Highland Springs Pet Services, LLC: February 2010

Potty training a dog can be possible in a short amount of time, if you know what you're doing. Dogs think very different than us humans and if we use human logic on them we get no where.

One common misconception is that your dog understands why you are punishing them when they potty on the carpet. They Don't! Looking at it your point of view. You walk into the room and see "the mess". You quickly grab your dog and rub their nose into it and scold them. To many this seems correct but let’s look from your dog's point of view... Your dog had to go potty but they didn't know how to tell you this or you're not paying attention and so they just go. You jump up yelling at your dog while rubbing their nose into the mess and continue to scold them. You just told your dog, don't go potty in from of me or let me see it. This leads to dogs’ potting under tables, behind sofas, in baby's room or the basement. You are not teaching your dog, don't potty in the house because they can't think like that.
Dogs live in the moment. They remember most what happened right now not 30 seconds ago. So here is a NEW plan of action.

1.Keep a constant eye on your puppy and if you can't they must be in a crate or confined room. This also prevents unwanted chewing
2.If you see your puppy in the action of potting make a quick loud sound to stop them briefly
3.Pick them up and run outside to the same spot each time and WAIT
4.Once your puppy starts to potty outside say your potty command such as, "go potty, hurry up, or do your business" softly. As soon as they are done, have a huge Puppy Party. This includes your high-pitched voice, animated body and maybe a treat. Your puppy better know that what they did was a good thing.
5.Remember that the past is over, it happened and you can't hold it over your dog's head because they don't know what's wrong.
6.Your untrained dog will need to potty after; a nap, playtime and sometimes during play, drinking water, eating, and everywhere else in-between
7.Puppies do not have the muscle developed to "hold it" until about 3-4 months old so before this time you are laying the foundation
8.NEVER scold your dog including hitting, slapping, rolling up a newspaper, rubbing their face in it, or screaming as this can ruin the relationship between the two of you. Your dog will probably listen to you but not because they love you but because they fear what you might do. This is no relationship I want to have with my pets.
9.Always praise them for doing the right thing
10.Keep an eye on them at all times
11.Use an enzymatic cleaner on all dog messes. This removes the smell for your dog. Many carpet cleaners say, 'for dog stains' but all this means is that you can't trace it anymore. But dogs have 10,000 + scent receptors and they can still smell it and will continue to frequent the same area. I recommend Simple Solution or Nature's Miracle. Anything else doesn't seem to work well.
12. Crate train your dog. I will talk about this in a later blog but every puppy should be crate trained. It gives them a place to get away as adults and aids in potty training and preventing destructive chewing.

Feel free to post any comments, opinions, or questions you may have. My blog is here for discussion and I want to hear from you!

Highland Springs Pet Services, LLC

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Potty Training

Sunday, February 14, 2010

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