Читать книгу The Ultimate Guide to Puppy Care and Training - Tracy J. Libby - Страница 7

Chapter 4: House-Training Primer

Despite the horror stories you might have heard, house-training your puppy is a relatively simple and painless process. It is the one area of puppy rearing that causes owners a great deal of angst, but honestly, it is very simple. Of course, few owners get through the house-training phase without an accident or five, but that is to be expected. More often than not, problems arise when owners complicate the matter by expecting too much from their puppy. An eight-week-old puppy is equivalent to a four- to six-month-old human baby. Would you expect a young baby to control his or her bladder? I think not. It is equally unfair to ask your baby puppy to exercise the control of an adult dog.

Good planning and preparation and your unwavering commitment to the process are the keys to success. Dogs are creatures of habit, and the house-training process will be more successful if you invest the time into teaching the appropriate behavior, which is pottying outside—not peeing from one end of your house to the other.

Crate or Paper?

First, you will need to decide which method—crate-training or paper-training—you will teach your puppy. Crate-training is by far the most efficient method of house-training. Years ago, owners did not capitalize on the fact that dogs are den animals that love having a place of their own to sleep and eat. Consider this: if your puppy were born in the wild, he would live in a cave or den, and most den animals have an instinctive desire to keep their dens clean. The fact that your puppy is now domesticated does not change one iota of his natural instinct to keep his sleeping area (i.e., his crate) clean.

Dogs will do just about anything to avoid eliminating where they sleep. A crate mimics a dog’s den. By capitalizing on your puppy’s deep-seated cleanliness instinct, you can teach him to control his bladder and bowels and to eliminate outdoors. Crate-training helps facilitate house-training and minimize accidents.

Paper-training (along with puppy pads and litterboxes), on the other hand, is an older yet still utilized method of house-training. It works well for people with tiny dogs or people who live in high-rise apartments and can’t go down thirty floors every hour or whenever their puppy looks like he needs to do his business.

The concept of paper-training is that you teach your puppy to relieve himself on newspaper or absorbent pads that you have spread out on the floor. You place the paper in a convenient location, where the puppy can see it, but not too close to his crate. (Remember, he won’t want to potty where he sleeps.) Over time, you gradually reduce the area of floor covered by newspaper until your puppy is pottying on just a small section of paper. Simultaneously, you begin moving the paper closer to the door. When you are home and able to supervise your puppy, you take him outdoors to potty—the theory being that by moving the paper closer to the door, and as the puppy develops more bladder control, he will eventually associate pottying with going outside rather than with the paper.

The downside to paper-training is that once you allow your puppy to potty indoors—even on paper—it creates the behavior of pottying in the house. Once this behavior becomes learned or ingrained, it is hard to untrain. Having a dog do his business indoors might not be a problem for Chihuahua owners, but it is not a pretty sight when an adult German Shepherd or Boxer relieves himself in the middle of your kitchen. Eventually, at some point, you’ll need to backtrack and train your puppy to relieve himself outdoors. For small dogs, litterbox-training is a viable option if you do not mind having to clean litterboxes daily.

Your puppy must always have access to the “out” door. This smart Parson Russell Terrier is patiently waiting for his owner to take him for a walk.

Set a Schedule

Despite what your friend tells you or what you read on the Internet, puppies have little or no bladder control until they are about five or six months old. Accepting this fact of puppyhood is the first step in any successful house-training program. Puppies mature at different rates, so your puppy’s control may develop earlier or later. As he matures, he will gradually learn to hold his bladder for longer periods of time.

Until your puppy begins developing some reliable bladder control, you must take him outdoors frequently. Yes, it is nearly a part-time job, but your 100-percent commitment to a regular schedule means that your puppy will learn quicker, which means fewer accidents in the house. The fewer accidents he has, the more reliable he will be as an adult dog. If you are inconsistent, your puppy will suffer in the long run because he will not understand the household rules.

Problems often arise when owners fail to recognize how frequently their puppy needs to relieve himself. As a general guideline, take your puppy outdoors at the following times:

•first thing in the morning when he wakes up, and at least every hour throughout the day

•about fifteen minutes after drinking water

•about thirty minutes after eating

•immediately after waking from a nap

•every time you arrive home

•anytime you take him out of his crate

•anytime he shows signs of having to go

•last thing at night

This guideline is for young puppies, which, of course, are unique and individual. You may need to tweak or adjust this schedule to fit your puppy’s particular needs. Minimize accidents by providing your puppy with a regular schedule of eating, sleeping, and eliminating. When you are committed to a regular schedule, your puppy will learn that relieving himself occurs on schedule.

What about Breed Size?

Experts disagree about whether small breeds, such as Chihuahuas and Yorkshire Terriers, are more difficult to house-train than large breeds. Some suggest that a small-breed’s pea-sized bladder and not-yet-developed sphincter musculature are the likely cause. Small-breed house-training problems are often unnoticed if the puppy sneaks behind the couch or other furniture to do his business—unbeknownst to his owner. Having a small breed means that you will need to be as diligent—if not more so—as the big-breed dog owner.

Set a Plan

Now that you have an idea of when and how often your puppy will need to potty, decide on a specific potty spot in your yard. If you don’t have a fenced yard, or if you live in an apartment or condo, you will need to find a nearby grassy area (some people choose to use a piece of Astroturf on their deck). Wherever you choose, always use the same spot. You’ll confuse your puppy by moving the spot daily or weekly.

Each time your puppy needs to potty, take him to his spot. Watch your puppy closely to be sure he relieves himself. Do not play with him yet—just stand around and pretend to ignore him until he goes. It may take a few minutes, so be patient. Just as he is finishing doing his business, calmly praise him with “Good potty” or “Good puppy.”

You will need to repeat this routine many times throughout the day, beginning as soon as you wake up (or, more likely, when your puppy wakes you up) until just before you go to bed. If your puppy is younger than three months old, he will probably have to potty in the middle of the night, too.

Puppies are most active during the day—running, jumping, playing, exploring, and being puppies. Because of their small bladder size and lack of control, they need to relieve themselves many times during the day. During the night, however, they are usually exhausted from the activities of the day. As a result, many puppies can sleep five to eight hours without having to potty.

Some owners get lucky, and their puppy sleeps through the night. Others are relegated to months of sleeplessness. Remember, the puppy is not being naughty or willfully disobedient. He is a puppy. If your puppy wakes you in the middle of the night or early in the morning, it is best to get up with him and take him outside. The fewer accidents he has in his crate, the less stressful the house-training process will be, and the quicker he will learn to potty outside.

If you take your puppy outdoors and he gets sidetracked playing or sniffing bugs and does not relieve himself, you must put him in his crate for five or ten minutes and then try again. (If you are not using a crate, keep your puppy where you can watch him like a hawk for those five or ten minutes). Do this as many times as necessary until your puppy relives himself outdoors.

Never assume that your puppy has done his business. You must see him empty his bladder or bowels. Here is the reason why: If your puppy gets distracted outdoors and forgets to potty, and then you bring him back indoors and give him free run of the house, guess where he is going to potty when he is no longer distracted and has a sudden urge to go? It’s a safe bet he will potty on your carpet. Be upset with yourself, not with your puppy, because it is not his fault. Chalk up the situation to experience, and endeavor to be more observant in the future.

Another important reason for going with the puppy when he potties is the foundation of the Come command. When he is finished doing his business, calmly praise him with “Good potty” or “Good puppy,” and then make a game of having him chase you back to the house. Tell him, “Good boy!” and then run toward the house while you clap and cheer him on. When you get to the house, offer verbal praise and reward him with a yummy tidbit. Remember, young puppies are eager to follow you anywhere and everywhere. Plus, you are inciting his natural chase instinct. So by going with him to potty and then having him chase you back to the house, you maximize every opportunity to begin to instill desired behaviors.

Grass is the most popular choice for dogs: it’s soft, squishy, and always smells inviting.

Adding a Verbal Cue

Even when your puppy knows to go to his designated spot and can successfully make the journey, you should still go with him. By doing so, you can begin instilling a verbal cue for the command, such as “Go pee” or “Go potty.” Some owners use “Wee wee” or “Poo poo.” You can choose a separate word for urinating and defecating. A word of caution: choose your words carefully. What might be cute or silly in your yard could be embarrassing or downright inappropriate in public.

Give the verbal cue each time your puppy is in the process of doing his business so he begins to associate the cue words with the appropriate action. It won’t take long, and you will be able to prompt your dog to go potty on command, which is very helpful in bad weather or when you are traveling. No one wants to stand around at a rest area for twenty minutes, waiting for a puppy. Give the cue word(s) in a calm but encouraging tone of voice. If your voice is too enthusiastic, your puppy is likely to be distracted and forget what he is doing.

Is My Puppy Trained Yet?

Owners run into trouble when they think too soon that their puppy is house-trained. Some puppies are harder to house-train than others, and success is hugely dependent on owner commitment and compliance. Chances are, your puppy will not be reliably house-trained until he is at least six months old.

It’s worth mentioning that puppies that have spent all of their time outdoors or in kennels or on the streets may take longer to house-train because they have never had to learn bladder control. A four- or six-month-old puppy, for instance, that has lived his life in a kennel simply potties whenever and wherever he felt like it. He has never had a reason to control his bladder. The kennel was his bathroom. That’s not to say that these puppies can’t be house-trained—they can, but it may take longer and require extra diligence and commitment on the part of owners.

Puppies between the ages of eight and ten weeks do not show signs of having to urinate. When a puppy of that age has to go, he goes right away—often stopping to urinate in the middle of a play session. It is unrealistic to expect an eight-week-old puppy to stop what he is doing and tell you that he needs to go outside. More often than not, your puppy will not realize he has to go until he is already going. Around ten or twelve weeks of age, a puppy will start to exhibit signs—warning signals that he is about to urinate or defecate—by circling, making crying noises, sniffing the floor, or standing by the door. Don’t get overconfident and think you are home free. These are signs that your puppy is learning, not that he is fully house-trained. You mustn’t become complacent. Now more than ever, you need to remain diligent and stick to the program. Puppies are either house-trained or they are not. Any wavering on your part will only set your puppy up for problems.

When Accidents Happen

Ideally, you should do everything possible to prevent accidents or at least keep them to a minimum. If an accident does happen, resign yourself to being more observant and diligent in the future. Did you miss the prepotty signals? Did you keep to his regular feeding and pottying schedule?

Never scold or hit your puppy and never, ever rub his nose in the mess. This is not dog training, and it injures the relationship you’re forming with your puppy. Successful house-training is your responsibility. Your puppy won’t understand why you are angry or why he is being scolded. Punishing, yelling, or otherwise berating your puppy will only confuse him and prolong the house-training process. At worst, it teaches your puppy to be afraid of you. A puppy that lives in fear of you is likely to grow into an adult dog that is anxious and frequently worried, which can exacerbate urinating in the house or cause him to develop all sorts of unwanted behaviors.

Instead, calmly and completely clean up the mess, using a product designed to eradicate pet stains and odors. This is doubly important if the accident is on your carpet; otherwise, your puppy will continue returning to the scene of the crime.

As your puppy becomes more reliable indoors, you can give him greater access to other rooms. Don’t let him wander around unsupervised until he’s completely house-trained.