Desperado and Helpful Buckeye watched Groundhog Day last night, one of our favorite movies marking an annual event. Of course, it was...Déja vu, all over again. The annual celebration, which takes place just a few miles up the road from our hometown, really gets the full treatment in this movie. For those of you who have seen the movie a few times, you'll remember the scene in which there is an off-handed remark about a "veterinary psychologist."
“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” Edith Wharton, Author
With this being early February, and both Desperado's birthday AND Valentine's Day coming up soon, Desperado will be the candle and I'll be thrilled to be the mirror. She deserves the spotlight...for a lot of reasons. I've got some interesting things cooked up for both of those celebrations.
In the many issues of Questions On Dogs and Cats we've run in the almost 5 years of our existence, we've included several articles on what you should do when you bring home a new puppy. However, we haven't said much about housetraining those puppies...until now. Many of you don't have a new puppy in the house and might be wondering if you should even read this issue. Well, you already know the answer to that. Of course, you should read it...if you already have a dog, statistics say that you will get another one at some point and that one will probably be a puppy. Listen up...and go over to the newspaper in the corner of the room!
Housetraining Puppies
Housetraining your puppy requires far more than a
few stacks of old newspapers—it calls for vigilance, patience, plenty of
commitment and above all, consistency.
By following the procedures outlined below, you can
minimize house soiling incidents. Virtually every dog, especially puppies, will
have an accident in the house, and more likely, several. Expect this—it's part
of living with a puppy.
The more consistent you are in following the basic
housetraining procedures, the faster your puppy will learn acceptable behavior.
It may take several weeks to housetrain your puppy, and with some of the
smaller breeds, it might take longer.
Establish a routine
Establish a routine
Like babies, puppies do best on a regular schedule.
The schedule teaches him that there are times to eat, times to play, and times
to potty.
Generally speaking, a puppy can control his bladder
one hour for every month of age. So if your puppy is two months old, he can
hold it for about two hours. Don't go longer than this between bathroom breaks
or he's guaranteed to have an accident. If you work outside the home, this
means you'll have to hire a dog walker to give your puppy his breaks.
Take your puppy outside frequently—at least every
two hours—and immediately after he wakes up, during and after playing, and
after eating or drinking.
Pick a bathroom spot outside, and always take your
puppy to that spot using a leash. While your puppy is eliminating, use a word
or phrase, like "go potty," that you can eventually use before he
eliminates to remind him what to do. Take him out for a longer walk or some
playtime only after he has eliminated.
Reward your puppy every time he eliminates outdoors.
Praise him or give him a treat—but remember to do so immediately after he's
finished eliminating, not after he comes back inside the house. This step is
vital, because rewarding your dog for eliminating outdoors is the only way
he'll know what's expected of him. Before rewarding him, be sure he's finished
eliminating. Puppies are easily distracted. If you praise him too soon, he may
forget to finish until he's back in the house.
Put your puppy on a regular feeding schedule. What
goes into a puppy on a schedule comes out of a puppy on a schedule. Depending
on their age, puppies usually need to be fed three or four times a day. Feeding
your puppy at the same times each day will make it more likely that he'll
eliminate at consistent times as well, and that makes housetraining easier for
both of you.
Pick up your puppy's water dish about two and a half
hours before bedtime to reduce the likelihood that he'll need to potty during
the night. Most puppies can sleep for approximately seven hours without having
to eliminate.
If your puppy does wake you up in the night, don't
make a big deal of it; otherwise, he will think it is time to play and won't
want to go back to sleep. Turn on as few lights as possible, don't talk to or
play with your puppy, take him out to do his business, and return him to his
bed.
Supervise
Don't give your puppy an opportunity to soil in the
house; keep an eye on him whenever he's indoors.
Tether your puppy to you or a nearby piece of
furniture with a six-foot leash if you are not actively training or playing with
him. Watch for signs your puppy needs to eliminate. Some signs are obvious,
such as barking or scratching at the door, squatting, restlessness, sniffing
around, or circling. When you see these
signs, immediately grab the leash and take him outside to his bathroom spot. If
he eliminates, praise him lavishly and reward him with a treat.
Keep your puppy on leash in the yard. During the
housetraining process, your yard should be treated like any other room in your
house. Give your puppy some freedom in the house and yard only after he is
reliably housetrained.
Confinement
When you're unable to watch your puppy at all times,
he should be confined to an area small enough that he won't want to eliminate
there. The space should be just big enough for him to comfortably stand, lie
down, and turn around in. You can use a portion of a bathroom or laundry room
blocked off with baby gates.
Or you may want to crate train your puppy and use
the crate to confine him. (Be sure to learn how to use a crate humanely as a
method of confinement.) If your puppy has spent several hours in confinement,
you'll need to take him directly to his bathroom spot as soon as you let him
out, and praise him when he eliminates.
Oops!
Expect your puppy to have a few accidents in the house—it's
a normal part of housetraining.
Here's what to do when that happens:
Here's what to do when that happens:
Interrupt
your puppy when you catch him in the act of eliminating in the house.
Make a
startling noise (be careful not to scare him) or say "OUTSIDE!"
Immediately take him to his bathroom spot, praise him, and give him a treat if
he finishes eliminating there.
Don't punish
your puppy for eliminating in the house. If you find a soiled area, it's too
late to administer a correction. Just clean it up. Rubbing your puppy's nose in
it, taking him to the spot and scolding him, or any other punishment will only
make him afraid of you or afraid to eliminate in your presence. In fact,
punishment will often do more harm than good.
Clean the
soiled area thoroughly. Puppies are highly motivated to continue soiling in
areas that smell like urine or feces. Check with your veterinarian or pet store
for products designed specifically to clean areas soiled by pets.
It's extremely important that you use the
supervision and confinement procedures outlined above to minimize the number of
accidents. If you allow your puppy to eliminate frequently in the house, he'll
get confused about where he's supposed to eliminate, which will prolong the
housetraining process.
When you're away
A puppy under six months of age cannot be expected
to control his bladder for more than a few hours at a time (approximately one
hour for each month of age). If you have to be away from home more than four or
five hours a day, this may not be the best time for you to get a puppy;
instead, you may want to consider an older dog, who can wait for your return.
If you already have a puppy and must be away for
long periods of time, you'll need to:
Arrange for
someone, such as a responsible neighbor or a professional pet sitter, to take
him outside to eliminate.
Train him to
eliminate in a specific place indoors. Be aware, however, that doing so can
prolong the process of housetraining. Teaching your puppy to eliminate on
newspaper may create a life-long surface preference, meaning that even as an
adult he may eliminate on any newspaper lying around the living room.
Paper training
When your puppy must be left alone for long periods
of time, confine him to an area with enough room for a sleeping space, a
playing space, and a separate place to eliminate.
In the
designated elimination area, use either newspapers (cover the area with several
layers of newspaper) or a sod box. To make a sod box, place sod in a container
such as a child's small, plastic swimming pool. You can also find dog litter
products at a pet supply store.
If you clean up an accident in the house, put
the soiled rags or paper towels in the designated elimination area. The smell
will help your puppy recognize the area as the place where he is supposed to
eliminate.
A lot of this involves common sense and, if you've had a puppy before, you'll probably recall going through much of this at that time. Even so, a good review is always a rewarding idea. In next week's issue, we'll discuss housetraining for adult and senior dogs.
~~The goal of this blog is to
provide general information and advice to help you be a better pet owner and to
have a more rewarding relationship with your pet. This blog does not intend to
replace the professional one-on-one care your pet receives from a practicing
veterinarian. When in doubt about your pet's health, always visit a
veterinarian.~~
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