housebreaking - Stormymagic Shepherds

tlill'icult.'l'lrc llnrblcnr ciul llc cverr rrrrrlrt'r.r, srlvc il
.y'rr tkrs lurs
nlilnerous positivc cxpc|icnccs chcwing orr lhc wror)s stul'l'. .l.his
is
why management cor-rpled with stlong lixation on corrcct itcrns
is thc
only real way many owners get a handle on the chewi.g chaile'ge.
some owners can safely leave their dogs in a yard or have a
crog run
constructed for management. However you deal with it, the
kev in
management is controlling the environment.
After awhile, you will slowly be able to give your dog unsupervised access to your home. But this does take time. I would
spend at
least four months restricting access while you focus the
dog on the correct items. and when he no longer attempts to chew inappropriate
things in front of you, start to give him very limitecl amounls
of unsupervised access.
Many owners resist the idea of management. In my opinion, leaving an untrained dog loose in the house all day is rike i"ouing
an average two-year-old unattended in a house full of breakable
objects for
hours at a time.
Proper diet must be considered when addressing a chewing
problem. A high-quality premium hard kibble is important to
make sure the
dog isn't chewing due to nutritional deficiencies. The dog
will get a lot
of chewing satisfaction from eating the kibble. After all, it is unlikely
that you or I would be satisfied with a mushy diet, because
we would
want to sink our teeth into something hard or crunchy. It's
the same
with dogs who are fed a strictly soft iood diet. Also, check with your
veterinarian regarding vitamin supprements. I have seen
dogs who
chewed tens of thousands of dollars worth of furniture
cease all chew_
ing when they were put on a high-quality diet. proper nutrition
must
not be overlooked when acldressing a chewing problem.
The same thing goes for exercise. It is vitally important for your
dog's health that he get adequate exercise. obviously, "adequate,,will
diff'er from breed to breed and dog to dog, but dogs who
let a gooo
deal of exercise chew far less than dogs who get little o,
non". To start
an exercise program, check with your vet to make sure your
dog is in
good health and get exercise suggestions based on your
dog's specific
condition. on a personar note, I have a Basset Hound, which
is not
106
kttowtt lts lltc wot'ltl's tttosl itctivc llrcctl. I llrk(.nr.y tklg lirr. lr lwo rlilt.
wlrlk at lcast lour linrcs a wcck.'['his works lirl us, arrrl rrry tkrg lrirs
rcrnaincd lcan (lbr a Bassct) ancl in excellcnt condition.
Rcmember, the solution to this problem is not to spr.ay your. lr'rrst.
with a chew repellent, nor is it to crate your dog. The solution is a c.rr
bination of all the things I've mentioned: strong fixation on thc con.ccr
items, management, teaching the dog what inappropriatc iterrrs .r.c,
proper diet and exercise.
As I have said in my discussions of alr these problems, chewing will
only be effectively addressed if you understand that it will rcrFrir.c
patience, consistency and proper application of the solutions I've outlinctl.
HOUSEBREAKING
Housebreaking is one of the more common problems dog owners lircc.
The basic principles of housebreaking are relatively simple. althouglr
applying those principles to your individual circumstances can sonrctimes be a little tricky.
Let's start off with some simple solutions, so I can help somc .wrr
ers right away.
Does your dog only have accidents at night? By accidents, I rncarr
the dog goes to the bathroom in the house. Night is defined as lrurrr
when you go to bed until when you wake up. If the answer is yes, tr.y
the following suggestions.
The dog should not be permitted any food or water at least tw,
hours before bedtime. Additionally, take the dog out for his linal walk
and elimination as late as you possibly can. often, this is all that's
needed.
If your
dog is going to the bathroom in the house more fi-cqucrtly
and clearly doesn't understand where he should eliminatc, you will
need to put him on a proper housebreaking schedule. For most pc.plc,
crating the dog is the most effective way to housetrain. J'hc cnrtr:
should be small enough that your dog can stand up ancl turn arouncl, lirr
down and comfortably stretch out, but no larger than that.
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Crate training works bccausc u)ost dop,s tlo rrot lilic to clirninatc
where they have. to lie. This is sometintcs n-risuuclcrstoocl by owncrs,
who think their dog won't eliminate whcrc hc slceps erncl eats. A dog
would happily eliminate in a large bedroom, even if he slept there. He
will also eliminate in his crate, if the crate is large enough for him to
still lie down in a clean spot. If the dog is confined to the right size
crate, he will probably not eliminate in it. This is extremely important
information. If you can prevent the dog from eliminating. you can then
take the dog out to where you want him to go, with a much greater likelihood that he will do so.
Fifty percent of housebreaking involves positively reinforcing the
correct behavior-that is, praising the dog when he eliminates in the
proper place. The other 50 percent is management, so you can prevent
the dog from going in the wrong place until you can take him out to
eliminate in the right one.
The basic scenario for housebreaking goes like this: Confine your
dog. After a few hours, take the dog from the crate to the location you
want him to eliminate in. Remember to take the dog out the same door
to the same location every time you want him to eliminate. Wait l0
minutes for him to do so. If he goes within the 10 minutes, praise,
reward (a small treat) and wait an extra two or three minutes to make
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clonc cvcrything hc has to do.'l'hcu takc hiui lrack irr tlrc
housc and givc hirn 20 to 30 r-ninutes of supervised "frec tirnc." Usc u
timer and be very strict about not allowing the dog more thaur 20 ol'-10
minutes of freedom. When the timer goes off, you have a choicc. Ynr
may take the dog back out to eliminate again, and if he goes, rcpcat thc
process of praise and free time; or you can confine the dog again.
Mistakes are made when owners give their dogs too nruclt .fit,t,
time,.ftiil to tuke the dog out agoin,.fail to reconJine the dog whan tlu'
time is up, or Jail to wait the extra two to three ntinutes ufter he elininates the.first time.
If you take your dog out and the dog fails to elin-rinate within l0
minutes, he should also be confined again. It is important to understanrl
that this confinement is not punishment. It is simply a way of prcvcnting the dog f}om going to the bathroom in the wrong place.
Consistent feeding and watering schedules are also vital to your'
housebreaking efforts. Dogs shor"rld be fed at fixed times and given no
more than 10 to 15 minutes in which to eat. Free f'eeding-leaving
food available for your dog to eat all the time-is not recommendccl
when you are housebreaking your dog. Water may be given during ft'cc
time and when you take the dog to eliminate. It can also be given sparingly when the dog is being confined (although not for two hours
before bedtime or at night). The reason feeding and watering schedulcs
are so important is that free access to food and water will makc it
almost impossible to predict when your dog will have to eliminatc. lt
will also make it far more likely that your dog will eliminate in thc
crate. By controlling when your dog eats and drinks, you makc houscbreaking much simpler.
Please note that young puppies may find it very dif1icLrlt to avoitl
eliminating for longer than three to six hours. A good gLride is to arkl
an hour for every month of a puppy's life. That is, a thrcc-rnontlr-oltl
puppy can hold it for three hours, a fbur-month-old fbr lilrr hours, antl
so on. Be careful about allowing the dog water during thcsc long pcri
ods. Also, rrcvcr confine the dog in dircct suu or lirr krngcr llran ciglrt
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walk all the way to the other side and bc well out o1'thc way ol'any
mess he made. If you are unclear, contact a local professional trainer.
If the dog has an accident in the house, correclion aJier the Jact is
not only a waste of time, but is counterproductive. Correcting your dog
after the Jact iust confuses the dog.
Instead, ask yourself what you could have done differently to prevent the behavior. Did you give the dog too much freedom? When the
dog eliminated outside, did you give the dog an extra three minutes to
make sure he did what he had to do? Does he have unlimited access to
food and water? Generally, your dog will need to eliminate outside
consistently with no accidents in the house for two to three weeks
before he undcrstands that outside is the only place he should eliminate. Please remember that some dogs will take longer to housetrain
than others.
once your dog learns it, you can increase the amount of free time
the dog gets. For example, instead of 20 to 30 minutes of free time,
increase it to 40 to 60 minutes. After a few more weeks, you can
increase the time even more. Consider, whenever possible, a dog door,
because it makes housebreaking much easier in most cases'
Paper training is generally not recommended, except when the dog
cannot be given access to the outside for periods greater than eight
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An exercise pen with two
hous ebreaking student s.
hours at a time, or in areas where it is unsafe, too cold, hot, etc. Il'this
is your situation, consider a potty training kit such as Puppy Go Potty.
These kits contain absorbent paper "litter" and a waterproof tray. Thc:
materials are similar to a cat litter box and are much cleaner than usittg
old newspaper.
To train your dog to use the box, you will also need a puppy cxcla
cise pen. This is a metal collapsible pen that you can put on the groutttl
or floor and place your dog in. The pen can be expanded to form a circle approximately six feet in diameter. (If you have a small dog, makc
the exercise pen smaller than six feet.) Place the waterproof PGP ttay
on one side of the circle. This is where the dog needs to be when yott
are not there to supervise him. When the dog can no longer contrtll his
bodily functions, he will most likely defecate and urinate in thc tray.
When you are home, the housebreaking procedures I have alreacly otrtlined should be followed.
Avoicl dietary changes during the housebreaking proccss. Il'sttclr
changcs arc unlvoidable, try to switch the dog gradually to thc ttcw
li11l, lo itvoitl stotnltch ttpsets. (Diarlhea nrakcs it cxtremely clif'l'ictrlt
lll
Ali( I'r,rt ltt 'tl ( 'ttttlc lo I )rlli ll'lllllllll
tohousebreak.Ifyourdoggetstliarrhea,yotlShouldimmecliatclycall
to feed two-thirds old
your veterinarian.) n gooAltneral formula is
new food to onefood to one-third ne* iood the first week' two-thirds
new food the third
third old food the second week and completely
week.
Housebreakingcanbeabittedious,butitisnotcomplicated,provided you are consistent as well as patient'
yott cilll l)llt
[]0()nrcr-l]all.'l'lro l]ustcr.CLrbc is a plastic s(lual'c tltat
ottly al'tct' shirl'
small picccs ol'IOod in.'fhc clog can gct thc lood, but
dogs locrrsctl lirr
ing ancl tnoving the cube arouncl' This will keep many
hours.BoomerBallsareharclplasticballsthatsomedogslovcttlcltitse
to lit in thcir'
around. They are generally too large for most dogs
dogs will btrt rtl
mouths, although many dogs will certainly try' Some
with their chcsts arttl
the ball with their paws, push it arouncl the yard
have a great time playing ball and not digging holes'
in thc yanl'
Make it a point to play with your dog and these toys
Doingthiswillgetthedoginterestedinthetoysandteachhirntlrct.c
DIGGING
is a common and
Like all the other problems I've addressed' digging
problems' it is important to
vcry normill behavior for dogs' As with all
unclcrstandthereasonsbehindthebehavior.Withdiggingthereare
They dig when it is
many motives. l)ogs clig because they are bored'
They dig to escape'
hot bccausc they like to lie in holes to get cooler.
like to'
Sometimes dogs simply dig because they
Thcy bury objects.
Indcalingwitha<liggingproblem,firstunderstandthateverydog
each day' Sufficient exercise
has a certain amount of energy to expend
energy and frequently helps
is often an excellent way to burn off excess
I have seen dogs who
in curtailing digging behavior' In two decades'
Saint Bernard who
literally destroyed Jnti," yards' I worked with a
many others' stopped
actually uprooted l5-foot trees' This dog' and
exercise prodiggin! when they were put on a reasonable, consistent
programs will vary from breed to breed and
gram. Remember,
"^"r"i'e
that simIog to dog, so check with your veterinarian' Also remember
exercise' Yoa
ptf leaving your dog alonein the yard does not count as
must exercise the dog.
If you leave the dog
Boredom i, u .oimon reason for dogs to <lig'
firstthinginthemorningwithoutalottokeephimoccupied'heisgoing
one of the things dogs
to have to do something to keep himself busy.
oftendotooccupythemselvesisdig.Tocounterthis,youncecltogivc
to himthan digging holcs'
your clog things to do that rlre rlore iutcrcsting
citlt kccp It-ttlst
Luckily, thcre arc a ttrttnbcr ol' c|citlivc ltlys tllat
('ttbc <lr
uncl iuttrt'cslctl. ('tltlsitlt't toys lilit' lt llttstcr'
<logs Occu1-riccl
Nylaboncs. Kottgs'
are other fun activities in the yard besides digging.
andRhinotoyswillalsofocttsyourdogonsomethingclthcrtltltrt
digging.
-Asidefromgivingyourdogsufficientexerciseandintercstill!.
high_quality
things to do in the yarcl, make sure your ciog is on a
1lr.t:
miumhardkibble.Stayawayfromfoodsthatareoftcnloadcclwitll
sugars in thc lirrttt
hidden sugars, chemicals and preservatives (hidden
dog's cllcrlly
of beet pulp, sucrose, fructose, etc', can exacerbate the
foods'
levels and leacl to cligging), such as semi-moist dog
If your dog considers the backyard (or wherever he digs) to bc it
thcre. I atll ttot
place of banishment, it is more likely digging will occur
if you do not l'ccl tlrc
suggesting that you leave your dog in the house
think ol'tlre
aog is trustworthy. I am suggesting that your dog shoLrld
Most Owncrs tlolt'l
backyarcl as more than just a place of banishment.
the clog tkrcs'
want their dogs to feel this way and are unaware of why
Stopandthinkaboutit.Areyoulikemillionsofpeoplcwhtlptttytlttt,
clogs will lccl
Ooj out in the backyarcl every day you go to work? Many
placc whcrc tlrcy'rt'
a certain level of anxiety if the backyard is thc
hclpccl, I t.ttrdct.stlttltl
always left alone. For many owners, this can,t be
othcr' tlrorc ptts
this, and all I'm suggesting is that you give your dog
play witlt tlttr tkrl'
itive experiences in ihe yard, as well' For cxample'
brtckyrrrtl
in the backyard regularly. You can also feecl the clog in thc
anclobeclierrcctrainyourdoginthebackyarcl.F{elpthcdtlgtrlltsstlt.i
clilrtirtatill!l ortc ol lltt'
atc pOsitivc f hings with thc yarcl ancl you will l-rc
tttit.iot ('lltls('\ ol' tlirtgittg.