TOILET TRAINING
by
Paul C Bunker

The majority of enquiries I receive are in relation to toilet training and it is quite easy to understand why. Usually toilet training is the first real training situation that a dog owner will encounter. A pup is brought home, invariably from a kennel type environment where it has lived with its mother, and is expected to ask to go to the toilet. It is also only a few months old and is expected to accept training straight away. This will not happen and can be a period of frustration and regrets for the owner.

The first point is to remember that all dog owners have gone through the same situation and cleaning up mess does not stop with pups. There may be periods of illness or the onset of old age which can all lead to "accidents" in the home. The aim of this article is to give guidelines to enable you to train your dog to be clean in the house as quick as possible and with minimum fuss or trauma.

Firstly do not rub your dogs nose in its mess, scold with a newspaper or over react, especially if discovered sometime after the incident. This could just lead to a hypersensitive dog that is nervous in its home environment. The aim of any training is to try to condition the dog to follow behaviour; in doing so he/she achieves a reward, this is conditioning and is by far the best method of training. As I state in other articles I have written, its is the kindest and most effective method of training, it may be a little slower than re-enforced training methods but does result in a dog that understands what is required 100% of the time.

The method I shall describe here is focused on preventing accidents and rewarding the required behaviour. This is opposed to waiting for an accident to happen then punishing the behaviour. This method is less stressful for both the dog and owner and ultimately will help to prevent damage to carpets and furniture. It is important that you realise that you must give maximum commitment to addressing this problem and it will not be solved overnight. Always remember to think what you are asking the pup to do is similar to asking a human baby to do. Could you honestly expect a six-month-old baby not to soil its nappy and if it did would you rub its nose in it?

This method also requires the use of a dog pen or a small, confined area for the puppy to stay in when he can't be supervised. The pen does not need to be an expensive purpose built affair, although these are ideal for the job. Indeed my wife's dog, a West Highland Terrorist, was raised from a pup in a homemade pen. I used a packing case, cut an entry point which I also made a door for, reinforced the floor and lined. There was no lid so the box was airy and open with plenty of light. The door was made of heavy gauge wire so that the pup could easily see out. Cost was minimal so once the dog had grown out of it I just threw it out.

Now in the UK the use of pens is a subject that causes a lot of debate, are they cruel, NO definitely not. There are a lot of arguments for using a pen and I will not cover them here, indeed an article on this subject will follow. Here are some toilet training facts:

Adult dogs can be toilet trained use the same methods.

Puppies have limited bladder control.

Dogs & puppies like to sleep and rest in a clean area.

Dogs enjoy a routine in their lives.

Dogs have to go toilet when:

they wake up after a sleep or nap,within 1/2 hour after a meal, before they go to sleep

The Dog Pen

The pen should be located in a quiet, draught free and dry area in the home. If space is available the kitchen is ideal for this. It must be located away from a busy through fare and not be in a site that would cause it to be moved or walked into regularly. But it should be located in such a place that allows the dog to see the family going about their daily routine, the aim is to train the dog not isolate him.

The pen should contain a bed, water bowl (a non-spill or fitted to the cage wall) and some toys. There should not be a lot of room as the dog will sent up a toilet at one side of the pen, this will just defeat the object of the training.

Most pups complain when they are first brought into a home, they do not like to be left at night and will whimper and howl. So when you leave the dog in its pen do not think that this same reaction is because it is in the pen. The pup has come from an environment where it has lived with its mother and family in familiar surroundings. It is now on its own, in a strange location with humans it doesn't know. Well wouldn't you complain?

Don't give in to the dogs complaining, as long as it is not hungry or doesn't need the toilet it will be fine. Just like a baby it will learn very quick that if you go and fuss it every time it cries, it will cry more often to get the attention. Whenever you place the dog in the pen give it a treat and tell it "bed". The pen is the dogs den, it is to be used for sleeping, feeding and water as well as offering a quiet area the dog can retire to when it needs some peace and quiet. It also offers you a place to put the pup whilst you cannot keep an eye on it, this will help prevent accidents around the home.

Dogs, like the majority of the animal kingdom, keep their sleeping areas clean. If you ensure that the pup is given plenty of opportunity to go to the toilet, he won't need to go in the pen.

Bringing the Pup Home

As soon as you arrive home with the pup you can start toilet training. Once you have arrived home carry the pup to the garden and wait there until it does the toilet, remember to give him a small treat as a reward. You should plan on letting the dog out every two hours (whilst he is awake) and wait for him to do the toilet then give him a reward. (A good reward is the clicker treat recipe.)

Feed the puppy in the pen and ensure he knows where the water bowl is. Allow 1/2 hour for the dogs stomach to settle then take him into the garden, again wait for him to do the toilet and reward. This can take sometime but hard work done here will pay dividends in the future.

As soon as the dog wakes from a sleep, whether in the morning or during the day take the pup straight into the garden. Carry the pup to prevent any accidents on the floor, the smell of toilet on the floor can give the dog the impression that the area is an acceptable place to mess. We need to condition the dog that he should be in the garden before he messes and if he does he will receive a treat.

Carry the pup outside before bedtime, and then place him in his pen for the night. If he cries during the night, he probably has to go out. Do not talk, cuddle or show any form of affection to the pup, just pick him up carry him outside to toilet, reward, then put him back in the pen.

Daytime Routine

You need to establish a regular routine of toilet trips, as a minimum every two hours. First thing in the morning carry the puppy outside, wait for him to toilet, reward, and then bring him back in. Give him his morning feed in the pen and leave him in there for a half an hour. Then carry him back outside for the toilet again wait for him to pass motions then reward.

Do not give the pup a free run of the house; confine him to the kitchen or main area where you are so that you can keep an eye on him. It is guaranteed that the moment you leave him he will make a mess so ensure that you know where he is at all times. After playtime, take him outside again then place him into his pen for a sleep. For the first few weeks or so you'll be feeding three or four meals per day. Repeat the same procedure throughout the day:

Toilet as soon as he wakes in the morning

One hour playtime

Toilet, Meal in pen

Toilet

Playtime

Toilet

Sleep

Toilet

Playtime

Meal

Toilet and so on till bedtime.

If at anytime the pup shows you that he wants to go to the toilet then you must reward this action as well as letting him go. This could be really subtle initially, something as simple as walking towards the door or sitting in front of you waiting to be carried. You must be alert to any slight changes in the dog's normal behaviour especially around toilet time.

As you can appreciate this is a LOT of work for a few weeks but it is well worth it in the long run. You must clean the garden routinely to avoid a build up of mess, not only for health reasons but a dog will not use an area that is over dirty with waste. This will force them to find another location; this may include the house.

If the pup does make a mess in the house then you must take action but as stated before rubbing his nose in it will achieve nothing. If you see the dog starting to do the toilet then shout "No" and pick the pup up straight away, do not wait until he has finished. Take him to the area in the garden he would normally use and use the command "toilet", allow him to finish and give him praise. Yes you praise him, remember he will associate you being angry at toileting in the house but praising him for doing it in the garden and that is what you want.

As I stated previously this does take commitment and hard work, it will also not be fixed overnight. You must be patient and diligent to toilet train a dog, it is frustrating at times but that is all part of dog ownership.

A point to raise is that if the dog is toilet trained or really does not seem to know that it is messing then it may be worth having it checked by a vet. Urinary infections and ailments can all lead to incontinence. There are also a number of other causes that can all lead to a dog messing in the house; old age, change in diet, stress, chill, poor quality food, lack of water etc. the list is endless and in most cases should be temporary affairs. If you ever have concerns it is always best to let a vet check the dog out.

Accidents can happen, although using the method above hopefully not to often. Always put the pup outside whilst you clean up any mess, mother dogs clean up after the pup and you don't want the dog to think that you will do the same. Once you have cleaned any mess you should try and eliminate any odour that is left. It the pup smells toilet in the house it may encourage it to remark the area. There are a number of de-odorising products available now; most pet stores will stock them.

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This article was written by Paul C Bunker, a professional dog trainer. You can visit the website at www.Southwestk9services.com for more articles and dog training resources. You may freely distribute this article or save to any electronic media as long as it is left intact, including this copyright box.

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