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Supervision is the most important part of house training***
-You need to watch any new dog/puppy in your house, regardless of age so that you can prevent "accidents"
-If your dog or puppy has an accident in the house, it is your fault not the dogs. NEVER EVER PUNISH A DOG OR PUPPY FOR GOING POTTY IN THE WRONG PLACE!!! more on this later...
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If you cannot supervise your new dog/puppy, then you need to confine them. A crate, exercise pen, or room that you've already set up and accustomed them to are all good places to do this.***
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Once you have set up a place to keep the dog/puppy when you cannot supervise him and figured out how to keep an eye on him when he isn't confined you need to think about feeding/watering schedules.***
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-Basically, if stuff goes in at a certain time, you can also expect it to come out at a certain time. Many people feed 2xs per day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Young puppies will need to be fed at least one extra meal per day, usually mid-day(3x day).
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This brings me to timing...timing is a very important part of the process. How often should you take your dog/puppy out to relieve himself?***
- Regardless of age, a dog will usually need to go after playtimes, when he wakes up from a nap and about 15-20 minutes after a meal. Otherwise try to take him out every 30-60 minutes.
-Since you will be supervising your new dog/puppy closely, you'll start to pick up on the "signs" that he has to go (any sniffing about, sometimes circling) and you'll know better how to gauge that time.
-Remember that the ability to hold the bladder develops with age, so younger dogs will have a harder time holding it, they'll hold it for less time...just like a young child, by the time they themselves recognize that they have to go, they really really have to go!!!
- This is why you have to watch them so carefully. If you are unsure of how often your dog will need to go, take him out more often until you've gauged the time.
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Now, what to do when you take him out? Calmly pick up the dog/puppy or put a leash on him, and walk/carry him out the door to an area that you'd like him to use (you may not need to do this with an older dog, but it is a good idea when you are first getting started). ***
-It should be close enought to get to in a hurry, just in case. Put him down and wait. Sometimes it takes 10-15 minutes of sniffing around before the dog will go.
-If he hasn't gone in that amount of time, calmly pick him up or walk him back inside.
-Watch the dog very carefully for any signs of sniffing. Wait no more than 10-15 minutes and repeat the process.
-Keep repeating this process until the dog eliminates.
- This is important, especially when you first get started. Outside is a very exciting place, and sometimes dogs confuse this time with play time.
- As you develop a routine the puppy will start to figure out what you expect of him, and you will figure out how often the puppy needs to go, so you won't always have to repeat these steps.
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The exact moment the dog/puppies little rear comes praise praise praise. If you are marker/clicker training this is when you use your marker word or clicker. ***
-Give the dog a yummy treat as a reward.
-Tell him he is the best most cleverest boy (or girl...) in the whole world. Make it a "Potty Party":rockon:
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Once the process becomes consistent you can start using a cue. I use "go potty" ***
-To introduce the cue, you wait until the moment the puppy has squated down, and in a calm clear voice say "go potty" just one time.
- Wait until he is finished, and the second the rear comes up, mark the behavior and/praise and have your Potty Party:rockon:.
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Okay so remember "NEVER EVER PUNISH A DOG OR PUPPY FOR GOING POTTY IN THE WRONG PLACE!!!"***
-It doesn't matter if you do it during or after the fact, when you scold/correct/punish/frighten a dog for going in the wrong place you will not get good results.
- At best you will confuse your dog and make the process take quite a bit longer.
-You damage your relationship with your dog and likely he will be afraid to eliminate in front of you.
-This means he will hide from you and you will start stumbling upon surprises in in the back bedroom.
-Stay calm and clean up the mess. An enzyme cleaner is the best way to ensure that you remove the tempting odor of past eliminations.
-If you are overwhelmed with a desire to "correct" someone...go take a look in the mirror, that is where you'll find the responsible party, feel free to let him/her have it!
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If you are suddenly having potty training "issues" with an older dog, it is very important that you rule out any medical problems that may be the cause. Take your dog to the vet....If your dog is healthy and you are having "issues" just start over...as if he were a brand new dog, and always remember to praise him at every step.***
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