Dog Training
Lesson 4: Final Steps to Training
Housetraining
Housetraining
Dogs should be housebroken by the time they are six months old. They may still have accidents under extenuating circumstances, but they should normally be reliable. If your dog is not, you may have a housebreaking problem.
This problem needs to be addressed immediately and seriously. The prognosis for a dog who isn’t housebroken is not good. No one wants a dog that isn’t housebroken. If they are lucky, they will spend the rest of their lives chained to a doghouse or confined to a pen. Many end up at shelters.
The first step is to call a family meeting. Explain the seriousness of the issue and ask everyone if they are willing to abide by the rules. If they are not willing, they should not have privileges with the dog unless under the supervision of a responsible person.
Rule 1: No free-run of the house. The dog must be controlled until he has proven that he can be trusted. He must be on a leash or in a crate when not being directly supervised.
I suggest a crate, but there is the rare case of a dog that truly cannot be confined to a crate and there is the even worse case of a dog that will soil the crate and not seem bothered by it at all. Normally, a dog wants to keep its den area clean. That is the reason crates are so marvelous for housebreaking puppies and dogs. If the crate is small enough, so that they have plenty of room to lie down, stand up and turn around, but not enough to soil one corner and sleep in another, dogs will learn to hold it until they are allowed out.
If a crate cannot be used, the only alternatives are to keep the dog close by so that you may watch him or keep him on a leash. One advantage of a leash is that you can feel it if the dog starts to circle or moves about. It might signal a need to go outside.
By directly supervised, I mean your eyes should be on the dog at all times. If the dog leaves the room you follow. (It’s generally easier to block the doorways or put the dog on a leash to keep him with you). If you want to lie on the couch and take a nap, the dog must be crated or leashed. If you want to read your email or a book, the dog must be crated or leashed.
Rule 2: Watch the dog when he is outside so you can praise him and so that you know whether or not he has performed. If he doesn’t relieve himself outside, you may want to bring him in and crate him or watch him even more closely than usual. If he has performed correctly, you can give him a bit more freedom indoors.
Rule 3: The dog needs to be on a schedule so he knows when he will be able to go outside. A good schedule is - first thing when you get up, last thing before you go to bed, before leaving and crating or confining the dog, after eating, and every 2 or 3 hours during the day. It helps to get the dog excited about going to the door to go out. It will help him understand that he can signal you when he wants to go outside.
Rule 4: When you are with the dog, watch for any signs of the dog needing to go out. If he looks like he might be circling and getting ready to relieve himself, or even better, going to the door, immediately distract him or encourage him with talk such as, "Do you want to go outside?" Take him out immediately and, if he does relieve himself, praise him lavishly.
You can also use a "command" for the dog to relieve himself. If the dog always hears the phrase, "go potty" or something similar, and praise when he does, he’ll soon learn what is expected when he is taken out. This comes in very handy if you are traveling and the dog is not in his accustomed spot.
If you miss the signals and catch the dog in the act of soiling the house, immediately react. You can sometimes stop the dog in progress if you stomp your foot and shout, "no." Take the dog directly outside and give him a chance to finish what he was doing. This time praise him.
Do not let him watch you clean up after him. It won’t help and may set back your training since his mother, when he was a pup, always cleaned up after him. Ammonia or products with ammonia smells like urine to a dog and will encourage him to go to that spot again. Use a weak solution of bleach and water or use one of the many products on the market for this purpose.
If you discover that he has soiled the house after the fact, you can do something, but there are two things to remember. First, it isn’t very effective, and second, you might be frustrated and angry yourself. You can take the dog to the evidence and scold him but forego any more forceful punishment. Hitting or rubbing his nose in it won’t do much other than make your dog afraid to be in the room with you. It’s the act of soiling the house that you are trying to stop. You must catch him in the act or prevent it altogether to effectively housebreak the dog.
If the dog has been reliable for a period of time such as a week or two, you can start to let him have a little more freedom. If there are any setbacks, and there usually are some, go back to the rules for another week or two until he shows that he understands. Housebreaking is like a dance, two steps forward and one step back. Don’t be discouraged but do be persistent. Think of all the dogs that have managed to learn this trick over the years. Yours can too.
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