegar and water on carpets or a special odor eliminator available at pet stores or vet's offices. Natures Miracle is always good. Another thing you can use is hot biological washing powder solution. Do not use any type of chemicals that may be harmful to your pet. Get that smell out A.S.A.P.!
Teaching Him to Go Outside
When you first bring your puppy home, the ideal situation is to bring him straight to the backyard where you want him to go to the bathroom. Should you already have your pup or new dog, you know where he likes to go. Bring him out to his favorite spot and let him sniff around. When he goes outside, don't pick him up. This will disrupt the learning process. Let him follow you by calling his name and talking excitedly. Once outside, remain quiet and let the sniffing begin. This will speed up the process. Once he looks like he's ready, add a command that you're not too embarrassed to say in public, "go potty" or something to that effect. When he goes, lots of tail wagging praise and playtime if he's done. Different dogs have different styles. Some may only go once, some two or three times so make sure before you get him too excited that he's done completely. Should he not want to go after a few minutes, don"t stay out there all night. Bring him in and try again later.
Accidents Are Bound to Happen
One day, your sitting around reading the paper and you look over and in shock, see little Fido relieving himself on your wife's new drapes. Have no fear and do not panic- your puppy is still on course. Your first initial instinct is to run and yell, do whatever you can to tell him he's bad and then in a furry, rush in and pick him up while he's still peeing in mid-air. Stop! This is not the correct way to scold him. First of all, never scold a dog unless you catch him in the act. I know you"ve heard it before and say, "my dog is so smart she knows when she's been bad!" Well actually, this isn't true. Evan though you never have to say a word when you enter your house and the dog's already in the corner, they cannot learn from this. The reason being is: dogs cannot relate the punishment they are receiving with the earlier act of doing something bad. Think of it this way: as soon as you come home, and see or smell the poop on the floor you are upset. Although you have not said anything, your dog can sense something is wrong. And that angry feeling you had the day before when she chewed up your best pair of shoes- that's that same feeling she gets. So, in her mind, in order to stop Mom from being mad, I will submit to her to turn off the "mad". I will also please her because that's what I do when she's happy with me. This submissive response in human terms looks like guilt and we then humanize the dog by thinking that they know what they did was wrong. Then we tell them they were bad- bring them over to it, put their nose in it, etc. all the more while creating insecurity and fear.
When you catch the puppy in the act, get him outside as quickly as possible so he learns he must walk through the door to get outside. Even keep a leash handy to get him out faster. Always tell him "NO!" or "POOR" when you catch him but don't yell so much your chasing him around the room. Voicing a good, stern "NO!" and immediately outside to his favorite spot will do. As soon as he finishes, be sure to enforce lots of praise for going in the correct area.