TOILET TRAINING YOUR NEW PUPPY
THE FIRST RULE IS WATCH YOUR DOG —
Dogs & puppies give us many signals we humans often miss, so look out for pre-elimination behaviours such as circling & sniffing or even sneaking off or heading for the door. Puppies have a very strong urge to eliminate after sleeping, playing and eating or drinking so being prepared at these times will help speed up the process of training.
If you are not available to supervise i.e. when you are at work or busy in other areas of the home then puppy should be placed in his/her confinement area to prevent accidents happening throughout the house. If this area is small enough the pup may have sufficient control to 'hold on' for up to l -2 hours - puppies instinctively will not eliminate in their sleeping areas in the wild past a few weeks so we can use this instinct in small confined areas. If you have been away for some time it is only fair to expect some mess accidents will continue for some months so do be prepared, never scold puppy for making a mess or you may end up with additional problems whereby yoir pup wont 'go' at all or starts eating the evidence known as copraphagia and these can devekop into lifelong problems.
Upon your return home your puppy/new rescue dog must immediately be given the opportunity to go outside to 'GO TOILET'.
THE KEY as with mamy aspects of trainong here is 'Timing' and is usually one of the biggest problems so it will be your job to try to watch for patterns and particular times when you notice and start to try to predict when pup needs to eliminate to prevent more 'accidents' than necessary.
Remember also to some puppies new things can be quiye daunting to begin with and a new or large garden may be a very scary place so it is important that you accompany him outside at all times, this way you can also reward and praise them every time they go & every time they go in the correct place. You should also start now to introduce the word you woukd like to use for this 'activity' whether it be 'weewee' 'toilet' or other of your choice try not to overcomplicate with too many words at this stage.
Playing with your puppy for short periods outside and then giving him time to sniff about and eliminate is best, usually they will go within 10 minutes or so of eating, playing etc if they need. Most puppies will need to eliminate every 2-4 hours during the day, with each passlng week this time should gradually increase.
THE EASY WAY — By rewarding and praising your puppy every time he/she toilets in the right place he will learn quickly that going outside is traded for a tasty treat and pleasant Interactions. As the pup is going add the word 'toilet' or other word of your choice, every single time he/she 'goes' sound excited in your tone praise and rewards with a pice of their fiod small treat or toy - this way they will learn to associate the word with the action and eventually will be able to go outside and on command when you say the word, althoigh this of course will take many repetitions just like teaching a child!
WHY NO PUNISHMENT — Punishment is destructive to your relationship with your dog, it teaches him/her that you are untrustworthy and puppy may become frightened and confused. In a normal pack environment mother would tell them off with a growl or snarl around food etc but punishment does not work, your puppy will learn little else apart from to fear you and to make sure not to eliminate in your presence — including outside.
CAUGHT IN THE ACT — If you catch pup going indoors, use a verbal signal such as 'ah ah' or noise such as clapping hands, to distract and stop them if you can, pick pup up and gently take him outside. Accidents will happen if pup has been left for a long period or unsupervised so at these times it is not fair to expect him to keep control of his bowels for more than an hour or so. Quietly and carefully clean up the mess — a doggy disinfectant is recommended to remove all odours which will otherwise leave a signpost to pup to go there next time. Don't use bleach as it containes a chemical very similar to dog urine and will encourage them to go there more often. Some washing powder dissolved in warm water is perfect also for eliminating smells!
BUT HE KNOWS HE'S DONE WRONG He LOOKS GUILTY! - This is the most commonly quoted misunderstanding of doggy language dog trainers and behaviourists hear! Here is your dogs reason for that look that you as a human may decipher as 'looking guilty' - Your puppy has learnt in the 'doggy rule book' [he/she lives by that rule book] that if another dog is being aggressive with you, displaying submissive behaviours deflects their aggression i.e. the 'aggressor' will stop and leave you alone because they have shown their signals they know work with their own kind in these situations & submissive signals and behaviours clearly respect the 'aggressor' or 'dominant amimals' superior status.
When you raise your voice to scold pup your whole demeanor and body language changes and so he/she lowers his body posture, averts his eyes, cowers, rolls on his side lifting his hind leg (possibly urinating) or fleeing - clearly to another dog he/she is being submissive, saying in their own way please don't hurt me — I mean no harm (often misinterpreted by humans as the dog knowing his mistake) when they are simply responding to our change in behavioir and anger. If we punish the puppy at this time he soon leams these behaviours do not work with humans and learn to skip them or avoid you. Dogs that are smacked or physically atracked often simply bite eventually out of self defence, and who could blame them.
So if you still don't believe me If you still need proof, try placing a tissue or any other object on the floor, call puppy, point to the object whilst scolding as you would with an 'accident' he will display the same behaviour! Now you will feel guilty you scolded them over a tissue ...sorry!
CONFINEMENT IS ALSO IMPORTANT
Whenever you are unable to supervise your puppy, such as overnight, trying to cook the dinner, bath children etc., it is a good idea to confine the pup to an escape proof cage, collapsible pen or dogproofed room. This area should never be used as a punishment and the puppy can be actively encouraged to enter the area at various times with the use of food or toys. Often the best area for this is the kitchen. Each time the puppy is to be confined it must be allowed time to exercise and eliminate. If using a dog cage or crate it is preferable not to leave the pup unattended for more than 2-3 hours. A separate area must be provided for bedding, food and water and an area for toileting. If you experience problems with leaving your puppy when you go out or to bed and want them to remain alone we will deal with be dealing with 'crate training' and leaving a dog/puppy that whines barks & cries in a later article. So as with all things the key to successful toilet training is consistency, repetive consistant timing, praise and rewards and of course lots of patience!
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