How to Potty Train Your Dog
As a pro dog trainer, I talk to lots of folks about their dogs every day. One of the most base questions I hear is: How can I stop my dog from pottying indoors?!? This ask is commonly followed by an anguished report of smelly carpets, ruined furniture, and desperately complicated strategies to stop the unwanted behavior.
Like most other difficult problems in life, there is no no one-size-fits-all solution. But, there are a few simple ideas you should try before constantly declaring your dog "Potty Challenged".
Based on my experience, most dogs riposte speedily to one or more of the following approaches:
Teach your dog to tell you when he needs to go potty
Install a pet door
Crate train your dog
Suggestion #1: Teach your dog to tell you when he needs to go potty
Believe it or not, most dogs don't want to potty in the house. Instinctively, dogs want to relieve themselves away from the area in which they live and eat. Dogs that spend too much of their early life confined in an unclean area - where approved space for bladder relief isn't consistently ready - may learn to tolerate pottying indoors. Unless you've rescued your dog from such grim circumstances, he would probably prefer to potty outside.
You may be wondering, "What's my dog's problem, then? If he'd prefer to potty outdoors, why the heck doesn't he just ask me to open the door???"
Well, he may not know how.
Some dogs are naturally very effective at communicating when they want to go outside. They'll pace back and forth or bark at the door without any training at all. These dogs are few and far between. Most owners must teach their dogs how to ask to go outside. A very effective way to teach your dog this skill is what I call the "Bell Method". It's pretty simple:
Tie a small bell to a long piece of string. Tie the other end of the string to the handle of the door you use to let your dog outside. Take your dog's paw in your hand and swipe the bell so it rings. The occasion the bell rings, praise your dog (say "Good dog!" in a peppy voice) and open the door to let him outside. Repeat steps 2 and 3 Every Time you let your dog outside.
If you consistently use the Bell Method, within a week or so your dog will use the bell to let you know he wants to go outside. When you hear your dog ring the bell on his own, riposte immediately by praising him and letting him outside. Seriously, get your dog out the door as fast as you possibly can; the immediate confident reinforcement will make your dog more likely to repeat this good behavior.
Suggestion #2: install a pet door so your dog can let himself outside to potty
If you've already tried unsuccessfully to teach your dog to signal when he needs to go outside - or if you don't have the time to teach your dog a new skill - a pet door is probably your best solution. With a pet door, your dog can go in and out whenever he wants, even when you're not home. If you're worried about critters other than your dog using your pet door, select an infrared or Rfid-keyed pet door that opens and closes only for your pet.
Because installing a pet door is a detailed scheme that requires special tools, most folks rely on a pro rather than trying to install the door themselves. Local pet professionals in most metropolitan areas offer affordable pet door installation services. If you are unable to find a local pro who specializes in pet door installation, a handyman is probably your next best option.
Pet professionals commonly install many, many pet doors each year and are experts at ensuring the door is correctly installed. "Correctly installed" means that:
* The pet door fits snugly in the wall or door in which it is installed.
* The pet door is installed at an approved height for all pets who use it.
* The pet door looks good (is perfectly level, etc).
Most pro pet door installers will also work with your pet to make sure he is comfortable using his new door.
Suggestion #3: Appropriately use a crate to preclude your dog from pottying indoors
Appropriate use of a wire or plastic crate can be a very effective way to stop your dog from pottying indoors. "Appropriate use" means using the crate for relatively short periods of time when you cannot directly supervise your dog. When your dog is out of the crate, you must Watch him very intimately so that you can immediately exact him when he begins to potty indoors.
When you catch your dog in the act of pottying indoors, immediately give a loud verbal improvement ("No!") and take him outside to potty. In order for your verbal improvement to be effective, you must catch him while he is eliminating. Correcting your dog even 3 seconds after he's made the mess will not teach him whatever - his attention span is only about 2 seconds long. So, pay attention! And if you find the mess even 3 seconds after your dog is done, scold yourself. But don't scold your dog!
Remember that screaming, hitting, or rubbing your dog's nose in his potty will not solve an inappropriate pottying qoute and may authentically make the qoute worse. Instead, just give your dog a sharp verbal improvement when you catch him soiling indoors (one loud "No!" will suffice), and immediately take him outside. Don't forget to give him treats and praise when he eliminates outdoors.
Learn more in this free report about crate training
Additional Tips
When your dog soils in the house, make sure to clean the mess with an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle Stain & Odor ReMover. If you use a non-enzymatic cleaner, the odor of your pet's urine will linger, tempting him to soil there again and again. If part of your flooring is significantly damaged by urine, you should think replacing it or blocking it with a large piece of furniture to help break your dog's habit of relieving himself in that area.
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