Operation Kindness: HOUSETRAINING A PUPPY OR ADULT DOG

HOUSETRAINING A PUPPY OR ADULT DOG
-AND-
SUBMISSIVE WETTING, "MARKING", AND
OTHER URINATION PROBLEMS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

(Click to return)

Introduction

About Crates

Introducing the Dog to the Crate

The Crate Is the Dog's Special, Private Place

Housebreaking Your Dog or Puppy - And Who Should Do It

Before Housetraining Begins - The Very Young Puppy

When To Begin? When You Can Train Full-Time!

Starting Off

Mistakes, Corrections, and Praise

You Must Walk the Dog After Every Mistake and Correction!

Correct For Every Mistake, Whether You See It Or Not

Some Mistakes You Don't Punish

Clean! Clean! Clean!

Keep the Yard Clean Too!

Eating, Drinking, and Housebreaking

Some Sample Schedules for Housebreaking

PUPPY 3 TO 6 MONTHS, SOMEONE AT HOME DURING THE DAY

PUPPY 3 TO 6 MONTHS, NO ONE HOME DURING DAY

PUPPY/DOG 6 MONTHS AND OLDER, FULLY IMMUNIZED, SOMEONE HOME

DURING DAY

PUPPY/DOG 6 MONTHS AND OLDER, FULLY IMMUNIZED, NO ONE HOME

DURING DAY

ADULT DOG, FULLY HOUSEBROKEN, WHO MUST BE CRATED DURING

THE DAY

From Confinement in Crate To Freedom Of The House

Housebreaking The Adult Dog

Other Types of Urination Problems

Submissive Urination

Anxiety Wetting

The Leg Lifter (And the Adult Female Squatter) - "Marking"

Repeated Staining of One Spot Illness

Correcting Accidents Caused By Illness

Accidents Caused By Nutrition Problems

Accidents Caused By Emotional Problems

INTRODUCTION

It is very important to read either this article or other material

on housebreaking BEFORE you put your new dog or puppy to bed the

first night in your home.

Even if you've just adopted a puppy that is too young to begin

proper housetraining, this article will assist you in beginning

to condition your puppy from the very beginning and, through

proper hygiene and your knowing when to praise and not to praise,

help the pup be ready when proper housetraining begins. Delay in

this conditioning or housetraining will get you and your new dog

off to a bad start, will confuse your new dog concerning where it

should and should not go to the bathroom, and will make

housetraining, when begun, a more difficult task for both you and

your new dog.

The steps outlined in these articles take some, but not much,

time, work and patience. You have just adopted a dog that should

be a wonderful, loving companion for you and your family for the

rest of its life. A very few weeks, perhaps less, of patient,

loving, consistent training is a small price to pay for such a

treasure.

ABOUT CRATES

Crates come in two forms: a plastic or smooth-sided crate with a

wire mesh door, or a collapsible wire mesh crate, also referred

to as a "cage." Either kind of crate works nicely. The words

"crate" and "cage" are used interchangeably throughout all these

articles.

Crates can be very useful for housetraining, as well as for other

types of training. We strongly suggest you purchase a crate for

your dog in order to housetrain. Some people believe crating a

dog is cruel, but it's not. A dog is naturally a den animal who

prefers keeping his den area clear of excrement and urine. In the

wild, dogs always eliminate outdoors, outside the den. If

confined in a den (a crate or cage), the dog will quickly learn

to control its bathroom needs so it can stay clean in between

trips outdoors.

Any dog or puppy, by instinct, wants to be clean. But it cannot

control its environment. If it's left alone in a dirty space, it

cannot clean up the mess; it simply adjusts. THEN you have a

problem that will take much longer to correct.

Using a crate or cage, together with a strict, consistent

schedule, simply helps the dog or puppy to follow its own

instincts to keep its own den clean. He will get used to going

out of his den, ON TIME, and staying in his tidy den in between

the times he is allowed out. Once he gets the idea, maintain

the strict schedule for a few more days, until the right idea

becomes a habit. Then the time he can be allowed out of the crate

can be gradually extended, until finally he does not have to be

confined at all.

The crate or cage should be the size of the dog. He should barely

be able to stand up, turn around, and lie down. If it's larger,

he can dirty one end, then go to the other end to lie down. He'll

end up moving about in the crate, and walking and sleeping in

urine and feces. Just the walking about will stimulate his urge

to eliminate. So small size encourages cleanliness AND minimizes

need to eliminate.

INTRODUCING THE DOG TO THE CRATE

Introduce the dog to the crate gradually. Hide treats in it, put

toys in it, and feed him in it. Help him think it's fun to go

inside. Put one of his favorite toys inside with him, close the

door, and stay near while he plays. Pass a special food treat

inside. Talk cheerfully and animatedly to him while he's inside.

Cheer and pet him enthusiastically when he comes out.

Slowly increase the time he spends in the crate, and begin moving

and staying further away from the crate while he's in it. First

sit across the room, then in the next room. If he starts to

whine, tell him "Quiet!," in a sharp voice. If he stops, wait

a moment, then let him out. If he continues to whine, leave him

inside. Don't reward whining with freedom, or he'll whine every

time he's put in the cage.

Confinement in a crate should not mean isolating the dog or pup

from the family. It's a good idea to keep the crate in or near

rooms that are used often by family members, such as the kitchen

or den. Puppies especially need human contact and companionship,

and if it's denied they will become lonely, frustrated, and

unhappy. It's fine to move the crate around so the dog will be

in the same room with you. If you put the crate in your bedroom

at night, puppies and dogs will settle down more quickly and will

feel more secure. Also, if the pup or dog needs to go during the

night, you'll be able to hear his cry for help. (But if you're

convinced, after taking him out with no result, that the little

guy doesn't need to go and is just whining to get out of the

crate, you MUST ignore him!)

When you're leaving the house and need to crate the dog, vary the

time prior to your departure at which you put him in the crate.

Never crate him for a long period before leaving - crate him

between 5 to 20 minutes before you leave home. Don't prolong

your leave-taking or make it emotional. Be calm and relaxed.

Praise the dog briefly for entering the crate, then leave quietly

when you go. When you come back, don't respond to excited

behavior in your dog by acting excited yourself; keep your

homecomings relaxed and quiet.

Crate your dog for short periods when you are at home, pursuant

to the schedules below, so he doesn't associate being put in the

crate with your leaving and his being left alone.

The crate or cage is used as teaching tool. The dog or puppy can

be given as much freedom as he can handle all through the training

period. The trick is not to allow him enough freedom, in or out

of the crate, to allow him to have accidents indoors.

If you want to buy just one crate or cage, and give the puppy

enough room to grow and still use it, make it smaller by blocking

off a part with a piece of wood or a wire rack. But once your

puppy has the idea and doesn't go in the crate, the bigger size

should be just fine.

You can put anything in the crate to make the dog or puppy more

comfortable and entertained, so long as it does not encourage him

to eliminate. For instance, if you've paper trained your puppy,

or confined it where it went on newspapers, it would be a bad idea

to put paper in the bottom of the crate or cage. A towel may make

the puppy more comfortable, but he may urinate on it, it absorbs

the urine, he pushes it into a corner, then stays dry. You might

try a towel, but if the puppy tears it or wets on it, remove it.

Toys or bones (not rawhide - it makes a dog thirsty) are fine.

But food or water would definitely be bad, since it will cause a

need to eliminate - probably while you're at work!

The dog's first night in the crate may be rough. He may cry or

whine for extended periods, but you must ignore him, even though

it's very hard to do so. If you give in, or even if you pay

attention to him when he should be sleeping, he learns immediately

that crying and whining will get attention and possibly release,

and he'll do it consistently. Later, when he must be confined

for training, the problem will be much worse.

THE CRATE IS THE DOG'S SPECIAL, PRIVATE PLACE

The crate, in addition to being a useful teaching tool, will be

the dog's refuge, a place where he can go to feel safe, or when

he wants to be alone. It's very important NEVER to use the crate

as an implement of any kind of punishment. If you're angry with

the dog and put him in his crate when he knows you are angry, and

particularly if you leave him in the crate as punishment, the dog

will have negative feelings about it, possibly resulting in the

crate not being a useful tool for housetraining or for any other

purpose. Never speak harshly to or discipline a dog or puppy

when he's in his crate.

When the dog is in his crate, all family members, especially

children, should learn never to bother the dog in any way.

Children should never be allowed to get into or play with the

crate at any time, for any reason. If the dog's privacy is

respected when he's in his crate, especially when it's obvious

he wants to be alone or take a "time out," his positive feelings

about his crate will be reinforced, and the crate will remain

not only a pleasant place for the dog, but also a useful tool for

any type of training. If the dog must be confined in the crate

for long periods while the owner is away during the day, his

positive feelings for his crate will make these hours pleasant

rather than a time of stress or anxiety.

If you don't want to use a crate, the same principles still can

be used. (But a crate is still strongly suggested. A crate can

be used for other purposes, and it's easily the best method for

housebreaking.) Block off an area the size of a crate to confine

the dog. Some dogs will keep a larger area clean, such as a

bathroom. You can experiment, but be sure to USE WHAT WORKS! If

the dog eliminates in the area, even only once a week, IT'S NOT

WORKING!

HOUSEBREAKING YOUR DOG OR PUPPY - AND WHO SHOULD DO IT

A dog is, by nature, a clean animal, but he needs our help to

stay clean. We must let him outside at the right times.

Housebreaking should be thought of not so much as teaching the

dog to stay clean, but rather as giving the dog a CHANCE to stay

clean.

It is essential that a dominant-subordinate relationship exist

between the dog or puppy and the person who will be doing the

training. As soon as the new dog/puppy comes home, ONE member of

the family must assume the role of leader of the pack,

establishing and enforcing all rules gently, firmly, and fairly.

The pack leader must always keep a loving, yet firm, attitude

toward the dog, and once the leader assumes the role of head of

the pack he or she must ALWAYS play it.

If no one person in the family assumes this leadership position,

the dog will end up dominant and spoiled, and housetraining will

be extremely difficult or impossible. The new dog will be

constantly testing the leader and all other members of the family

until he learns his rank in the pack and how far he can go. It's

important to understand that this constant testing is natural dog

behavior; but the undisciplined dog will develop behavior problems

that will only turn worse as he gets older, and you will not be

able to control him.

BEFORE HOUSETRAINING BEGINS - THE VERY YOUNG PUPPY

Not much can be expected from a pup in the way of housetraining

until it is 3 months to 14 weeks old. The puppy simply does not

have the muscle control to hold urine or bowel movements for

long. Since you can't watch the puppy all the time, confine it

in a crate with newspapers covering the bottom. If you don't

wish to use a crate at first, confine the puppy to an area

completely covered with newspapers, such as a corner of the

kitchen, by blocking off the area with cardboard, wire mesh, or

some other material. Put a comfortable bed in a corner, where

he can watch everything.

Housetraining and paper training are completely different things.

If your final goal is to paper train the dog, praise him and tell

him he's wonderful every time he uses the newspaper. But if you

want to housetrain the dog - that is, teach him to use the

bathroom outside - then don't praise him when he goes on the

paper. Such praise will confuse him about the proper place to

go. (Even a housetrained adult dog who, when young, was praised

for using paper may have accidents on newspaper left around the

house.)

Keep the puppy clean and change the newspapers very often. One

goal from the day your puppy arrives is to teach cleanliness,

and if you allow the pup to live on dirty papers, he'll think

it's normal to do so and will adjust. But DON'T be strict with

the pup when he goes on the papers, and never punish him for

using the papers before proper housetraining begins. At this

early age puppies frighten very easily, and even something you

consider minor can scare the puppy for months and shatter the

trust and bond you are trying to build.

WHEN TO BEGIN? WHEN YOU CAN TRAIN FULL-TIME!

Experts disagree on when housetraining should start. Some say at

three months of age; others say not until six months. We believe

most dogs can, and should, begin housetraining before six months.

The younger the dog is, however, the more alert and careful the

owner must be, since younger dogs cannot hold bladder and bowel

movements for long periods.

To housetrain quickly, plan to teach full-time, not just part of

the time. This does not mean you have to be at home all day,

although being able to be with the dog during the day will make

housetraining easier and faster. The sample schedules below

include schedules for people who cannot be home all day.

The entire process should take 2 to 4 weeks, if the dog is

healthy and your teaching is consistent. But lack of consistency

- eg., training in the morning but not in the afternoon; on

weekdays but not on weekends; or training for a few days, then

leaving the dog alone or untrained for a day - will cause your

pupil to be confused, and slow learning will result. So don't

begin housetraining until you can stay with it from start to

finish!

Always remain patient, calm and relaxed. ANY sign of temper will

scare the dog and slow down learning. No matter how frustrated

or angry you may become, you must hide your feelings. Always be

quiet and relaxed around the dog, gentle and loving, yet firm.

At age three to four months, a puppy eliminates often. Confusion,

excitement, being cold, eating - all these make a puppy need to

eliminate more often. You will need to take the young puppy out

every 2 to 3 hours, except during your bedtime hours. It's

particularly important to take the dog out first thing in the

morning and last thing before bedtime. It's easy to see why some

are tempted to wait to begin housetraining until the puppy is

older and his needs are less frequent. But regular visits outside

to eliminate teach the puppy both control and cleanliness; so the

earlier you begin, the sooner good habits will begin to appear.

Watch the dog/puppy carefully to spot the signs that he needs to

eliminate and is about to go. Most dogs will move faster while

sniffing the ground (or floor), and/or they will turn in circles

when the right spot is found, or some other signal may be given.

If you can spot his needs, you can carry him outside in time for

him to go where you want, and your praise for doing so will

encourage him to try to exercise more control, and possibly to

try and let you know when he needs to go.

Some suggested daily schedules are set forth below. Please read

them for details about when to set out food, when to give the

dog/puppy water, when to crate, when to schedule play time, etc.

The following are more general comments and principles.

STARTING OFF

To begin, put the dog or puppy in his crate, or in a blocked-off

portion in the kitchen or a bathroom, at bedtime, after he's had

his regular evening outing. Next morning, FIRST THING, before

you go to the bathroom, shower, get dressed, start coffee, or do

ANYTHING ELSE, take the dog outside! If it's a puppy, carry him

out, since he is liable to eliminate the moment you set him down.

Otherwise, walk the dog to the designated spot on his leash.

Take him where you want him to go, and let him sniff around.

STAY WITH THE DOG/PUPPY. DO NOT LEAVE HIM ALONE OUTSIDE AT ANY

TIME DURING THE TRAINING PERIOD. When he performs, you need to

know he's done it. More importantly, you need to be there to

praise him lavishly, which will encourage him by letting him know

you're pleased! Leaving him outside by himself, then praising

him when you let him back inside, won't teach him what he needs

to learn. He won't know why he's being praised unless you are

right there with him, telling him he's a GOOD BOY while he is

going, then petting him and praising him immediately after.

After he goes, bring him inside. If he fails to perform, bring

him in, watch him closely, then take him out again 5 to 10 minutes

later. Repeat until he performs. After he urinates, don't rush

to get him back inside; he may need to make a bowel movement.

After he eats, take him out again. (See the schedules below.)

As you carry him or lead him on his leash, ask him, "Want to go

outside?" Or, "Want to go potty?" This will teach him to go to

the door when he needs to go outside.

Always be aware of the time. When the schedule says it's time to

take him out, or after he awakens from a nap, and especially if

he shows signs of needing to go, say "Go potty," "Go outside," or

words to that effect - using the same words each time. (Be sure

to rush if he's giving you the signal!) You'll be making many

trips outside each day at first with a puppy, but once he gets

the hang of the schedule, 4 to 6 times a day will be normal,

depending on his age. Older dogs can hold it longer and need to

go out less often.

Until the dog/puppy is completely housebroken, keep him on a

consistent feeding schedule with nutritious food. (See the

schedules below.) Feed only at scheduled times, and leave the

food and water dishes down only as long as the schedules indicate.

Do not give any food between meals! Most dogs need to go soon

after eating and drinking, and keeping to the schedule for meals

and going out will be a huge help to the dog or puppy in helping

him learn control. Giving any dog or puppy unlimited access to

food will cause the constant need to go, and training will be

slowed to a crawl. (Even after the dog is fully housetrained,

leaving food for him all day may cause him to overeat, and he

probably will have frequent accidents because of the constant

need to eliminate.)

MISTAKES, CORRECTIONS, AND PRAISE

There will be mistakes - probably a lot at first! Don't EVER hit

your dog - with your hand, a rolled-up newspaper, or anything

else! It's completely unnecessary, and it may cause irreparable

damage to your relationship. Terrifying the dog or puppy by

hitting or spanking may make him try to hide his urine or

excrement under furniture or in a corner. It's all right to hold

the dog or puppy by the collar or back of the neck while you look

him in the eye, but please, NO HITTING! And don't shout or do

anything else that will scare the dog.

Under no circumstances should you ever rub an animal's nose in

its urine or excrement. It's just sadistic, it teaches the dog

nothing, and it serves no purpose whatever.

When the dog goes to the bathroom where you want, tell him he's a

GOOD BOY in a very warm voice, and pet him. But that's all!

Don't jump up and down, don't talk in a baby voice, NO TREATS,

and no other demonstrations. Stay calm.

When the dog makes a mistake, DON'T call him, then punish him.

If you do, he'll stop coming when you call. A dog's name should

NEVER be used when correcting. It will confuse the dog. When

you use his name he won't know whether you're glad to see him or

if he's in trouble. Save the use of his name for unconditional,

loving invitations to COME! Consistent use of a single word,

"No!", EVERY time a dog does something wrong, will make learning

much simpler for the dog. The word "No!" will teach the dog much

faster than using any combination of words or phrases, the dog's

name, "Bad Dog," or anything else.

When the dog eliminates in the house, find him rather than

calling, take his collar, and lead him firmly but gently to the

spot, show him the evidence, and tell him "NO!" Bang your hand

on the floor next to the spot, but not too close to the dog. You

want to show him you're displeased; you don't want to make him

think you're about to hit him. You want the dog or puppy to

understand that when he goes to the bathroom outside you'll be

pleased, but when he goes in the house you'll be unhappy and

punish him.

When the dog or puppy dirties its crate, try to keep dog or puppy

from seeing you clean it. He might draw the wrong conclusion,

that is: "If I go here in my den my human will fix it."

YOU MUST WALK THE DOG AFTER EVERY MISTAKE AND CORRECTION!

Immediately after EVERY accident, your correction, and your show

of displeasure, you MUST walk the dog, even if it's late, you're

tired, or it's raining! You need to show the dog, once more,

where you want it to eliminate. You need to be there to praise

the dog lavishly if he eliminates again, to show him that he's

just done the right thing. DON'T just stick him in the back yard

by himself. You must be a consistent teacher throughout the

housetraining period, and being there to praise the dog when he

eliminates outside is extremely important, both in teaching the

dog and in motivating him to want to please you.

CORRECT FOR EVERY MISTAKE, WHETHER YOU SEE IT OR NOT

Some say you shouldn't correct a dog for having an accident

unless you see him do it. While it's true in most cases that

a dog won't know what he's done wrong if he's punished after the

fact, this is not the case concerning housetraining mistakes.

The evidence is sitting right there, and the dog definitely will

know what he's done and why you're unhappy! If you don't punish

for an accident you didn't witness, the dog may wait until you're

NOT watching to have an "accident," particularly if he learns he

won't be punished if you don't see. He CAN be corrected after

the fact. When you lead him there by the collar and show him the

spot, he'll know what he did and why you're there. Tell him

"NO!," show him your displeasure, and he'll know why you're doing

it. If you wait until you see him go indoors before punishing,

the training will go MUCH more slowly. So punish EVERY mistake

consistently, firmly, and humanely, even though you didn't see

him do it.

SOME MISTAKES SHOULD NOT BE PUNISHED

Very young puppies do not have full bladder or bowel control.

Petting or sudden movement by you may cause dribbling. This

is not a housebreaking problem, but rather a submissive urination

problem. It should NOT be punished. If the puppy

(or older dog) has this problem, or if he dribbles when excited,

see the articles below on Submissive Urination and Anxiety Wetting.

Also, accidents caused by illness, nutritional problems, or emotional

problems should not be punished. Please read the sections below

dealing with these problems ("Other Types of Urination Problems")

in order to determine whether your dog's accidents are housetraining

problems or something else.

CLEAN! CLEAN! CLEAN!

Cleaning up right away, even before housetraining starts, is very

important. Leaving a dog or puppy in a dirty cage (or, if you're

using newspapers until you begin regular housetraining, not

replacing soiled papers promptly and often) sends the dog or

puppy the message that soiling in the house is all right - and

the whole point of housetraining is to send precisely the

opposite message.

Wash the area, EVERY time, with a cleaner containing ammonia.

If the accident is on the rug, clean the spot, then dab with

white vinegar instead of ammonia, to avoid staining. A 50-50

solution of white vinegar and water works well.

The ammonia or vinegar will deodorize the smell of urine and

feces that makes the dog, by instinct, keep coming back to stain

the same places time after time. The importance of complete

deodorizing cannot be overstated.

Dogs have a sense of smell that's so strong, if they can smell

even a trace of the old mistake, many cannot keep from

eliminating in the same spot again.

Always keep your dog clean and smelling fresh. If he's not

bathed and groomed regularly, he'll have urine or feces in his

coat, and the smell may depress or confuse him. Eventually, a

smelly dog may not be able to tell his den from his designated

potty spot in the yard, and housebreaking will be impossible or,

if the dog already is housebroken, he may regress and have

frequent accidents. A clean, fresh-smelling dog will look and

feel good, its relationship with its master will be improved, and

it is much easier to spot symptoms of illness in a clean,

well-groomed dog.

KEEP THE YARD CLEAN TOO!

Keeping the yard clean is very important to a dog's health.

Feces left in the yard not only stink, they can cause diseases

of many types, including all kinds of parasites and the deadly

Parvovirus. All droppings should be picked up every day and

placed in a covered trash can.

Some owners limit the dog to one spot in the yard in order to

keep the rest of the yard clean. But this causes a small section

of the yard to stink, turn sour, and grass is burned out. If the

dog is limited to one area of the yard, the soil must be replaced

or refreshed regularly, and the dog must use another area of the

yard while this is done. If this is not possible, use gravel or

sand for the dog's designated area, and replace often and

regularly.

EATING, DRINKING, AND HOUSEBREAKING

Eating schedules are extremely important in housebreaking. It's

a mistake to leave food or water out for long periods,

particularly all day. Frequent eating leads, always, to frequent

needs to eliminate. All dogs and puppies, while being

housebroken, should be fed on a strict schedule. Food should be

left down no more than 10 to 15 minutes. If he doesn't finish,

don't worry; he'll eat more promptly once he learns that it's

time to eat when food is put on the floor. DO NOT give him

anything but dog food, on a strict schedule, while he is being

housebroken. Extra food, table scraps, and particularly special

treats, may slow down housebreaking by making him eliminate more

often. After he's housebroken, then treats, in moderation, will

be special for both of you.

Don't leave water in the crate during the housebreaking process;

it makes the dog or puppy need to urinate. Give the dog or puppy

as much water as he wants when he's out of the crate or cage.

Once housebroken, the dog/puppy should always have enough water

at all times, except when he's being crated for the night.

If you worry about the dog or puppy not having enough water while

you're gone, leave a couple of ice cubes to melt in a dish. The

dog or puppy can enjoy some wetness without drinking large

amounts, and as ice melts the supply lasts longer.