Bringing a new puppy home is such an exciting event for everybody! The whole family gathers around and dotes on their cute and cuddly new companion. Then something happens. The new puppy goes and pees on the carpet. Suddenly you realize that training a puppy is the price you have to pay for having a puppy in your home.
Toilet training your puppy can be exasperating or it can be a fun part of raising your new dog. If you know just a little bit about puppies and dogs and how to train them, you can toilet train your puppy without traumatizing either yourself or your new family member.
All animals are born with certain instincts. Other things they have to learn. Dogs have a natural instinct to relieve themselves out of doors, away from their den. This is why your puppy will show distress before it makes its little “mistake” on your carpet. It knows that something is wrong, but doesn’t have a clear idea about where the right place is to go.
On top of that, your new puppy can’t “hold it in” for very long. It knows something is about to happen and will run around the room, whimpering and sniffing until finally it can’t wait any longer. Punishing your puppy for this would not be appropriate, because it has done nothing wrong. Laughing it off would also be inappropriate, because it needs to be shown the right place to go or it may decide that it got it right the first time!
You absolutely should not press its nose into the poo, smack the dog and tell it that it has been naughty. You can, however, remove the waste matter and place it in where you do want the puppy to poopoo next time and show it where that is. Make sure that you clean the area where the puppy has made its “mistake” thoroughly, using the appropriate cleaner that will remove all traces of odor.
Constant vigilance may be required at first for quick success at toilet training. Look for the signs that the puppy needs to go and take it outside before it relieves itself. Then immediately offer it a reward. In this way, your puppy will learn two valuable lessons. It will learn positive reinforcement for good behavior and it will learn that you are the leader of the pack.
Because dogs are pack animals, they either seek guidance from the dominant pack leader or dominate the pack themselves. If your puppy is allowed free rein, it may think that it is the leader and will resist training throughout its life. You may be the “boss, ” but you need not be domineering. Reward is always the best teaching tool whenever possible.
Start training a puppy early and you will have a rewarding pet for many years.
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