A POSITIVE APPROACH TO HOUSE TRAINING

Why does house training fail? That’s the question a lot of people ask every day, usually while cleaning up after a growing puppy they admit is only "partially" house trained, which is not really house trained at all.
If you are struggling with a puppy who just doesn’t seem to be catching on, take some time to review your battle plan, with an eye toward avoiding those traps that sabotage your efforts.

First among these traps is using a negative approach to house training. Successful house training requires setting up a potty schedule, limiting your pup’s roaming options to areas you can supervise, showing your puppy the area you want him to use, and praising him for going there. Generations may have followed the old "shove his nose in it and swat" method, but that doesn’t work as well as a positive approach, your puppy may not know why he is being punished. You simply must go out with your puppy and praise him for getting it right. You’re not being fair otherwise.

Even with a positive approach, people make mistakes. Here are a few things to remember.

Understand your puppy’s physical limitations. Little puppies have little storage capability and need to be taken out frequently. Do not expect growing puppies to be able to "hold it" as long as a healthy adult dog can. If you must leave your puppy for the day, limit his wandering to a small area and put down newspapers to make cleanup easier. Don’t punish him for any messes he makes while you’re gone. Take him outside, let him relieve himself and praise him. Clean up the mess inside without comment.

Remember how puppies work. Puppies need to relieve themselves after they wake up, after they eat or drink, and after playing, make sure to take your puppy out then. Feed your puppy at regular intervals to help predict when your puppy will need a trip outside.

Clean up mistakes thoroughly. What you can’t see, a puppy can still smell, and smells invite repeat business. Keep commercial products on hand that use enzyme action to break down the smell. White vinegar also does a great job of neutralizing the odor of urine. Don’t use an ammonia based product though. Ammonia smells like urine to your pet.

Limit your puppies wanderings. Close doors and use baby gates to keep your puppy where you can keep an eye on him. If you see him start to make a mistake, you can whisk him outside and praise him for finishing the job where you want him to.

Be patient and consistent. While some dogs seem to house train themselves, others are slower to learn Just keep working at it.

If you’re still struggling after a month or so (and especially if you’re having house training problems with a grown dog), have your veterinarian check to make sure your dog has no health problems, and then ask for a referral to an animal behaviorist.

Reasons to Crate Train
Dogs are natural den animals.

In a case of illness, the dog adopts easier to hospitalization, increasing healing response time by reducing stress when crate trained.

Housebreaking is easier when the dog is not given free rein to act inappropriately.

How to Crate Train
Set the mood by creating a positive association with the crate.

Feed all meals and treats in the crate initially with the door open and the dish or treat near the open door. Put the food or treat inside the crate and instruct the dog to "go home" (or other appropriate term) and praise the dog with "good go home" upon the dog entering the crate. Gradually, move the bowl deeper into the crate with each feeding.

When the dog appears confident entering the crate to eat, close but don’t secure the door so that the dog can come out. Repeat "good home" only when the dog stays in the crate.

When the dog appears comfortable with the door closed behind it, progress to securing the door and leaving the dog into the crate for 10 - 20 minutes. When the dog is quiet (for a least 3 minutes), open the door and take the dog outside to eliminate after the meal. Recognize the dog being quiet when releasing it from the crate with "good quiet ".

Repeat the scenario with any treats. Try giving toys in the crate.

Hints for Successful Crate Training
Make sure the crate allows the dog the ability to stand up and lay down but not so big as to allow the dog to eliminate on one side of the crate and still sleep in the other end.

Experiment with wire and plastic crates. Different types suit different dogs. Consider draping blankets over part of the crate for fearful dogs giving them a private room for shelter.

Leave the door open/accessible when home with the dog so that he may enter/exit at will.

Be aware of where you place the crate. Sometimes two crates are necessary. One for the main part of the home and one for the bedroom where you sleep for those dogs having trouble making the transition to sleeping through the night quietly. Consider the air flow, sun coming in, traffic going by for dogs sensitive to stimuli, etc.. Do not leave the crate in the dark or in the basement.

Make sure you know when your dog has to go outside to relieve itself. If you train your dog to signal you to go outside by ringing a bell hung on the door, then consider hanging one in a safe place on the crate where the dog can ring the bell to let you know it needs to relieve itself. Make sure the bell can not be chewed on or the dog cannot get hung up on the bell.

Spend the money for a heavy gauge quality crate that is stable. Many dogs just don’t like the squeaks and movement of a cheap crate. Also, the safety factor is decreased with cheaper crates as they usually have more "give" allowing the dog to escape or to get body parts caught incurring injury.

Limit crate time while training. Build up to longer reasonable periods of time. Be pro-active not reactive, allow your dog time to get out to relieve itself rather than chance soiling in crate. The last place your dog wants to soil is his crate, if he soils in his crate it means he could not hold himself any longer.

If you watch a litter of puppies play with each other, you might be surprised by how rough they can be. As puppies grow older, they learn from their littermates and their mother how to restrain those playful bites, which is one reason why it’s important to leave a puppy with its canine family until he is at least 7 weeks of age.

Some puppies don’t get this critical early education, and others are just slow learners. Others still are from breeds that are known to be "mouthier" than others - retrievers are the classic example. You can teach your puppy to keep her teeth to herself by attacking the problem from a couple of different directions. The first would be to redirect the behavior, giving your puppy a yummy toy and praising her for chewing on something that’s not a family member.

Even as you’re teaching the puppy what's OK to mouth, teach her how to leave family members unchewed by making the nipping unrewarding. Every time the puppy nips, cry "Ouch" in a loud voice and immediately stop the play session. Turn away and ignore the puppy completely for a few minutes. This will show the puppy you are serious and not playing. Teach your kids to do the same.

The message to get across: Play stops when she nips. If you’re persistent and consistent, your puppy will get the message and will learn to inhibit her bites. It will also help if you make sure she’s getting plenty of exercise, because sometimes dogs who don’t get enough exercise get too would up when finally offered a chance to play.

If the behavior doesn’t show any sign of easing, or if the biting seems more aggressive than playful, don’t delay in asking your veterinarian or breeder for a referral to a behaviorist or trainer.

SUMMER 2008 HEALTH TIPS

Summer's Hot Weather means Special Care for your Pets.