Preparing For A New Puppy

HOUSEBREAKING YOUR PUPPY from “The Common Sense Book of Puppy & Dog Care:  by Harry Miller, former director of Gaines Dog Research Center:

HOUSEBREAKING is not a pleasant chore, but it is not nearly as difficult as it sounds.  And once done, it is done for life.  The dog rarely forgets this lesson.  He is by nature a very clean animal, but he cannot stay clean without our help.  In taking him into our home, we make him live our kind of life.  He must depend on us to take him out at the right time.  Housebreaking is not teaching the dog to be clean; it is, instead, giving him a chance to stay clean.

The age at which housebreaking can be started varies among sizes and kinds of dogs.  Intelligence has a bearing also, although not as much as people think.  The problem is this:  the earlier you try housebreaking, the more careful and alert you must be.  In other words, the younger pupil needs relief more often, so the teacher must always be ready to take him out.

If housebreaking is started too early, progress will be so slow that you may think the pupil is stubborn or stupid.  When the teacher gives enough time to the lessons, when he allows for the pupil’s age and needs, progress may be surprisingly swift and sure.

WHEN TO BEGIN.  Breeders and individual owners often disagree.  One tells you he started his dog’s housetraining at three months, while another insists that seven months is the earliest age at which to expect a dog to be housebroken.  Each can be right; each can be wrong.  A great deal depends upon the trainer.

To housebreak a dog quickly, arrange to teach him full time.  If you train a dog in the morning and not in the afternoon, or train him for a few days and then go off and leave him alone for a day, you will have a confused and very slow learner.  Keep at it hour after hour, day after day, and your dog will become a model of cleanliness, whatever his age.

BE PATIENT.  The slightest sign of temper will cause fear and slow learning.  No matter how exasperated you feel, don’t let it show.  Be quiet, relaxed, gentle but firm, and above all cheerful.  Your manner is going to have a great deal to do with the way your puppy acts.  He has much to learn.  It is harder for him than it is for you, since he has to understand your language.  You are not half as good at understanding his!

HOW TO BEGIN.  If you have watched your puppy closely, you will know about what his needs are.  At four months of age he will urinates and defecates often.  Cold, excitement and confusion add to the usual number of paper or outdoor visits while feeding almost always promotes the urge.  In other words, you will have to take him outside at least every two hours, and always the first thing in the morning and the last thing before bed.

This may seem like a lot of trouble.  You are tempted to put off the housebreaking until, with growth, the puppy’s needs are less frequent.  Bear in mind, however, that regular outdoor visits teach cleanliness and control as well.  The earlier you start housebreaking, the sooner regular habits will be formed.

Also watch the puppy’s manner just before he relieves himself.  When getting ready to urinate he hurries along, sniffing the floor or ground.  When about to defecate he goes around and around as if to select a particular spot.  These habits are helpful since you can recognize his needs.

To start the lessons, shut the puppy in his crate, room, or pen at night after he has had his regular outing.  Leave the usual pillow or blanket, and a square of newspaper.  He is going to need to use the paper during the night for quite a while.  However, it should cover just a small section of the sleeping quarters.  As he grows, his instinct for cleanliness increases.  He becomes more unwilling to soil the floor close by his bed.  Do not leave him room to get far away from his filth since he is learning to dislike it.  He wants to keep his bed clean even if he does not quite know how.

Go to the puppy the very first thing in the morning and take him out.  Carry him out to be safe.  He is likely to eliminate the minute he is set down.  If the newspaper from his bed is wet, carry it out also.  Set the paper on the ground, set the pup down, and when he has performed properly praise him and bring him inside again.  The soiled paper tells the puppy what to do and is a very sound idea.  There is also a commercial preparation which you can sprinkle on the spot you want the puppy to use, whether indoors or out.  The odor simulates dog urine.  Do not hurry the puppy back inside, since he may need to make a bowel movement.  If so, so much the better; don’t forget the praise.

Do not feed him immediately upon your return to the house.  Let a little time go by.  Then serve his breakfast and take him out.  Either lead or carry him out the same door, so he may learn which door means “go out”.  And as you walk toward the door, say “Want to go out?  Go out?”

Be a clock-watcher.  At least every two hours ask “Want to go out?”  and take the puppy outside and stay with him until something has been done.  Watch the puppy in case your timing is not quite right.  The moment you see him sniffing or hurrying, or trotting around and around, take him out.

MISTAKES AND CORRECTIONS.  At first there will be mistakes, perhaps many of them, until he learns control.  To correct him properly you must be right there at the time, NOT five minutes or even two minutes later.  Stoop down, look him in the eye, and scold “Shame, shame!”.  Take him out at once, even though this particular visit may not have results.  If he continues to make puddles where he should not, in addition to scolding, slap the FLOOR smartly with a folded newspaper.

DO NOT spank the puppy for his mistakes.  Do not mishandle him in any manner whatever, except perhaps to grasp him by the back of the neck and hold him still as you look him in the eye.  Spanking will frighten the puppy and he may hide what he does next time in a dark corner or beneath a chair.  To terrify him by spanking him seems to make him think the act of relieving himself is wrong, instead of the place in which he does it.  Remember that the young puppy does not have full control over his bladder.  Petting, or an unexpected motion on your part, may cause instant dribbling.  This is an accident, a nervous reaction.  Never scold him at a time like this.  As it usually occurs in a shy pup, ignore it completely.  He will outgrow it.

Clean away all mistakes thoroughly, using soap and water and disinfectant until the spot can not be recognized for what it was.  Ammonia or vinegar in water may be used on rugs.  (Check that the fabric can safely be cleaned in this manner.)  Careless cleaning is unfair to the pupil since he will always want to visit a spot that has been used before, either his own or that of another dog.

CURB TRAINING.  Curb training is done in the public interest to keep the sidewalks clean.  “Curb Your Dog” signs are found in many towns and cities, and owners who do not obey are fined.  Whether or not your town has this ordinance, remember at some time your dog may have to be walked where such laws are enforced.  Watch your dog closely as you lead him along, and just as he is ready to squat, pull him gently but firmly toward the curb and into the street.  It is not difficult; most dogs take to the idea quite readily.  The same trick may be used when crossing the paths of parks and other public places.  A good dog owner considers others, and never permits his pet to foul or damage people’s property or areas where children play.