The Smart Way Of Training Your Dog to Potty
We all know the kind: a dog who acts as though everywhere he can sniff and sit on is his toilet. If this dog profile is consistent with how you know your dog, then your dog needs potty training. Potty training is a change in your dog's behavior, so this is not going to be easy. The trick is to start the dog potty training when your dog is still a budding pup. The earlier he is trained the more susceptible he is to further training, and you get less of those frustrating moments when you have to clean your kitchen floor, or your neighbor's driveway. The problem is when you get your dog and he's not that puppy looking anymore. But stick to the training. It will pay off, eventually.
Oh puppies. They are so cute. With their cuteness comes a drawback. They can drain you of your patience. Since they're just like crawling babies, they can't control their own bladders yet. It's up to you to teach your puppy about restraint. Until then you're the one who's going to clean up after your pup. So it's usually more convenient for you to have your pup in a room with some tiled flooring. The more washable the better. Linoleum is nice, too. This way, when the pup poops and pees, it's easier for you to clean up. His pooping and peeing, when you can catch your dog in the act, are opportunities to train him. When he does poop on a non-designated area, you can raise your voice, but not too much. Just enough to let him associate his act with something that's not acceptable. A punishment. But when he does pee or poop where he's supposed to, talk to him nicely, encourage him, give him a pat. That means you approve of his act. Give him some food. He'll soon look forward to this.
You could also get your pup to time his pooping and peeing with a certain time of day, as when you walk him out of the house, or right after he eats his breakfast, or lunch. It's also a good time for you to brisk walk, clear your mind, spend some good bonding time with your pup. Bonding and exercise are good.
Some puppy signs of potty coming out soon is his circling and arching. This usually happens some 15 minutes after he has eaten. When you see these and some other signs, scoop up your dog onto his potty place so he does it there. Then reward him. Pat him. Praise him. If you're potty training him outside the house, select a routine area you'll designate as his potty place. Like a tree. Or the bushes. Your own. Not the neighbor's. This way he'll get used to the routine and do his own thing on his own. But then, if your dog is not a pup anymore, you will have to roll up your sleeves, so to speak, and allot more time and patience. Older doggy poop can be harder to clean and older dogs tend to be more stubborn.
Have a great "dog training day,
Dr. Alfonso
