Nov 30 2009
Puppy Housetraining For Your New Puppy or Dog
When initiating puppy housetraining, always keep in mind that until a puppy is 7 months old, its control over excretory functions is extremely limited. Your puppy will have to relieve itself at least once an hour or possibly more. This urge is more necessary after sleeping, eating and playing. By keeping your puppy confined to a relatively small area lined with papers, it will not have the opportunity to make a mistake and necessitate a verbal reprimand. A puppy likes to keep its own bed clean and as a result will soil as far away as possible.
Take this cue and after it naps, eats or plays, place your pup on its papers, or outside in the yard. After your pup has successfully soiled where you have placed it, lavish it with sincere praise. Unconvincing praise doesn’t fool anyone, not even an eight week old puppy. People who have a limited house area, such as apartment dwellers, seem to be more successful due to necessity. It is not important where you live, the same rules apply to your dogs potty training.
If the puppy is allowed to roam the house, be sure it is carefully supervised. Taking your pup out to the yard, or onto its papers has to be quick, if you see it lowering its head, sniffing and circling. When it relieves itself, praise is in order. However, if, through your fault, it has an accident, no spanking or rubbing its nose in it. A pup has a memory of a couple of seconds and if it soiled ten minutes before, it cannot relate your anger to its action that long ago and will not be able to understand why you are angry.
The action of rubbing a dog’s nose in its soil may create a problem of it eating stools and reinfesting itself with parasites. You can show the pup where it has soiled and scold a little and then take it to its papers. Remember, the accident was your fault for not supervising it properly, or not being aware of its warning signals. Be sure that the soiled area is carefully cleaned, deodorized and disinfected as any remaining scent will prompt your pup to return to that very spot when the urge next hits it. If you do give your pup freedom of the whole house while it is learning potty habits, your time will be taken up following your pup to avoid accidents and could develop into housetraining problems.
For the older dog, paper training is generally superfluous. Regular outings, timed to coincide with its peak urgency periods, after meals, naps and play periods should accomplish this in short order. While confinement to a very small area is probably unnecessary, supervision and praise must never be forgotten. They are the simple rules to puppy housetraining as your dog only wants to please you, its leader, and you show how pleased you are with praise, love and affection.
