Ahhh, the fun of a new puppy. That joy and happiness of bringing the furball home that romps and plays and falls asleep in the cutest of positions. The neverending smiles and laughter and the wish that they could stay that cute forever. It does not take long though to find out for every ‘ahhh’ moment, there is one of ‘what’s that smell’ , or the feeling of the ‘wet sock’ when stepping in a puddle you did not see. If they all came with an on/off switch in the rear section they would be perfect (well, they might need a built in ‘do not chew this list’ too….but that is for a different story).
For some reason, even though personally we have only had a handful of dogs in the last decade, I have managed to do more house training then I had planned on. A couple times now I have had new pets for friends that spent their first few weeks in my home for one reason or another, and other times it has been just an odd situation.
All in all, I am far from an expert on the subject, but I do seem to have quite a bit of experience on the subject. I have also picked up tidbits along the way in my work exposure to the animal world. In general, most of my dogs have been house trained to about 80%-90% in just a week, and usually at 100% after just a couple weeks. The only accidents after that point are usually when we have gone too long for the age of the pup, or made a mistake on the humans part. In order to do this, we focus a large part of our energy for that first two weeks of bringing a new pet into our world on just house training, avoiding functions outside the house, time off work even, planning a few long nights with little sleep, ect, just to give full energy to this one task. It has always been time well spent in the end.
So here are some thoughts to consider and ideas we have utilized along the way.
Positive rewards
I am a big proponent of positive rewards while house training. Cutting up bits of yummy food to small bits (unseasoned low fat meats, small bits of cheese, ect), nothing that will upset the pups stomach, but something that they thoroughly enjoy. Place them in a baggie in your pocket, and every time you take the pup out, as soon as they have gone, tell them they are a good puppy and reward with a treat. Make this time outside a great happy place. Sometimes its easy to focus on discipline and telling a pup they did wrong, when the fastest way to actually correct problems is just reward and tell them what to expect. Puppies and dogs by default really do want to do well, positive rewards are a great way to do this.
Potty Command
I like to teach pups commands for going potty, this is especially great for dogs without a yard and that will have a future of being leash walked for potty breaks. Choose a potty command you are comfortable with (go potty, tinkle, do business….ect), and every time the pup starts to ‘go’, say the command once. Do not say anything else, just keep it simple and clear. When the pup starts to eliminate, say the word or two words, when they finish, give reward. DO NOT give the command before the pup has started going….this will ‘negate’ the effect of the words. After you have repeated the command for several days at the time of elimination, start anticipating when they are about to eliminate, and start giving the command JUST before they eliminate. Repeat this for a few days. If you ever start using the word and they are not responding (and they truly have to go), back up to saying it just when they eliminate again, and work slowly backwards. Its an association technique, so remember, saying the command and they don’t respond means the words are not 100% associated with the behavior. Also, remember the age of the pup, and be patient. This command is very helpful long term, the goal when they are young is to lay a strong foundation.
Avoid Accidents!
Every time a pup eliminates, it is a positive reward to them. The elimination feeling they experience when the bladder or bowels empty is a ‘positive’ reward in itself. So every accident they have inside the home is technically a ‘positive’ reward for going in the wrong area.
So on that thought, your best bet for house training, is avoiding ALL accidents if at ALL possible. Most pups will usually try and step a bit away from you to relieve themselves. So I keep them close to me at all times. I either will use a 6 foot lead tied to a belt loop, or will set up ‘obstacles’ to contain them near me in a small area. I pick up items they can hide behind, and keep the floor picked up and clear so I can quickly know whats going on.
Know the timing for your puppy. As soon as they have woken up, after a meal, after a short play time, after a drink, these are all prime potty times. A 7-9 week old pup might need to go out every 20-30 minutes when they are awake. Yes, I take a lot of trips outside, but every trip out is an opportunity to avoid an accident.
Discipline
The great thing about dogs is that they live in the moment. They do not worry about the past, or the future, they just enjoy the moment they are in. This is what draws them to us, what makes us want to own a dog and have them part of our lives.
On the flip side, this also puts a twist in how you go about disciplining your pet. The mind of a young pup is definitely living 100% in the moment. Their minds are jumping from one experience to the next in mere seconds. Considering this, I discipline for house training based on what I know the pup is thinking about at that moment.
If I catch them in the act of eliminating in the house, I usually clap my hands once loudly (sometimes I use a single correction work like ‘no’ at the same time, but only said once, and I DO NOT use their name), I pick them up calmly, carry them outside to the appropriate area, and put them calmly back down in the grass. If they finish in the grass, I praise them as usual, and pretend nothing has happened inside. If they do not have to go any longer, we spend a bit of time outside to make sure they are done, we go back inside, I clean up the mess, a
nd move on.
I do not EVER rub a pups nose in the mess, or try to discipline them after the fact. Likely the thought of going potty has left their mind within a second or two of stopping the process. Yelling after the fact, rubbing their nose in the mess, or carrying on only creates a negative relationship between you and your new puppy when the bond and trust is just developing. Using their name to yell only creates a negative energy around their newly given name. Lastly, by reacting aggressively or physically with the pup around elimination, it could possibly lead to them hiding from you to do their business, which will of course just make things more difficult.
So keep discipline controlled, accurate, calm, in the moment, and only when necessary. Try and set the pup up for success at all times, and when you have an accident, analyze what you as the human could have done differently, put in place changes if necessary, and then move on. There will be accidents, but if the human is consistent and gives a clear message, the pup will pick it up.
Creating a ‘I have to potty’ signal
Not only do you need to teach your pup through positive rewards and consistency, it would greatly help the process if you show the pup how to inform you that they need to go. Simplicity is key here, we are likely dealing with an 8 week old being, so keep that in mind.
I like to use a small bell on a door handle as a cue myself. I loosely tie a string or cord to the door we use to go outside and potty. I attach a small bell to this cord (I have found some nice small ones at the pet store in the bird toy section, or at a craft and hobby shop), and have the height of the cord/bell be within an inch or two off the floor. If your pup can play with the bell or cord unsupervised, this is not good, so remove when you are not able to watch them.
When using the bell method, I have always done the following steps: Every time we go outside, I place the leash on the pup, we approach the exit door, I either tap the bell with my hand with the pup very close, or I gently tap the bell with the pups paw. As soon as the bell rings, I give a quick praise word and open the door immediately. We go outside, do business, and return. I repeat this process EVERY time I exit the house with the pup. Its amazing how quickly they will pick this up. You need to be sure you listen for the bell though and react quickly. I had one pup who would ring the bell, and potty almost immediately in front of the door. Took a bit of practice to get some time in there so I could get a leash and get her outside asap.
A second method, which is one you can either use first, or phase into from the bell method later on, is just to teach them to sit at the door to go out. This usually requires you to teach the sit command first, so that you can give the sit command at the door before you walk out. Same procedure as the bell, you do the sit right at the door, praise and open door immediately, and go outside to do business. The plus side of this method is you don’t have to worry about future ‘bell’ issues, where say the pup plays with the bell, or uses the bell as an attention getter. The negative side of this, it is silent, and you have to be on the ball to watch for them sitting at the door. Also, you need to teach the sit command right away to get the best effect.
Crating
This subject drives a lot of controversy. While I am not one for long term crating, and prefer that the time confined is kept to a minimum, I do believe this is an essential piece of house training. Even if you are home all day, there are countless benefits to utilizing a crate for a new pup.
First and foremost, one of the biggest aspects of fast and reliable house training is avoiding as many accidents as possible in the house. As I mentioned before, elimination itself is a positive reward. But there is no way any individual can 100% watch a puppy at every moment. When you sleep is a prime example. What happens if you pop out to go to dinner, or maybe have friends over for a cocktail and get a bit preoccupied in the wee hours of the morning? Especially in the beginning stages of house training, a crate is a great way to prevent accidents when you are not able to devout your full attention.
If you do have to work, and will be gone longer then say 4 hours, I would recommend using the crate only for short periods, and use a small confined area like a bathroom or laundry for the longer periods. This might make house training take a bit longer, but for the younger pups especially, I do not like a crate for periods over a few hours.
Every pup we have trained has slept in a crate next to the bed. When they are very young, say 8 weeks old, usually they will need to get up one to two times a night. With the crate by the bed, as soon as they stir, we take a quick jaunt out, and back to the crate. If they are under 10 weeks old, and I do want them to ‘cry’ to come out for potty at night, we will even set an alarm for middle of the night….and just gradually set the alarm later and later until they are good through the night. This method helps with the whining and crying that can be associated with learning to stay in a crate. I would say by about 10 weeks most of our pups have slept through the night just fine (assuming night is only 8 hours).
The first night or two, will there be crying…probably. I recommend trying the crate for a couple short periods during non sleep hours…..say 10 minutes the first time, feed breakfast and dinner in there, place them in there when they are super sleepy already, ect. The pup will cry, the owners just need to walk away, and ignore. When you go to remove the pup when time is up, DO NOT remove them if they are crying. Only take them out when they are calm and not digging or clawing or trying to get out. This is key! The pup needs to understand 100% from the get go that exiting the crate is not initiated by their crying or anxious behavior. The crate door should open with pup is waiting patiently (I also don’t let them bolt from the crate, I ask them to wait, and give an ‘okay’ release command after I have opened the door and they wait). Sounds like a lot to expect from a pup, but when they are young, they are seriously ready to absorb everything and looking to you for direction. They are actually much easier to train right when you get them as compared to when they have had a year of puppy ‘control’ over the family (you know..the cuteness syndrome where everyone wants to do everything for the most adorable creature on earth sort of control). Everyone in the house needs to be on board with the waiting until pup is quiet, ignore if they are crying rule…..trust me, it may sound ‘terrible’ the first 10 minutes in a crate, but it will sound 10 times worse and 10 times longer if they learn to get the crate ‘opened’ with crying.
What are the positives of crate training? For house training purposes, if the crate is the appropriate size (just big enough to sleep in, no more), then if used correctly the pup will usually not soil where they sleep. They may have an accident or two in the beginning (I recommend using a washable towel until you know they are reliable), but after they get the routine down, they should not soil in the crate. Outside of house training, being comfortable and socialized in a kennel or crate is a good thing for the life of the pet. Even if you phase the crate out after house training, it is very likely your pet will have to experience confinement throughout their life. If your pet gets groomed, they will be in a kennel every 2-3 months. A stay at a boarding kennel, time at a vet clinic, or traveling in a car or plane. All these are situations your pet is GOING to face no matter what, and if they are not comfortable in a crate, then they are likely to experience more anxiety and stress then is needed. Dogs have a natural denning instinct, so if you start them young, they will find all these situations MUCH less stressful in the future. From experience, a dog that is used to being in a crate or kennel is much much more likely to be relaxed at the vet, and during times of illness, this can be a huge factor in their recovery time.
So buy a crate, borrow one from a friend (great if you need different sizes as the pup grows), shop for one on craigslist…but get one. Use it for house training, get your pup comfortable with it, and know that you are helping to socialize them long term. We have always phased crates out after house training, but all our dogs are 100% comfortable in them for life, and they are a great retreat when we have to travel or have medical issues to treat.
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There you have it, house training 101. I have a feeling I might come up with a few more tips, but hopefully this will help your new pup (or dog) relationship much happier and more balanced for the long term. Your pup will appreciate a clear understanding of what you want, and your whole family will enjoy the time better if there is less ‘mess’ to clean up on the long term.
