House Breaking a Puppy or Dog: Setting Them Up for Success

There are likely thousands of articles on house-breaking dogs.

    

    That being said, this is still a tough issue for a lot of new dog owners.   So I'm sharing my knowledge in the hopes it will help some pets and people along the way.

    After 17 years of fostering dogs there's one thing I know to be true: every dog is different.  Some are easy to potty-train, others, not so much. 

    In this post I'll share our house-training techniques, and what typically works best for us.

    This post is partially titled Setting Them Up for Success because I often see folks getting off to the wrong start with their dogs when it comes to potty training/house-breaking. 

    

    A quick example: a few weeks ago I was in a local pet store (think pet food supply store- not a puppy-mill-peddler store).                

   There was a little blind poodle up for adoption with one of our local rescue groups there on site.  -I'm not saying names of particular places or rescues out of respect.   

    There was a couple with a teenage daughter in the pet adoption area considering adopting this little blind poodle.  

    I spoke with them briefly, offering a quick, positive word and went about my way in the store. 

    A few minutes later I caught a bad whiff of dog poo.  I turned the corner to see- this couple with the little, blind poodle and the husband cleaning up the pile of poo from the floor.  

    As you can imagine, this couple did not adopt this little blind poodle after that.  -And what a shame because this incident could've  easily been prevented. 

    

    Knowing that dogs up for adoption, in adoption facilities, spend the better part of their days and nights (22 hours out of every 24 hour period for example) in their cages, runs, kennels or 'rooms,' one must realize: these dogs need to be taken out to pee or poop as soon as they're taken out of their cages or runs.

    

    Another local rescue organization used to standardly get dogs out to meet potential adopters by taking them from their 'adoption rooms' to another tiny, enclosed room to conduct the meet and greet.  

    Again, when the dog spends 22 hours a day in its little room, only to be taken out to go to another little room to meet people... how do you think that's going to go?

    I think it goes poorly.  I think the dog probably will likely piss in the meet and greet room, and act rather stir crazy.

    
    -When I worked as an Adoption Counselor I always did my meet and greets outside.  

    If it was pouring down rain and we couldn't go outside, I'd take the dog outside for a minute on our way to meet potential adopters in the adoption room (this is necessary so they can pee or poop where they're supposed to pee or poop, even in the rain!). 

    Then I'd point out to my adopters, "See, the dog knows to go pee pee or, better yet, poo poo outside! That's a really good sign," upon seeing the dog inevitably go potty while we were outside. 

    Here I've Used Examples From My Background in Rescue Work, but these same principles of empathy can be applied to dog potty-training at home.  -Dogs instinctively know to go potty outside, but they have to be given the chance to, at the right time, consistently, especially early-on in their house-training journey. 

    

-With puppies, always put them out within 5 minutes of eating meals or drinking water. That is until you learn their timing/routine well.  Some pups cannot or do not hold it long at all... that's why I'm saying within 5 minutes here, quite literally! These guys have tiny digestive systems, and it doesn't take long for water or kibble to get from point A (mouth) to point B (the grass). 

-With puppies or adult dogs in training, go outside with the dog at first to offer a ton of praise when the dog goes pee or poo outside. "Good boy! Yay!" you say, avoiding direct eye contact, looking slightly over the dog's head when you offer praise to the dog. -Pet or pat the dog if they're not shy after they pee or poop. You want to make a big deal out of those initial successes to really drive home: 'this is where you're supposed to potty, and, yay, you're doing it right!!!' 

-Watch for tell-tell signs: If your dog starts circling in one spot, take him out!  If he's sniffing a particular spot, take him out.

-When your dog-in-training has an accident in the home you say, "No," when the dog is where he can see/smell the accident and then you sternly but calmly immediately put or take the dog outside- before you even clean up the mess!  This is crucial in your training. DO NOT scold the dog then stand there cleaning it up... they don't get it sometimes when you handle it this way.  I still have to remind my husband of this!  They need that immediate connection to understand 'what's right,' how to do it the 'right way' next time. 

-Crate-Train.  I recommend crate-training for new dogs or puppies but you can gauge what works for you as far as keeping the pet in the crate only when you're gone and/or at night. It depends greatly on the dog and if you're comfortable with the dog sleeping on your furniture, etc.

-With a new dog in a crate, when you get home you want to calmly open your dog's crate.  Your dog will be excited, maybe even spastic but don't make a big deal of you getting home or getting the dog out, that will make your dog's anxiety and excitement worse, and could even cause the dog to pee from excitement.  

    You calmly, joyfully let your dog out of the crate and immediately walk it to the door to go out to pee saying, "Let's go pee pee."
You can even pick your dog up out of the crate if it's small enough and take it outside to pee... this is a good idea with puppies or small dogs at first. To reiterate: from crate directly outside is the right way! 

-Keep your yard picked up.  I've known dogs that won't go poo poo outside when the yard is too full of poo... just like cats won't use a full, dirty litter box.  -(Empathy, remember?). 

-If your dog is accustomed to pooping on walks and you move somewhere with a yard, be prepared for your dog possibly not acclimating to pooping in a yard overnight.  Use your dog-empathy. Your dog still needs to walk to poop (dogs should always be walked daily anyhow). He will start using that yard eventually.

-Sometimes new or foster dogs have the incredulous habit of pooping or peeing on your bed.  The good news is, typically this is a one-time-thing.  They do it once to mark that very special, sacred space, and it's over.  That being said, no one wants their bed peed or pooed on, not even once, so keep your bedroom door closed to be safe... especially with new foster dogs (speaking from experience here)!

Patience is a Must. 

Be Consistent. 

Have Faith in Your Dog- Try to Stay Positive. 
Visualize Your Dog Succeeding with Potty-Training (you must have that positive image in your mind and belief in your heart).

    Most puppies can be house-broken within just a few days. Of course they'll still have an accident here and there since their little bladders are tiny but, overall, they train quite quickly.

    Adult dogs may take slightly longer, but they'll learn too. 

    
    Neutered dogs do not typically mark in the house- please spay and neuter your pets!

    Once neutered, it takes a couple months for testosterone to fully leave the body, so your male dog may still mark if he was doing that pre-neuter. 

Material/Thoughts added on "Marking Adult Dogs" 02-05-19

    Currently we're fostering a small yorkie mix, male that came to us fearful and reactive. 

    The letter I received with "Simba" said he had a problem with marking in the house too. 

    Upon asking, I found out Simba was neutered just 2 weeks ago. 

    That could have a lot to do with his still having the urge to mark corners.

That's Simba with Sam and me!

    Of course that's no excuse for this behavior and no one wants a dog that pees in the home (even if it's no more than a few drops)!

    So I want to share with you the specific tactics I implement in  such cases:

-At first, upon bringing the dog home, leave it outside for a while and you stay outside with it... at least until it pees and/or poops. As soon as you see that dog relieve itself outside you offer lots of praise, "Good job!" (avoiding direct eye contact, especially if dog is fearful). This is setting the dog up for success, getting off to a good start for both of you.

-Next, when you let the dog in the home, you keep him on a slip lead with you... this allows you to be aware constantly of what the dog's doing. With some dogs I've looped the dog around my waist, for example. -You are to go about your business, dog in tow.  When you see the dog start sniffing the baseboards of your walls for example, you say, "No." This alone should deter the marking then you immediately take him outside. -He will mark outside and you offer praise.

-By implementing this technique with Simba, he's had NO accidents in our home. He sniffed and was going to mark, I caught him in time, and he got the message very quickly.

-Having other house-trained dogs is a big help, as they show the 'new dog' where to pee and poop.

-Timing is crucial- you've got to be on it! 

-Tone is crucial- you are stern, firm, but not angry. 
-This slip lead tactic works well with any hard-to-train-dog. 

-A doggy belly band can help a lot with male dogs early on in their house-training adventure too.

    I hope this helps.
Questions or Comments Welcome!

Yours Truly, 

Jessica Pita, Owner

The Paw and Feather Plan Inc