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- Keep an important idea in mind: don't focus your effort on teaching your dog not to go potty in the house... teach your dog to go potty outside. Do you see the difference between those two strategies? One is trying to convince the dog to NOT do something, the other is training a dog to want to do something. There's a big difference.
Pick out a good spot outside, preferably a small lawn area. Take your dog on a leash to this same spot every time. The smell of the urine from her previous efforts will encourage her to go again. Ever notice that they sniff for a good spot? Well, guess what smell they are hoping to find! Do not clean up old poop at this spot until the dog is completely potty trained.
- Teach your puppy words for elimination.
"Go Potty", "Go Poop", "Do Your Business", "Let's Get Crapping, Baby!"
(Well, OK, maybe that last one wasn't so good.)
Use one of these phrases repeatedly as you try to get her to go, then praise her enthusiastically when she actually does it. Eventually, she will learn the phrase just as she would any command, and she'll be able to do it when you use the magic phrase.
- COMPLETELY clean up any potty accidents in the house. The smell of urine in the carpet will encourage her to go there again, so you must remove the smell entirely. And remember that a dog's sense of smell is about a hundred times better than yours... so if you think running a damp towel over it is going to do the trick, you are sadly mistaken. Three little words for you: Carpet Cleaning Machine. Get one!
- At night, place the dog in a tightly enclosed area with room enough only for a pillow or dog bed.* A dog will not pee or poop in their own bed if they can possibly hold it. Take advantage of this and limit their night-time sleep area so that there is nowhere to go without soiling their own bed. The easiest way to do this is to place the dog in a small kennel or animal carrier. The size of the container is critical... it must only be large enough for the dog to turn around in. If you pick too large of a container, this strategy will not work. See my Products For Cockers page for a suggestion on a good crate (kennel) that is just the right size for an adult Cocker. (Put an empty cardboard box inside half the crate if you are crate training a puppy.) If you're going to keep your dog in a small container at night, be sure to take the dog outside for a pee or poop FIRST THING in the morning. If the dog has soiled the bed by the time you get there, you'll know the dog does not yet have the bladder capacity to hold it all night. The following evening, wake your spouse up at 3 AM and instruct them to take the dog out for a potty break. (Watch out... you may end up in the dog house, though!)
- Make sure there is always a way for the dog to get outside without your help... for example, a doggie door, or a door left open. Don't expect that the dog will alert you when she wants to go outside. If it is impossible to provide a way for the dog to get outside without your help, hang a small bell next to your back door and teach the puppy to play with it. This way, if the puppy goes to the door hoping to be let out, she'll play with the bell and you will know to get up and let her out.
- All indoor activities should be preceded by taking the dog out for a pee or poop. Your carpet will appreciate it! If a dog is almost ready to pee or poop, but hasn't gotten around to doing it quite yet... any physical activity will usually trigger the urge to do it. So, if a dog wakes up from a nap and you immediately start playing with her on your carpet... you're just ASKING for trouble! Potty break first, play time second.
- Whenever your puppy cries or whines, assume she has to go potty! (Yet, the same behavior in your teenage daughter is completely normal.) She may be signaling her frustration that she knows she is not supposed to pee in the house, yet she can see that all the doors are closed. And remember, always assume your puppy needs to go potty immediately after she wakes up from a nap.
- Stop water intake a few hours before bed time. This will help the puppy sleep through the night without waking you up to go outside.
- Praise the dog when it poops or pees in the right spot, GENTLY scold when it does it in the wrong spot. As with any training, do not ever hit the dog. You want her to be your friend, right?
- When taking the dog outside for a pee or poo, use a leash. You'll be able to control the dog better, and keep it from fooling around when there's business to be done.
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