It seems that puppy season is upon us and the big question on the mind of any new puppy owner is….how to save that rug!
The one thing to remember about housetraining a pup is that you always thought it would take less time. The time it takes to train a pup to use the back yard as a toilet area has many variables. A lot of depends on your consistency, the type of food you are feeding him (it shouldn’t consist mainly of filler) and often the breed plays a part. Many of the smaller, toy breeds take longer to housetrain, as their bladders are so tiny they need to be put outside more frequently.
Key point to housetraining – 100% supervision. Yes, you heard that right. You are all thinking that you have a job and a family so how is that possible? Supervision means that you have your pup outside, or in his crate or you are watching him. Most of the time, during housetraining, we happen to find little puddles around the house. This can be avoided if you supervise your pup.
The theory is that dogs do not soil where they sleep. That is the theory. If you have a pup consistently soiling his crate you should ask your Veterinarian or a trainer for advice. Most pups will not soil the crate. With this in mind, take your pup outside every hour or two while you are home. Put him outside for 5 minutes and then bring him back in and supervise. This is his opportunity to relieve himself. If you stay out much longer your pup will realize that he only goes back indoors after toilet time and will wait it out. They are very clever! The nighttime is different and most pups will sleep at least 6 hours. Praise him for doing what he is out there to do. Don’t just open the sliding glass doors and put him out. Go out and tell him he is the cleverest dog you have ever seen.
When you are not home, you can leave him safely in his crate. He can be left for 1 hour for every month of life, plus one. This means that a 3-month pup can be left in his crate for 4 hours. Any longer than that and you will need to make arrangements for a neighbor or dog sitter to come and give him a break.
The evenings can be a problem, as we tend to not supervise them. We think we have them under our eye but then a good show comes on the TV and we end up finding little accidents. To avoid this happening, tether your pup with a lightweight house lead to your couch leg. Put his blanket down and a few toys. This will make it impossible for him to sneak away. Again, the theory is that pups don’t soil where they sleep so if he is kept tethered to his blanket area he has a better chance of waiting the hour until it is his time to go outside.
Have patience, keep smiling and it will all be done before you know it!
