House Training a Dog

How to prepare a comfortable den for your dog

2009-10-25T05:36:00.000-07:00

By now, you should have chosen the right place for your dog to live. In this article, I will discuss, how to create a comfortable den for your dog, that in later parts of house training will act as a safe place in your home.

Crate or no crate?

The most important decision you will make, while preparing your dogs den, is: "Should I use crate or not." This dilemma can be resolved very quickly, if you honestly answer the question: "Can I spend enough time with my dog, to make sure he is OK in an opened den?" Most of the people can't so it is natural they try to insure their pet is safe, by closing him in a crate. However if you choose not to close your dog in a crate, good idea is to create some kind of spot, you can tie your dog to, in case you have to leave him alone in your house.

How big should my dogs den be?

Dogs, in contrast to humans don't need a lot of space to live. In fact, if your dogs den will be too big, your pet can get confused and will think it is a prison. Of course, the size of dogs den largely depends on the breed of your dog. If you have a large dog, you need a larger den, but in most cases even biggest dogs, will feel comfortable in dens 8ft x 8ft. Anything larger then that is unnecessary.

Other things to remember...

One of the most obvious and important things, you should include inside your dogs den, is a bed. It can be anything from a box with some towels to more fancy, designer dog beds. No matter what you choose, make it comfortable and appropriate for your dogs size.

A crucial thing, that has to find place in your dogs den, are his toys. It is directly connected to the fact, your dog should associate his den with happy and warm living space, not a cold cage. That is exactly why you should often play with your dog, while he is inside his den, this will make him want to get back to it.

Last thing, you should keep in mind, applies only to puppies. Young dogs, have problems with controlling their bladders and bowel movements, simply because they haven't developed muscles allowing them to do it. That is why you should put paper on the floor of puppies den. This way you make sure he doesn't destroy anything by eliminating on your floor or carpet.

What not to include.

It is unnecessary, to put elimination box, inside your dogs den. Most of the dogs, that understand that their den is their home, won't eliminate there, unless they really need to. So the only reason to put it there, is when you leave him alone for long period of times.

Something that may help you to create a comfortable den for your dog, is putting yourself in his shoes. By asking yourself a question: "If I were a dog, would I like to live in such a place?" You can make sure you will create a real home for your pet.

Potty training your dog

2009-10-15T03:46:00.000-07:00

Potty training or toilet training, is an important part of house training. If you will fail to complete this part of the process, your dog will eliminate wherever he wants and I don't think that is result you are after.

Establishing elimination spot.

You have to clearly determine where your dog will eliminate. This is the first thing you have to do, beginning his training before compleating this step is pointless.

The important thing is, once you choose the place, don't change it. Some of the dogs, may stay unaffected by such a change because they associate elimination with a litter box, but you don't want to risk confusing your dog. Make it as simple for him as you only can.

What kind of box to choose.

There is a wide range of dog elimination products. Anything from litter boxes, boxes with special paper or even boxes with real grass. You have an absolute freedom in choosing what kind of box you want. I personally like litter boxes, as special sand absorbs bad smells and is relativly easy to clean.

The one thing you have to keep in mind, especially with puppies, is that elimination boxes can create a life long surface preference. If you dog never eliminated on a grass, he may not be able to do it when it is needed. Same principle applies to paper and sand. That is why, you may want to get your puppy used to eliminating in various places. This way you make sure he won't get addicted to eliminating on one surface.

How to potty train your dog.

When you are prepared, you can start to potty train your dog. The most important part of potty training is establishing a routine you will follow. Every two hours or so, it depends on age of your dog, take your pet to elimination spot and use a voice command like: "do your business." This way, he will associate this command with eliminating and in future he will understand what you want from him.

You should stay completely emotionally detached from your dog while you are training him. Just take him to the spot, and say the command, if he wants to play or starts to bark, repeat the command using a firm voice. If you will play with your pupil during this times, he will get confused and won't know what you want him to do there.

Once your dog eliminates, you start to praise him. This creates a positive association between eliminating in this spot and positivity from you. You may also try using snacks, for even better results. After your dog eliminates just give him a snack and start to have fun with him.

The most important rule of potty training is, remaining consistent in your efforts. Even the most stubborn pets can learn they have to eliminate in designated spot. You just have to take advantage of power of repetition.

If you want to learn more about potty training your dog, I recommend reading another article connected to this topic called: What to do in case of an "accident." This text will teach you, how to behave when your dog doesn't follow your commands and how to avoid inresponsivness to your training.

What to do in case of an "accident"

2009-09-24T06:11:00.000-07:00

Despite your best efforts, it may happen your dog will eliminate outside of the area you have chosen. There are many reasons why he has done that and not all are connected to the fact, your dog is a slow learner or doesn't understand he is supposed to "do his business" inside a litter box.

The most common mistake, is punishing puppies for eliminating where they shouldn't. While you can potty train your puppy, young dogs have underdeveloped muscles responsible for controlling bowel movements and bladder. So, from time to time, he can unconsciously eliminate on the floor or other place you don't want him to. Puppies are often unaware they have eliminated, so if you will punish them for it, they won't know what they have done.

The other thing you have to ask yourself is, do you allow your dog to eliminate frequently enough? If you don't, accidents can happen to him, because he wasn't able to stand the pressure anymore. Punishing your dog for your own mistakes seems cruel and irresponsible, not even mentioning, your pet will get very confused.

Some dogs are also quite shy, so when you put them in situation, where they have to eliminate in front of people they don't know, they may have problems doing it. Thus they will try to hold their need and may eliminate in an inappropriate but safe and quite place.

How to behave when your dog eliminates where ever he likes?

First thing is, never rub your dogs nose into the mess, he just made. Not mentioning the hygiene point of view, it is pointless. First thing you need to do is ask yourself a question if it wasn't your fault, the dog made what he made.

If you are absolutely positive it isn't your fault, take your dog into the area where he should eliminate, put him there and give a voice command you always give to make him eliminate. It doesn't matter if he does anything, just after a while start praising him, this way you positively reinforce the correct behaviour.

The other good idea is, taking his feces and putting them into the box he is supposed to use to eliminate. When he will notice his feces are there, he should be able to understand that this is the spot he is supposed to eliminate in.

As you can see, dealing with your dogs accidents is quite easy. The thing you have to always remember is, don't confuse your dog. If you will punish him for something that wasn't his fault you will never house train him and this can lead to frustration of both parties.

House training a puppy

2009-09-24T06:03:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned in the first article on this site, house training a puppy is pretty much the same as training any other dog. However there are some adjustments you have to make in order to make this experience as pleasant for both of you as it can only be.

First thing, you have to remember that puppies don't have full control over their bladders and bowel movements. Often times, they eliminate where they shouldn't, but they are not aware of what they have done.

This should give you two ideas, first protect as much as you can when your puppy leaves his den, and never punish your dog for something he done, if you aren't 100% certain he has done it on purpose.

There are some small changes you have to include in your puppies den. Adult dogs, don't eliminate in place they live, but as puppies most of the time don't realize they eliminate, you should add a toilet in their den. It is a good idea to put paper on the floor of your puppies den. This will make it easier for you to clean his mess and you won't have to worry your puppy destroys any surface.

Some puppies have problems realizing where exactly they are supposed to eliminate. That is why it is a good idea to watch where your puppy is eliminating in his den and place a toilet there. This way you will make it more natural and easy for him to associate litter box or other device with elimination spot.

Also after time, when your puppy starts to use the box more regularly and you think, he is aware that he is supposed to "do his business there." You can begin to remove some of the paper on the floor. It may be risky, as some puppies seem to get it at first, but when you make changes, they get back to eliminating in any spot.

Creating a toilet inside dogs den, doesn't mean you should give up on the idea of training him to eliminate in other place. Simply, whenever you take him for a walk or you allow him to play in the house, first take him to a designated elimination spot and give him a voice command of your choice to eliminate.

Also whenever your puppy eliminates in the toilet outside of his living area, give him a treat. This way, he will be much more eager to use the bathroom outside of his den, thus giving you less work.

Something most of the people forget about is, their puppies diet. Just like humans, if you want to keep your dogs metabolism and elimination schedule regular, you have to create a diet for him. Never leave a bowl of food and water lying around. If your dog will get used to eating whenever he wants, he will also eliminate whenever he likes. You want to be able to predict, when he is going to visit the bathroom, so you can assist him.

As you can see, house training a puppy, may seem hard or even impossible at first. But when you are aware of some of the facts from your dogs life, you will be able to effortlessly train him. As always with house training puppy and any other dog, you have to keep it consistent.

House training an older dog

2009-09-24T05:57:00.000-07:00

House training an older dog, is often thought of as easier than training a puppy. This common mistake is often an effect of thinking that whatever you do, your puppy still eliminates all over the house. This happens mainly because young dogs are unable to control their bladder and bowel movements, but they are often learning faster than older dogs.

When you adopt an older dog, he often comes to you with past. You don't know how his previous owner was treating him, you don't know what kind of behaviours he taught him. Unless he was trained in the dog pound or you got him from your friend, most of the time you are dealing with a situation, where you have no idea as to any issues this dog may have.

I am not trying to scare you from adopting dogs, you just need to realize that sometimes house training an older dog is much more difficult than training a puppy. You have to overcome lifetime of habits.

You have to start from determining spots for your dogs toilet and living space. Healthy adult dog shouldn't have troubles holding their bladder for at least 6-8 hours. In this department house training older dogs is much easier.

You start house training your dog, from showing him off the house. It is important to first make sure he has eliminated, as he doesn't know the rules yet and this may lead to an accident. It is a good idea to at first limit the space your dog can move on. If you will allow him to move freely through out the whole house, you may have troubles making sure he isn't eliminating where he shouldn't.

The drill is as follows, whenever you let your dog out of his den, you first take him to the eliminating spot with a cold face, you give him a command to eliminate and when he does you praise him and give him a treat. Then you show him the house, starting from one room and then each day showing him another one. After two or three hours, you take him back to his den and return when it is time for him to eliminate.

House training doesn't have to be hard, most of the time it is common sense behaviour. A very important tip to keep in mind is, you should have a meal schedule for your dog, this way you will be able to predict when is the time he will want to visit toilet.

The other thing that may happen if you have done the create training wrong is, your dog will whine, bark and destroy his toys while in the crate. This happens because he views his den as a prison not like his nest, a place of his own, where he can rest and feel safe.

If this happens, the only thing you can do is either start creating positive associations between crate and fun, by playing with your dog whenever he is inside the crate. Or you can buy a new crate and place it elsewhere, but this time make sure, you do everything right.

As you can see house training an older dog is a very straight forward process, that shouldn't cause you any problems. If you will remain consistent in what you do and won't allow your dog to do what you don't want him to do, you will house train him very fast.

How long does house training take

2009-09-24T05:48:00.000-07:00

In this article I will try to give you some tips that will help you to predict, for how long you should house train your dog. The truth to the matter is, it is a very personal thing, but if you take into consideration some factors, you can establish a realistic time house training will take.

The first phase of the training, so introducing your dog to the house, showing him where the elimination spot is and beginning the potty training, should last for about seven days. However this is just the beginning for most dogs, this seven day period means that your pet will know your whole house and have a general idea about the rules he has to follow.

As with small kids, when you leave dogs alone, they suddenly forget everything you have taught them and do whatever they like. That is why, you have to reinforce desired rules and behaviours, so your dog is 100% certain what he can and can't do.

In short, you can stop supervising your dog, after few weeks without any accidents. And even then try to change things up, so you are once with him and the other time you aren't. With time, the behaviours you try to teach your dog will become natural for him and you will be able to allow him to move freely throughout the house without your supervision.

In some cases the time needed may be much longer, especially if you have a dog from the dog pound that had difficult past. Such animals often suffer from many psychological issues that make it harder for them to trust people and understand you want only good things for them.

If your pet had issues with his previous owners, it is a good idea to go easy on him. If you will punish him too much, he will become afraid of you and you won't develop the mutual connection that make dogs, mans best friends.

Another thing to keep in mind is, the fact some dogs suffer from dog form of ADD. While such crazy pets are adorable and fun to play with, they have trouble focusing on one task for a longer period of time then couple of seconds. With these kind of animals it is important to remain completely calm and collected when you are giving them commands. Any kind of smile or positive feeling towards them will make them explode with joy that can't be stopped.

All in all house training is a process you will have to reinforce for at least a couple of weeks before you will be able to truly say, your dog understands and follows rules you have created. However don't get discouraged, when your pet after a good run eliminates where he shouldn't or does other wrong thing. Just remind him what he should do and supervise him some more. After a while you will have a fully house trained dog, you can trust and leave alone in the house for hours.

Crate training, best method to house train your dog?

2009-09-24T05:14:00.000-07:00

Crate training is a very controversial topic for most of the dog owners. Some think it is a great idea, others think it is cruel and some treat it like a necessity. Whatever you think, crate training is a must in most of the cases. If you go out of the house for long and have to leave your dog alone, leaving him inside a crate guarantees his and your house security.

Most of the people think that crates are cruel devices, that were developed by emotionless dog owners who want to get rid of their dogs for a longer periods of time. And yes it is partially true. However crates don't have to be viewed as a prison by your dog. Even more in majority of cases, when you do the crate training right, your dog will love his crate and spend time in it even when he doesn't have to.

Creating a dog-friendly crate.

Creating a good crate is very similar to preparing a comfortable den for your dog. Crate has to be spacious enough, for your dog to feel good in it, but it shouldn't be too big, or else he may feel overwhelmed by it. It is important to prepare a comfortable bed and put all of the dogs toys inside the crate. This way you make sure, he will view his crate as his private cosy place to live.

If you are planning to leave your dog for long inside the crate, it is a good idea to leave water, food and also a place for him to eliminate inside the crate. However elimination spot will require a bigger crate as most of the dogs won't eliminate in the place they live.

Beginning of the training.

At first, you have to make spending time inside of the crate a fun experience for your dog. Don't ever push your dog inside the crate or force him to enter in any way. This will do more harm than good, he will think of his crate as a prison and won't like it. This is the sure-fire way to stress your dog and make him unhappy.

For first couple of days, you should spend time with your dog inside the crate, with doors open, playing and having fun. When you think he is feeling comfortable there, just increase the time he spends inside the crate. After about a week, you can start closing him, at first be close to him and have fun, don't allow him to feel lonely or uncomfortable. With time, just sit in the room the crate is located in, this way you will reinforce, that him sitting inside a crate isn't anything bad.

Each day, increase the time, your dog spends inside the crate, at pace of 15-20 minutes more each day. When you see, your dog is feeling very comfortable inside his crate, some dogs won't like to leave it, you can begin to leave him alone. It is important to stay close to your dog, so you can come and have fun with him if he becomes afraid or shows any symptoms of discomfort.

As the time passes by, and your dog is clearly starting to like his crate, you can simply leave him alone in it. If you have done everything right, he will be feeling inside his crate like at home, his personal room, if you like.

Crate training is a very delicate process, you have to adopt a very careful attitude of one step forward and two steps back. this way you can be sure, you won't force anything on your dog and he will feel comfortable throughout the process. You have to remember you are dealing with a living creature and one mistake can create an aversion towards crates for his entire life and this is something you want to avoid.