Modar Dog Training & Behavior Consulting

House Training

Confinement.  Utilizing a small space will help speed house training.  I like to use a crate because it is an important skill I want all my dogs to have in life.  A crate should be a safe, secure den, not jail.  Types of crates and how to make them like a bedroom for a child, will be covered in a separate article.  One can also use a portable exercise pen or a small room with baby gate on it.  Closing the pup in a bathroom/kitchen/porch by closing the solid door, would be very isolating.  Another possible option is an indoor tiedown or tethering the puppy to you.  The point is not to allow free run of the house, where the puppy may choose to eliminate, which may or may not be discovered right away.  Contrary to popular belief, dogs are not born understanding that they should eliminate outside!  It is up to us to shape and condition that behavior by setting them up to be successful with enough structure to *prevent* accidents.

Schedule.  Baby puppies have tiny bladders and lack the ability to physically hold their bladder and bowels, therefore they need to have the opportunity to eliminate after sleeping, eating, drinking, playing, any time they look "antsy," and about a million times in between!  If the puppy urinates outside, then comes in the house & has a 10 minute wild play session, he or she will need to go out again!!!  If the puppy is due to go out, but does not pee or poop while outside, that is not a time to allow any freedom indoors...  s/he should go back in the crate/pen/room or be with you on a leash!  Only after urinating and defecating outside should the pup be allowed any "freedom" in the house, and even then, supervision is necessary!  
Another part of schedule is learning when is the best time to feed so that poop doesn't happen at night!  Most of us find it helpful to pick up the water a few hours before bed, however one needs to carefully measure the temperature, puppy's activity level, etc., so s/he doesn't become dehydrated.

Adults/rescues.  Just because you get an adult dog, does not necessarily mean it is reliably house trained.  Many dogs need house training "refreshers" when they move to a new environment.  House training is basically done the same for an adult as a puppy, except a normal, healthy adult should possess the physical ability to 'hold it,' making your job easier.

Training Pads, potty areas.  In general, with medium/large breeds that are ultimately going to be expected to eliminate outdoors, I find it easiest to do that from the start.  Afterall, using wee wee pads or one of those grass boxes in your home is still teaching the pup to eliminate *indoors!*  For those that will be expected to go outside as adults, pee pad training creates an unnecessary two-step process and may confuse/delay reliability in house training.  Some teacup breeds, especially those in a 7th floor apartment, may eliminate on pads/in boxes for life.

Substrate or surface.  Dogs are very conscious of what is under the pads of their feet and can just as easily develop a preference to eliminate on fabric/carpet if allowed to rehearse that behavior.  The first time I took my Golden Retriever to the snow, she held her bladder for 24 hours because there was no sign of the dirt or grass she was accustomed to!  After her first pee on the frozen white stuff, she was fine.  Because of this, it can be helpful to teach the dog from the start that it is okay to eliminate on a variety of surfaces, including asphalt and gravel, in case the need ever arises.

Location.  If you want your dog to eliminate in one specific area, you need to take him or her there each and every time they need to pee or poop!  Be it a pee pad or a spot in the yard,  you must condition and practice this behavior and prevent them from going elsewhere.  This can be achieved by using a leash or having a small enclosure the dog is put in until they have eliminated.

Leash.  I personally find it extremely helpful to teach my puppies and new dogs to not only be comfortable eliminating on leash but to do so on cue/command!  This makes travel and tight schedules much easier!!  For those 'shy' individuals who prefer to eliminate out of sight, the first pee of the morning is often the easiest one to attain on leash/cue.  At first, just calmly say your desired word/phrase as the pup is eliminating: "go pee, go potty."  And yes, they can learn a different name for each function.  As they get the hang of it, you will start giving the cue before they go.  

Rewards.  Certainly I would praise the dog or puppy every time they eliminate in the desired area (like outside as opposed to inside!), but you may also occasionally give them a small tidbit to reinforce the behavior.  With most pups I'm hesitant to feed *every* successful potty trip, as it may create a treat obsessed puppy and some offer a squat behavior without urinating, to see if that will earn the reward!

Punishment.  Many years ago we were told to rub our dog's nose in it when they had an accident.  Or to use a rolled up newspaper.  Miraculously they learned despite our shortcomings.  How can you punish a creature for something they don't understand?  Instead you want to show/teach them what you expect and make it easy and rewarding for them to succeed.  Punishing can cause confusion, cause puppies to hide their accidents and ultimately delay house training reliability.
Responsibility.  House training is *our* responsibility.  It is up to *us* to prevent accidents and help our pups succeed.  Accidents mean we didn't do our job.  House training is truly about how well trained *we* are!!!

Supervision.  Supervision is not only watching your dog when it is loose in the house, but taking it out for potty trips, or at least watching to see that he or she has actually eliminated while outside!!  It is very common for puppies to go outside to play and then come back in the house and pee on the floor.  The pup is not planning this, it's just that the outside world is very exciting and distracting.  Back inside the pup is allowed to relax and realize the bladder is full.  

Dog doors.  I personally have never had one and have no plans to change that.  I'd end up with my slippers buried in the yard and branches in my house.  I like more control than that.  You may like, want and choose to have a dog door, which is fine, but you need to understand...  not only do you have to teach your dog how to operate the door, but you must still house train him, so he learns to go outside to eliminate.  

Bells & signals.  Some people train their dog to ring a bell to ask to go out or to bark or scratch at the door.  Some dogs will play with a device like a bell just to go out randomly.  I tend to let the dog develop their own signal, whether is simply pacing back and forth from the door to where I'm at in the house, barking or scratching.  I will say something like "do you have to go outside?" before each trip out, encouraging the dog to indicate that s/he does indeed need to go out.  As the dog is physically able and understands to hold it, I'll gradually hesitate a little longer while waiting for a sign/signal.  If I see something I like/want I'll praise and take the dog out.  Some dogs will stand silently by the door, which requires you to vigilantly check and be aware of where the dog is.

Age.  Most of my big dogs don't have accidents after 3 or 4 months of age because *I* am well trained!  It's usually 6 months before I see them actually taking some of the responsibility and making the effort to hold it and communicate their needs.  With small breeds, I find this happening closer to 8 months and often don't consider them reliably house trained until a year.

Accidents.  When accidents happen, the best thing to do is roll up a newspaper & whack yourself on the head while repeating the words: "I was not watching my puppy, I was not watching my puppy, I was not watching my puppy!"  Seriously, I try to figure out what *I* did wrong that allowed the accident to happen and how I can prevent it from happening again.  

The #1 reason for accidents is incomplete house training.  Your pup needs to go a few *months* with *no* accidents before it is considered house trained.  If accidents suddenly start happening in an individual that was otherwise doing well on a house training routine or are simply too plentiful to prevent, it is best to rule out a urinary tract infection with your veterinarian.

Cleaning.  You need to use an enzymatic cleaner that removes the odor when cleaning house training accidents, so the pup isn't drawn back to the same area by smell.  If an area is repeatedly used, prevent access to that area by blocking it off with an exercise pen or large object.  If throw rugs are being used, pick them up until your pup is trained or section off those areas of your house.  

If my pup squats right in front of me, I quietly pick him or her up & take them outside to finish, usually they are able to stop the flow.  Praise for eliminating outside.  If I find an accident after-the-fact, I simply clean it up without letting the pup watch me.  Only after the pup is really showing signs of understanding the concept of house training, will I add a verbal "not there" when catching the pup.  Followed by taking him out, telling him to "go pee outside" and praising.  

Trouble-shooting.  If the pup is having accidents in the crate:  the crate may be too big, you may need to section it off so there is only enough space to be used as a bed.  While many pups can hold their bladder and bowels all night, that does not mean they can hold it for 6 hours during the daytime when they are awake and active.  They will naturally have to go more often when the bladder and bowels are being stimulated.  Try not to leave the pup crated long enough to have accidents.  If the pup regularly urinates on the bedding, remove the bedding until house training is complete.  Make sure the crate is a relaxing place, associated with good things by feeding all meals in the crate and giving special edible chews or stuffed frozen treats and toys and having the pup sleep in the crate at night.  If the accidents are happening at night, you may need to limit the water intake earlier in the evening and feed the last meal earlier or later.  

Mary Swinyer CPDT-KA
maryswinyer@gmail.com 
maryswinyer.wixsite.com/modardogtraining