|
Re: Toileting
This is when a crate/kennel is very useful. Dogs won't soil their dens (crates), so you use this to your advantage. I can't imagine house training a pup without one. Here's how it works.
1) take puppy outside (on a leash), give command word for pottying (we say "zoom zoom"). Allow 3-4 minutes to do her thing. Use the same area each time because the smell of the pee/poop there will clue her into what's expected. If she goes, PRAISE LIKE CRAZY! And give her a super special yummy treat reserved just for pottying outside. This way she learns that pottying outside means yummy treat and happy mum. She will get the idea that this is what you want her to do.
2) if she doesn't go in those 3-4 minutes, then take her inside and put her straight in the crate for about 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes has passed, repeat step #1. Keep doing this until she goes outside.
When you bring her back inside, she should only have limited freedom if she's done her business outside. If she hasn't gone outside, then you already know what happens - she will just go when and where ever she likes. Each time she's allowed to potty inside on the floor, it sets back the house training a lot (this is why paper training is not good). So you need to do your best to avoid this. I never gave my pups any freedom inside the house until they were well over 7 months old - I kept them tethered to me with a leash, or tied to something stable nearby. This let them socialize and play, but they weren't able to sneak off and pee somewhere. Mine never gave any indication they they needed to go - I just made sure I brought them out every hour or so. I was able to fully house train my two boys using this method, and they were both accident free by the age of 7-8 months (and now, full grown, they pee on command - useful for road trips!). If she has accidents, you can't admonish after the fact. You can only correct if you catch in the act, and even then, be low-key - just say "no", pick her up, take her right outside and let her finish there. You must clean the soiled areas really well with an enzyme cleaner like Petastic - not sure if you have that in the UK but there must be some equivalent. If the soiled areas still smell like pee/poo, then Vegas will smell it and think that's the place to go.
Hope this helps - I know house training can be tiresome but it doesn't last forever, and if you are consistent (and use a crate), she will pick it up really fast.
|