Training Tips
K9 Games Inc. Dog Training Center

Tip #1: Consistency

To create a good working relationship between you and your canine companion, you must make a commitment to be consistent with your signals and rewards when working with your dog. Dogs are fulltime dogs. Because they are very good at reading human body language and moods, they pick up very quickly if the trainer is clear and consistent with his cues, quick to mark the correct behaviors and appropriately reward those behaviors. Dogs understand "pack order" and feel more secure if they know where they stand in the pack and what is expected of them. Behavior is reward driven and a dog that enjoys his work will offer those behaviors again and again while keeping a willing attitude.

Tip#2: Teaching your Puppy to Eliminate Outside

This is not a difficult behavior to teach with time, patience and a bit of dedication on the trainer's part. Like all behaviors taught with positive reinforcement, you must first have a goal, a plan to achieve that goal and the determination to stick to the plan until the goal is achieved. Eliminating, wherever the puppy does it, is a self-rewarding behavior. The trainer's job is to prevent the puppy from eliminating in inappropriate places, through management. The trainer is very vigilant so he/she can mark and reinforce when the puppy eliminates in appropriate places. This does not mean putting the puppy out the door alone and assuming that the puppy is "empty" when it wants to come back in. Housetraining requires putting the puppy on a long line or leash and going outside with the puppy. This gives the trainer the opportunity to observe the puppy, mark the behavior of eliminating outside and reward.

Lets get started. This method requires that you have a crate and have already gotten the puppy used to a crate. You will make a commitment to observe all activities of your puppy outside the crate until he is completely reliable. This will curb chewing as well as housebreaking errors. The puppy does not have the run of the house. He is to be confined to the kitchen or other "puppy proof" area, unless under the direct observation of the trainer. As the puppy becomes more reliable, the trainer can allow the puppy in other rooms of the house, but at the first signs of regression in housetraining, the puppy returns to the kitchen/puppy proof area.

First thing in the morning, let the puppy out of the crate and immediately put him on leash and take him outside to the spot where you want him to eliminate. If the puppy is too young to make it all the way outside without making an error, carry him to the spot. Once you are at the designated area, stand still, once the puppy gets bored with the 12' circle around you, he will remember why he is out there and eliminate. Mark the correct behavior with the word "good" or the clicker while it is happening, and reward after. Bring the puppy back in the house, if he is empty, he can play in the kitchen with you watching, if he is not, he goes back in the crate for about 15 min, then another trip out to the designated area is called for. Take the puppy out: first thing in the A.M., after a nap, after a period of play or exercise, 5 to 15 minutes after eating or drinking, or every two hours. (More often if the puppy is eight weeks or younger). The idea is to prevent the puppy from starting the unwanted habit of eliminating in inappropriate places to begin with. If you observe the puppy sniffing and circulating in an agitated manor, take it outside immediately.

Pick up the water after 6PM in the evening, but leave fresh, clean, water available during the day.

If you work or are away from the puppy more than 4 hrs, and are unable to get the young puppy out during the day, consider a "doggie daycare" or hiring someone to come in to let the puppy out periodically. You do not want the puppy to get into the habit of soiling its crate.

As the puppy gets older, he will be able to "hold it" longer. (A good indication is he will sleep through the night) Remember, he may still need to "go out" more often during the day when the puppy is moving around, drinking water and getting more exercise.

When the trainer can predict when the puppy is going to eliminate, he gives the behavior a name like "dump". As the puppy starts to do his "rain dance", in an appropriate spot, the trainer says "dump", marks the behavior as it happens and rewards after. Once the puppy has learned to eliminate on command, the trainer starts to ask for the behavior (when he knows the puppy needs to go) on different surfaces and in different locations where there are few distractions. When the puppy is taken for a walk for exercise, the trainer does not let him eliminate anywhere the puppy/dog wants to. The trainer picks a spot when he knows the puppy/dog needs to eliminate, stands still and gives the puppy the cue to eliminate. The trainer does not move on until the correct behavior happens.

Trouble shooting

If you miss the puppy's cue and he eliminates inside or you catch the puppy in the act of soiling the floor, do not yell, scold or physically punish the puppy. It is the trainer's fault for not watching the puppy more closely. Clean up the spot with a good non-ammonia cleaner. Make note of the spot, because the puppy is more likely to return to that spot again. Take the puppy outside for a while and make a commitment to watch the puppy more closely when he is out of the crate.

If the puppy regresses in his housetraining for more than a day, a veterinarian should examine him. Urinary tract infections, worms, digestive upset or other minor health problems could be the cause. If the puppy has diarrhea, he can not comply with housetraining (caution, Puppies can dehydrate quickly and depending on the severity, this can be a life threatening condition). The money spent on a vet check will save you time and aggravation in the long run. The longer the health problem goes on, the more entrenched the habit of house soiling becomes.

If the puppy's natural tendency to keep the den clean has already been compromised, try a different surface, not newspaper, in the crate and make a commitment to getting the puppy to the designated spot more often.

Other thoughts on Housetraining

• Spay or neuter early
  
  
• Use a bellyband on males in extremely difficult cases.
  
  
• Drugs such as predisone can cause increased water intake and raise the probability of accidents.
  
  
• Hot weather or exercise can cause increased water intake. Take the puppy/dog out more often or consult your veterinarian on how much water is needed in a day for you puppy's/dog's weight.
  
  
• Stress can effect how often your puppy/dog needs to go out. Even a minor change in the household, can mean stress to the puppy/dog.