Training Your Dog To Eliminate Outside
Are you stuck at a point where you do
not know how to proceed with housetraining your dog? Are you
desperate to stop those accidents on your precious rug? Are
you spending too much on room fresheners?
Smelly poops, carpet stains, unwelcome surprises
and unwanted discoveries....in short, a perfect housetraining
nightmare! If you are still spending sleepless nights conspiring
on how to escape, STOP!
Don’t be ignorant. It's time to arm
yourselves with the knowledge to deal with the problem. In
today’s issue, we shall try and arrive at a definite
solution to stop your dog's unwanted behavior.
How
to Train Your Dog to Eliminate Outside?
Considering that your dog is properly crate
trained, it is unlikely that your crate trained dog will eliminate
inside his crate. Accidents generally occur the moment you
take your Dog out of his crate and leave him unsupervised.
It may be advisable to keep note of your dog's potty breaks
and let him out of the crate 15 minutes before the scheduled
time. Take him out to the desired place and wait till he finishes
potty. Reward him soon after followed by praise.
Note : To help your Dog
acclimatize to potty outside, it is important that you take
him to the same place everyday. This will help him build association
through smell while it also conditions him to go potty at
a given time of day, at a given place.
Once conditioned, it is easier to train your
Dog to go on command. Continue letting your dog out of his
crate before his scheduled time, however, refrain from taking
him outside. Remember, association is important at every step
of training. Verbal commands and physical gestures combined
are helpful in most cases. So, when you teach him to go on
command, accompany by pointing towards the door.
You may use commands such as "Out"
or "Outside". Repetitive use of these two words
teaches your Dog to go out every time you give this command.
Note : It may be helpful
to employ words commonly used in the household so that association
is easy and your dog understands.
You can train him to bark, scratch the door
or ring a bell each time he wants to exit. When you sense
he wants to go, take him to the door and wait till he performs
the desired behavior before praising him. Let him out once
he’s through with asking.
A
dog is a creature of habit. Know that...
- Since your Dog has been conditioned to go out at a certain
time in day, he will let you know when he is uncomfortable.
-
When you give him the command and let
him out, he will go anyway. By repeating the same process
everyday, you will help him associate between the variables......time,
place and command.
Ringing the bell, to most, is a substitute
for verbal commands. Instead of shouting "Out",
ring a bell (tied to your door) and open the door. Once you
have done this over days, your Dog will know that ringing
the bell means being let out. Soon he will be ringing the
bell as a signal to open the door.
Note : Ringing the bell
may not always mean that your dog wants to eliminate. If your
dog feels like a walk, he will ring the bell to go outside.
At least, you will avoid accidents and perhaps make a few
extra miles.
It is a rarity but a possibility nevertheless...even
though the aforesaid training was imparted correctly...it
is possible that your Dog may not eliminate in the first instance
you take him out. What do you do under such circumstances?
Very simply...bring him inside, but don't let him free as
yet. Instead keep him on the leash and be more careful than
usual. Constant supervision will help avoid accidents. Take
your dog out at regular intervals, or when he shows the first
signs of discomfort.
Note : Puppies are usually hyperactive.
They need to go out:
- Every time they wake up
- Immediately after each meal
- When they are generally active and playful
It may be a good idea keep puppy diapers
handy for young puppies (1 to 3 months old). Puppies older
than 3 months can be brought under the training regime.
Training should be gradual. Do not speed
the training process. It is advisable to carry on with the
first employed training technique even when you are absolutely
confident your Dog has mastered it. Graduate to the next step
with ease.
If
an accident still occurs...
If you catch your dog in the act, do not
surprise him or stun him by shouting in disgust. Let him know
your presence as softly as possible and take him outside so
that he can finish there. When you bring him inside, show
him his mess and be as firm as possible and say "No"
or "Bad Dog".
It is helpful to avoid your Dog for some
time after that. Show him your disappointment and disapproval
by neglecting him. Nothing displeases your dog more than his
failed attempts to please you. Do this every time he eliminates
inside. Once bereft of love and attention, it will teach your
dog that his behavior is unacceptable and he will gradually
stop.
Continue training your Dog simultaneously
in the correct training techniques.
Note : Puppies are generally
prone to disobey. Since they have limited attention span,
verbal commands rarely work with them. It is important to
make eye contact with puppies while you are training them.
If you discover an accident after it occurred,
apply techniques as (2). Unless you make your Dog aware of
his mistakes, he will never learn to improve.
Keep in mind:
Never correct your dog too harshly or punish him severely.
Your dog is prone to 'disobey' out of frightfulness.
Your dog spends quality time with his owner
during walks. Avoid giving him the impression that the walk
ends as soon as he finishes potty. Continuing walking until
you or your dog grows tired.
Puppies are often in the habit of sneaking
into places inaccessible to his owner and eliminating there.
You may discover an accident long after it occurs or when
you see that stain on the carpet or behind the sofa. The only
way to deal with puppy training is to keep them under constant
supervision. Negligence to show disapproval is never too successful
with puppies. They keep busy with more interesting things
in the house than pry for your attention all the time.
Note:
- Commercial food takes longer to digest and can make
your Dog poop more.
- Follow a routine with your dog. Decide a time to feed
and a time when you let him out. Knowledge combined you
can successfully condition your dog.
- Always maintain a diary of your dog's routine, till
he is properly trained. This will help you bring training
activities into a pattern. Following a method is always
beneficial.
To sum up, excellent management, careful
supervision, loads of patience and knowledge of correct training
methods combined, is your key to successful housetraining.
So gear up and start over! Cheers to a successful
training session.
Nancy Richards
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