How To House Train Your Dog In 10 Days Or Less

Housetraining is a big problem for a lot of dog owners. In this report I am going to explain all the steps you need to follow to house train your dog in a short period of time. Housetraining really only consists of three steps:

Step 1: Manage the behavior

Step 2: Teaching your dog where it is acceptable and where it is unacceptable to go

Step 3: Proper cleaning

Step 1: Manage the behavior

   Management of behavior is extremely important when you are housetraining a dog. Management simply means keeping a close watch over your dog’s behavior.  Most of the time our dogs will relieve themselves when we are not watching closely.  Have you ever turned your back for a second only to discover that your dog has urinated on your carpets?

    It happens all the time.  Here is my first rule of thumb for dog owners.  Never, ever let your dog out of your sight until your dog is completely house trained.

   Many dog owners will ask me at this point: “What do I do when I cannot watch my dog?”  My answer is still manage the behavior.  A great management tool is the crate.  Now, if you have negative opinions about using a crate, please continue reading so I can give you other suggestions and explain why I believe every dog should be crate trained.

   I will also show you a fool proof method for teaching your dog to love his crate if you are having a difficult time getting your dog to go inside of it.

   First: I strongly believe that every dog should be crate trained.  At some point in your dog’s life there is a strong chance that your dog will be required to go in one.  If your dog ever has to travel, go to a groomers, or spend the night at a vet’s office, your dog will be in a crate.

   It is much better for your dog to learn crate training in the comfort of his home than to have some stranger shoving and forcing him in there when he is already probably stressed.

   A crate is a great way to manage your dog’s behavior when you cannot watch him. Most dogs will not go to the bathroom in their crate (if your dog does go to the bathroom in the crate I will discuss what you can do later on in this report) and it allows you to teach your dog housetraining much faster.

   One of the other reasons that I feel so strongly about crates is the fact that I have known of plenty of dogs injured when they were allowed too much freedom. Dogs can choke on objects, chew through electrical cords, get caught on fencing and much more. Injuries can be avoided with proper crate training and management.

How To Teach Your Dog To Love The Crate

   Some dogs do not like the crate. What most of them don’t like is the separation from you. Some have had negative experiences with the crate. What we don’t want to do is force your dog into the crate. We want to teach your dog that the crate is a good place, a fun place, a place that he or she willingly goes to.  We want to teach your dog to go to the crate on command.

How do we do that?

Simple.  We develop the dog’s desire to go into the crate.

Here is what you need:

1. Kong toy
2. Hot dogs
3. String cheese
4. Peanut butter
5. Assorted treats

   Put all of the above on a table.  Have your dog’s crate close by.  Now call your dog over and pick up the Kong toy.  With your dog right in front of you, show your dog the hot dogs as you put them in the Kong.  Let him smell them but don’t give him any.  Now pick up the cheese and put some in the Kong.  Then pack in a little peanut butter. Now take some of the assorted treats and stuff them in there.  Take a little more peanut butter and top it off.

   Remember, I want you to do this with your dog watching; in fact I want you to do this inches away from his nose.

   Now with your dog still watching, take the Kong and toss it into the crate.  Here’s the important part: Close the door on the crate. Don’t let your dog go in just yet.

   Remember, I said that we wanted to develop the dog’s desire to go into the crate.  If you have done everything correctly, your dog should be outside of the crate looking in at the ultimate stuffed Kong toy.  Your dog should be pawing at the door.  I want you to wait a few seconds and then I want you to take your hand off the door and tell your dog “In the crate.”

At that point your dog should open the crate door and grab the Kong.

DO NOT SHUT THE CRATE DOOR

Let your dog grab it and take it out of the crate if he wants.

   After doing this a few times take a piece of string and tie it around the Kong toy.  Tie the string to the outside of the crate so you dog cannot take the Kong out of the crate. Now he has to stay in there to chew on the toy.

   Only after your dog starts to get comfortable in the crate should you start to close the door.  Close the door for short periods of time.  The first time you close the crate door, don’t latch it. If your dog paws at it, it should open.  Once your dog has been in for short periods of time you can start to latch it for a few seconds and then minutes.

  You want your dog to be comfortable in the crate.  Make sure you have it lined with a comfy, cozy crate pad.  You can order some great ones here:  Comfy Cozy Crate Pads

   Another good thing to do is to start feeding your dog all of his meals inside the crate. When it is breakfast or dinner, put the food dish in the back of your dog’s crate.

   Now that we have your dog crate trained, you can start to use it when you cannot keep a close eye on your dog’s behavior.

   It is important to remember that when you are rewarding a behavior you have about 1 to 3 seconds to reward.  If it takes you more than 3 seconds there is a good chance that the dog would think that he is being rewarded for something else.  No one would ask their dog to do a command like sit, walk away, come back 20 minutes later with a treat and expect the dog to understand that the treat was for the sit that he performed 20 minutes earlier.

   The same holds true with punishment.  Why would we think that our dogs will understand the punishment when we do it long after the behavior has occurred?

   Here is the other problem with too much punishment when we are teaching our dogs housetraining.  The dog becomes afraid to go when we are around.

   Let me explain; I often hear from dog owners that tell me they bring their dogs outside and stand around for hours and their dogs will not go.  They come in the house and their dogs will not go either.  They know that their dogs have to go, but they hold it.

   Then when they take their eyes off their dog, just for a second, the dog sneaks off somewhere and relieves himself.

   When I ask the dog owners what method of housetraining they have tried most of them explain that they pushed their dog’s nose into the mess or that they gave them a good smack.

Here’s the problem:

   When you use heavy punishment to housetrain, your dog learns to not go in your presence.  When you are around they “hold it” until they think you are not watching.

   Housetraining is a normal, natural function and getting hysterical over it will not help the situation.  What we need to do is manage and show our dogs where we want them to go.  This can be accomplished by following the next step.

Step 2: Teaching Your Dog Where It Is Acceptable

   So now you’re keeping a close eye on your dog, you’re putting him in the crate when you can’t watch him.  Now we need to teach him where he can go.

   If  you catch your dog starting to go inside the house, the best thing to do is to startle him. A loud “HEY” or “AH” is good.  I usually will loudly clap my hands or stomp my foot and say “HEY.”  I want to do it just firm enough to stop him.  I then quickly put the dog on leash and take him outside.

   One of the biggest mistakes that I see dog owners do is tie the dog up outside or put him in a fenced in yard.  You need to be right there with your dog while you are housetraining.  You see, training is all about influencing your dog’s behavior.  If your dog is allowed to walk around without you there, then there is no feedback.  You need to be right there to tell your dog “Yes, this is where I want you to go.”

   Bring your dog to same place in the yard on leash with some treats in your pocket. Keep these items close to the door so you can grab and run when needed. Once your dog is done give them a reward.  Tell your dog how smart he is.

How To Teach Your Dog To “Go” On Command

   This can be extremely useful, especially if you live in a cold part of the country. Standing outside waiting for your dog to go, wearing a bathrobe in sub-zero weather does not rank up there as one of the joys in life.

Teaching your dog to go on command is pretty easy if you follow these steps.

1. Every time you bring your dog outside he is on leash.  While walking him, wait for him to give you the signals that he is getting ready to go.  Most dogs will sniff the ground, walk in circles, etc.  After you have had your dog for a while you’ll be able to tell.  While your dog is giving the signals start to say the command.  I say: “Get busy.”  I’ll keep saying it while my dog is sniffing the ground: “Get busy,” “Get busy.”
2. Once your dog starts to squat stop talking.  Let him finish before you say anything.  If your dog is going and you say in a high pitched tone “GOOD DOG,” there is a good chance that your dog will stop before he is completely finished.
3. The second your dog is done you can say: “GOOD DOG,” and quickly reward your dog with a treat.  You want to strengthen and reward the behavior.  I recommend using treats and praise.

   If you follow these steps consistently you will have a dog that goes on command. You’ll be the envy of all your dog owning friends.

How To Teach Your Dog To Give You A Signal

   When you are in the house it is a good idea to bring your dog out before he is thinking about going.  I get calls from dog owners that say that their dogs do not give them any signals.  I always recommend bringing your dog out on a frequent schedule.

   Prevent the accident before it happens.  Over a period of time you will start to notice if your dog signals.  Some dogs will go to the dog and scratch at it.  Other dogs will bark. Some dogs like mine will pace.  You need to keep a close eye on your dog to see if he is trying to signal.  If you see your dog sniffing the ground or circling, there is a good chance that your dog is getting ready to go.

   You can teach your dog to give you a signal by hanging a bell from your door.  Hang a small bell from your doorknob on a piece of string.  Put a little peanut butter on the bell. When your dog touches the bell quickly open the door and bring your dog outside.  Over a period of time your dog will learn that touching the bell gets him outside.

Step 3: Cleaning

   A lot of our housetraining problems start with the type of cleaning materials that we use.  When your dog goes in the house, many dog owners will use a commercial product to clean up the area.  If the product contains any ammonia it will smell like urine to your dog.  If your dog smells the ammonia thinking that it is the urine of another dog, your dog will try to cover the scent by going again in the exact same spot that you just cleaned.

  Cleaning should always be done with products that contain enzymes that can naturally break down the scent, or vinegar and water.  I like to use Nature’s Miracle which can be found in most pet stores.

Problems

   Here are some typical questions that I get from dog owners experiencing housetraining problems:

Q: “I’ve tried a lot of what you suggest but I still seem to be having a problem.  My dog will urinate and defecate all the time.  Is there anything that I am missing?”

A: When a dog owner tells me that their dog is going all of the time I know that this is not true.  A dog can’t go 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  He has to stop some of the time. All kidding aside, if your dog seems like he is always going there is a good chance that you may be feeding him too much.  Most of the instructions on the dog food bags advise dog owners to feed puppies three times a day.  I recommend twice a day. You have to remember that what you put it will come out.  Closely monitor how much food and water your dog gets for a few days and scale back a little.  See if that makes a difference.

Q. “My dog pees a lot.  She drinks a lot and seems like she is always squatting and trying to go.”

A. Sounds like you have a physical problem, not a housetraining problem.  I recommend getting a urine sample and having your vet check it.  There is a good chance that your dog may have a urinary tract infection.

Q. “My dog goes in the crate.  He doesn’t care.  He will urinate and defecate in the crate and just lay in it.  I tried everything.  What do you think I can do?”

A. This is a big problem for some dog owners.  First thing I would recommend is a vet check.  Have your vet test a urine and stool sample.  Rule out any physical problems.

The next thing I would advise for you to do is to get an x-pen. An x-pen is a large pen that parents sometimes use with their children.

When you are not there to watch your dog you can put him in the x-pen instead of the crate.  The x-pen is large enough for your dog to go in one area and then sleep in the other.

When I am working with a dog that will go in the crate, I will either paper train the dog or I will teach him to go in a litter box.  Now when you are home you will bring your dog to the paper or litter box instead of taking your dog outside.  When your dog goes on the paper or in the box you will reward every time.

Now you can leave the paper or litter box in the x-pen for your dog when you are not there. I know that it is still a hassle, but it is better than giving your dog a bath everyday.

Once your dog is successfully going in the litter box or on the paper you can start to bring the litter box outside. If your dog goes to the litter box when it is outside I would recommend leaving one out there for your dog.  Over a period of time you can wean the dog off the litter box or paper.  Weaning is always a gradual process.  With the paper you would start to make the area smaller and smaller.  Good Luck!