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Dog Toilet Training
Does your dog relieve himself in places where he shouldn’t? This is a common grievance of dog owners the world over, so don’t fret! Instead, read on to equip yourself with the information to teach your pet better manners.
One of the most important requirements for successful toilet training is to be observant. You should pay attention to your pet at all times so you know exactly when your dog needs to go. Another critical factor is ensuring your pet is on a consistent schedule. This will greatly help the process. You should feed, water and exercise your dog at the same times daily. Also, don’t introduce sudden dietary changes. This could cause intestinal upsets and could render all your toilet training efforts futile.
Before you begin to train your dog, it is important for understand when your puppy needs to relieve himself. There are generally six times a puppy should be let outside for about 30 minutes. These are:
- Before going to bed for the night;
- As soon as he wakes up;
- After napping during the day;
- After eating;
- After exuberant play;
- After you return home from an outing.
Now that you have an idea of the required times, you could follow some simple guidelines to successfully train your pet:
- Reward your puppy every time he goes to the bathroom in the designated area. This will communicate your wishes to your pet. However, do not reward him if he makes a mistake. That will further encourage his bad manners.
- In case you can’t take the dog outside temporarily, put him in his crate. This will prevent any accidents around the house. Dogs do not like to dirty their dens, making crate training a very common method of housebreaking.
- When you catch him squatting around the house, make a loud noise to disturb him. After that, lead him outside to the appropriate area and stand with him until he is done. Otherwise, he might come back in the house to complete the job!
- Finally, take him out to the desired area frequently. This will help familiarize him with the place.
Every puppy has different needs, so the time taken for housebreaking may differ. If you have a puppy that is slow at it, you need to be patient and diligent. Don’t punish your puppy for not taking to the rules of elimination after the first few tries. It is a process that might take a considerable amount of time but, if efficiently done, can be tremendously effective for life. Do ensure that you keep your dog’s schedule consistent and regulate his dietary habits as well. Also, remember to follow the weekday schedule on the weekends. Lastly, during the training period, do not leave the dog alone at home for too long a stretch. That could hinder the process greatly.
Follow these guidelines and, in no time, you will be the proud owner of a pet with impeccable house manners!