Nancy's House-Training Cheat Sheet

From the Book

Click - House Training Your Dog In 5 Days or Less - Click

Warning

These recommendations assume the dog to be in excellent health. Disease may be the reason when a dog, young or old soils. If a complete veterinary check has not been made within ten days of the onset of the problem and you are not qualified to determine that the dog in question is 100% fit then it is advisable to promptly book an appointment with an experienced veterinarian.

1. All household members must cooperate even if not directly involved in daily care.

2. Separate exercise and elimination areas. Select a single elimination area which if possible can be accessed through a door separate from from the door used to exercise. Provide a visual barrier which sets the "toilet area" from the rest of the yard. You can use inexpensive shrub protector fencing for this purpose.

3. No need to pet your canine companion any less but adjust your timing so the puppy or dog interprets praise and petting as rewards for correct response to a request.

4. Avoid bringing other dogs into the house during house training and for three months afterwards.

5. Begin twice daily training program, which includes a minimum ten-minute down stay while watching television or preparing and eating meals.

6. Carefully begin crate training (See Crate Training Article)

7. Once the dog is crate trained use the crate when it is impossible to provide 100% supervision.

8. Leave the dog's leash on while supervised to prevent the dog from disappearing to another room.

9. Feed dog on a regular schedule only. Same time of day, seven days of the week (See Appendix Below).

10. Allow maximum of 10 minutes to eat and remove food until next scheduled feeding.

11. Stop all diet supplements: table scraps, rawhide, pig's ears, and dog biscuits….

12. Personally take the dog on regularly scheduled elimination trips. Start out with a schedule that provides the dog with extremely frequent five-minute trips to a 10' X 10' section of the yard.

13. If possible cordon off the dog's bathroom area with an inexpensive shrub protector type fence barrier.

14. When possible use different exits for bathroom times and play/walk times.

15. Frequency of Trips to Bathroom (Adjust Increment Length if Need Be):

• Goal 1: Every other hour (even half-hour for very young pups or totally confused adult dogs) until dog makes it through one full day without any house elimination's.
• Goal 2: Every third hour until the dog makes it through on full day without any house elimination's.
• Goal 3: Every fourth hour . . .
  

1. The result should be that a healthy dog that would want to go to the bathroom three times/day. When you get up in the morning, when you come home from work and before you go to bed. Elderly dogs or dogs with intestinal problems will need more frequent trips.

2. Do not wait any longer than 5 minutes for the dog to eliminate before heading back into the house.

3. Each time you place the dog in the bathroom area, say a word or two like, "Go Pee." When the dog begins to eliminate gently, repeat the words until s/he is finished.

4. Continue until the dog has developed bowel and bladder control that is in keeping primarily with physical maturity and secondarily with your lifestyle. Keep the dog on this schedule for at least 90 days.

5. When in house soiling occurs, express your displeasure in well-measured controlled tones. Do not over do it. Remove the dog from the scene by calmly taking the dog to the outside elimination area. Praise the dog if it even sniffs the outside elimination area.

6. Following a successful trip to the bathroom, reward the dog with tone and some physical interaction but do not over do it.

7. Carry puppies to the bathroom area for the first couple of weeks.

8. In addition to regularly scheduled elimination, be on the alert after nap time, after training, play and chewing sessions.

9. Be alert for the dog's need to eliminate within 20 minutes after completion of all regularly scheduled meals.

10. Do not clean up in front of young pups.
    

Appendix