| Housebreaking 101 |
| Welcome to the class. In Housebreaking 101 we will learn the different ways in which to civilize our puppies. Just as with human toddlers, our furbabies sometimes will "get it" right away or may need a little longer to understand the procedure. Either way, the end result is a toddler with a new understanding of self control. |
| One of the first things you need to decide is outside or inside? Would you prefer Squirt go outside to do his/her business or use another inside method. Some of the questions to ask in determining this is, of course, the kind of puppy you have. A tiny Chihuahua puppy might be better off being paper trained or litter box trained. A larger puppy or more sturdy animal will probably be just fine going outside. Your next question is your living arrangements. Are you living in a house or in an apartment? Those also will help decide which way is better for you. |
| Once you have decided the method for you, the next thing is where will the job be done? You will want to designate an area--inside or out--for "the place." It should be easy for the dog to get to it, and you want it easy for you to clean up. A small section outside of, say, sand or gravel might work really well. It's easy to clean and is clearly defined as "different" from the rest of the yard. Everyone will know that this is Squirt's area and there will be no surprises when everyone is outside in the yard. Inside, the best choice is probably a laundry room or mud room or some place where the family does not do any real living. Again, you want something that's easy for the dog to find and everyone knows it's their place. Your choices here are paper, puppy pads or a litter box. Paper is the last choice as it could confuse the dog as to which papers on the floor are for potty and which aren't. Puppy pads are good but my preference would be a litter box. There are products out there now just for dogs. |
| Okay, we've decided inside or outside and how to set up that area. And you should have an idea of what product you want to use. So, let's get going to the real stuff. |
| How do we teach this thing to go where we want it to go????? |
| First you'll want to put Squirt on a schedule if at all possible. Put food and water down for meals and keep it up the rest of the time. When a dog eats or drinks, it stimulates it to then "go". If you can control when the food/water goes in, you can have a good idea of when some is going to come out. A young puppy will generally eat 3-4 meals a day, reducing down to 1 or 2 meals by the time it's 6 months old. You can feed most adults once or twice a day. |
| You also want to control how much run of the house your puppy has. A puppy who cannot easily find the door or the potty place will just go right where it's standing. One way to accomplish this is to use crate training. You want a crate just big enough for the puppy to stand up and turn around, but not so big that the puppy can designate a corner for potty. This will help Squirt learn some self control (as in "holding it"). When you aren't playing or feeding or watching Squirt, the best place for him/her is in the crate. It's like a small bedroom--a place to go when the world gets too big. During the day, you don't want Squirt in there for more than a couple of hours at a time. After all, the whole idea is to make him/her a part of your family. But a little puppy needs naptime as well. So, no, this is not punishing. |
| So, how do we help Squirt understand "going potty"? Call words. You say "sit" when you want to train your dog to sit. You'll also need a call word(s) for going potty. My words are "go outside" or "go potty". You decide what you want to say and try to always use that word or phrase. Repetition is essential in training a dog. Now, when and how often do we use our call word? When you pick up puppy to go to the potty place, you start saying the word/phrase. Place the puppy on the spot and wait--calmly and patiently. If puppy strays, put him/her back on the place and say the words again. Once the feat has been accomplished, lots of praise and excitement are in order. Let Squirt know what a good puppy he/she has been and how proud you are. Use a monotone voice for instruction/correction and a high, excited voice for praise. As for how often, you'll want to put Squirt outside first thing in the morning, after each meal, after any playtime, after any naps, and if it's just been awhile, it won't hurt to take him/her to the potty place. In getting ready for bed, the last meal should have been around 7:00ish p.m. Take up the food and water and take Squirt to the potty place. Go ahead and play and have fun, but when it's bedtime (your bedtime), Squirt needs to go potty one more time. With any luck, he/she will be fine until morning. |
| What about accidents? Well, we all had them when we were learning this potty thing. You don't want to scold or punish Squirt when he/she has an accident. Just take him/her to the potty place and say the words. Don't worry if he/she won't go--unfortunately they've already gone. But clean the accident up with a good deodorizing cleaner and start all over again. You now have a chance for a new beginning--again. And some puppies will be a little more stubborn than others. Some seem to be born housebroken and others just can't seem to figure it out. Just be patient and consistent. |
| So, just when is Squirt "housebroken"? I'd guess after a couple of weeks of persistence most puppies will have figured it out. If you've made a game out of it, Squirt will love to play--and make you soooo happy. But if not, well, Rome wasn't built in a day either, and Squirt may need a little more time as well. |
| What if everyone in the household is gone during the day? Well, that does make it a little tougher, but it can be done. Confine Squirt to a small portion of the house (with easily cleaned floors), with a puppy pad or litter box. Keep food and water available all the time. When you are home, you can follow through with the usual steps in housebreaking. It will probably take longer but it will get done. In this case, you may want to consider a litter box or puppy pads as your choice. |
| So, now that Squirt is housebroken, what's next? |
| Why obedience of course. We have to civilize our little savages--no, I'm not talking about the kids--well, them too, but not this time. (smile) |
| For more information Contact: mtl@munchkinstolove.com |