House Training

When I adopted my new dog, I thought I was adopting a house-trained dog. Perhaps, it's me that needs to remember how to house train a dog. I got extremely lucky when I adopted Anya, that she was already house trained and :knock on wood: has never had an accident in the house, other than when she gets excited and submissive urinates. So I wanted to to take the time to refresh my memory of house training as well as informing new owners of some tips.

Where do you want your dog to go? Some people are ok with their dog using pee-pads in the house, but most people, including me, prefer that their dog goes outside in the grass. Stand with them in the area that you want your dog to use the bathroom give a command. Whether it be "go outside" or "go potty" or whatever works for you. The actual words don't matter, but whatever you decide, you need to be consistent. Consistency is key because dogs like routine.

How to tell you. How do you want your dog to tell you that it needs to go out? Some dogs grab their leash, scratch the door, bark at the door, sit quietly by the door, ring a bell, or sit and stare at you. I would prefer if my dogs rang a bell or sat at the door and barked, but Anya will come, sit, and stare at me. Then when I ask her if she has to go out, she gets really excited. Make sure that you teach and repeat whichever behavior you prefer, each time you take him/her outside. Again, routine.

Setting a schedule. Take your dog out immediately after he/she wakes up, about 20-30 minutes after he/she eats, and before bed. It may take a few minutes before your dog actually uses the bathroom, but be patient. If it takes longer than 10 minutes, then take him/her back inside and try again in another 20-30 minutes. A puppy can hold it for as many hours as they are months old, plus one. So for example a 3 month old puppy, can hold it for four hours.

Crate training. Contain your dog to a small space so that it doesn't have complete roam of the house, especially when you aren't home.  Most dogs don't like to urinate where they sleep, so keeping them confined helps to decrease the chance of making a mess in the house where they shouldn't. I personally like crate training, but others may not.

Reward. When your dog does use the bathroom appropriately, we need to praise like crazy. Either it be a food reward or lots of petting and gushing. Never punish your pet if you don't catch him/her using the bathroom inappropriately. However, you must let your dog know it's unacceptable behavior only if you catch him/her in the act of actively going. A stern "no", is typically enough.

It will be frustrating, especially when it doesn't seem like they are getting it. Just when I think Aurora is getting the hang of it, she will end up urinating in her crate and I get extremely frustrated. However, I know she knows that when she does it, it's wrong because she runs away and tries to hide.  She's adorable and is doing well in all other instances. I just need to be patient, I've only had her two months, and I can't compare her to how fast Anya caught on. We will get there Aurora!