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Vizsladogs, Ltd.
House
Training
By Karen Miller. A dog training secret:
Good dog trainers are generous with praise!
Don’ts:
- Never punish your pup for making an error. Vow to catch
him before he makes another mistake.
Do’s:
- Watch your pup or crate your pup.. During the
housetraining period, you will need to completely
supervise your puppy! Your puppy should have indoor
"free play" periods (under your supervision)
only after he has eliminated outside. During
periods that you cannot supervise him, you will need to
crate him.
- Be "ready to
go". During the housetraining period, be
prepared to walk your dog constantly!!! Keep your pups
leash and collar by the door, your shoes on, "clean
up" bags, your keys and treats in your
pockets so you are ready to take your dog out at a
moments notice.
- Say "do you want
to go outside?", and move towards the door. This
may help you in the distant future, and give your pup a
way to indicate when he needs to go out. So if you ever
see your pup standing by the door and looking pensive,
take him for a walk, and tell him how brilliant he is for
showing you that he needed to go out!
- Carry your dog outside.
Carry your dog outside so he is less likely to get
excited and make a mistake in the hallway or elevator.
- Consistent feeding
schedule. Make sure your pup is on a consistent
feeding schedule. Plan on feeding the pup at the same
time every day... for example at
7 AM and 5 PM
- Clean it up. Pups like to eliminate in the same
spots, so it is important to get rid of any lingering
smells that have come from puppy accidents in the house.
Clean up poop or pee with a product like Nature’s
Miracle or other enzyme containing cleaners made
exclusively for treating pet elimination. Do not clean
with any products that contain ammonia.
Going Outside:
- Take pup to the same spot. Always take your pup out
to the same place to eliminate.
- 3 minutes. Give your dog 3 minutes to eliminate in
the spot of your choosing.
- Teach a "cue" word for elimination. Say
"hurry up" (or another phrase) very
gently, just as your pup starts to eliminate. Softly say
"good pup!" during elimination, and
follow up with a really good treat after
the pup has finished eliminating.
- Reinforcement. If the pup eliminates, give him a
little walk as a reward. Do not take your puppy on a walk
unless he has eliminated.
Even though you think you are training your pup, from
your pups perspective - he is training you! If he can
train you to take him on a long walk in order to
get him to eliminate - he will. If you only take him on a
long walk after he has eliminated, he will
have learned that he can train you to take him on a long
walk if he eliminates promptly! You’ll thank
me for this little bit of information the first time you
have to walk your dog during a snow storm!
- Prevention. If you take him out and he does not
eliminate, take him back into the house and put him in
his crate. Take him out every 20 minutes or so until he
eliminates and you get a chance to reinforce him.
When do I walk my puppy?:
- Upon arising (don’t wait to drink your coffee!!)
- 15 to 30 minutes after he eats. (Watch his behavior, if
he starts to sniff the ground, or circle - take him out.)
- Soon after he drinks a lot of water.
- After playing.
- After sleeping.
- After chewing on his bone.
- If he starts to look restless, whines, or runs into
another room (presumably to eliminate away from you).
- Immediately before you go to sleep.
- When very little, he may need to be walked if he starts
crying during the night. In this instance you should not
make a huge deal out of reinforcing him, as you
don’t really want him to continue to wake you at
night. Walk him, and put him right back to bed after he
has eliminated.
Does your pup drink lots of water?
If so, you may need to limit the times your pup has access to
it, and only give him unlimited water with his meals. As a
general rule, pick up your dogs water 3 hours before bedtime to
help prevent nighttime accidents. However, if your home is warm,
your pup will need to have water available at all times.
The most important thing to remember when training your pup is
to "catch them doing it right" and reinforce
them.
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