House Training
Today, as promised, we address some issues about house training. Basically, you have two choices:
- You can train your toy poodle to relieve herself only outdoors.
- You can select one of several methods for training your pet to use an indoor "bathroom."
Either way, you need to crate-train your pet as described in yesterday's blog. In his crate (door closed), your pet will learn to control his bladder and bowels. Immediately upon his removal from the crate, though, you need to be ready to take your dog either outside or to the right spot in your home.
You might not think your pet has to "go" whenever you remove him from his crate. But he probably does. You can avoid a lot of cleanup sessions by getting into the habit of giving your pet every opportunity to do the right thing when it comes to his bathroom habits.
Paw-ses That Refresh Outdoors
For dogs trained to relieve themselves exclusively outdoors, choose a spot in your yard that you want your pet to use. Take him to that spot right away upon leaving the house for bathroom breaks.
Encourage your dog to go by using a high-pitched voice and repeating, "Fifi's spot!" or another command that Fifi will associate with the fact that it's time to get down to business.
When Fifi complies, praise her as if she is the smartest dog in the world. Repetition and consistent praise are key to successful dog training.
Realistically, though, all puppies make "mistakes" in the house.
What then?
You can turn a negative into a positive by cleaning up the spill or waste with a paper towel. Pick up your puppy and take her and the soiled paper towel outdoors to The Spot. Place the towel down and then repeat your command ("Fifi's spot!" or whatever). Use a high-pitched voice so Fifi will think of the sojourn as a positive experience. Let Fifi sniff the towel and let her know this is her spot. The towel will mark The Spot and Fifi will soon get the idea that this little piece of real estate is her personal waste dump.
By the way, never punish a dog when she makes a mistake in the house. It's counterproductive because it's after-the-fact. And it can make your puppy fear you.
Instead, you can avoid indoor mishaps by observing your pet's habits. Usually when a dog is fixin' to go, he will sniff, move around frantically, and often in circles as he bulls-eyes a good spot to relieve himself. Pick him up as soon as you see this behavior and take him to The Spot.
Indoor House Training
Next time, we'll show you options for training your dog to go indoors in a place that you choose. If you live in a high-rise apartment or otherwise have no way to getting outdoors quickly, indoor house training is literally and figuratively the way to "go."
Until then,
Dibs Darwin, Spokespoodle
Cape Rose Toy Poodles
