Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Obedience/Training
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by Judy Bohnert
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| Health Is Of Utmost Importance |
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Your puppy’s state of health will affect his ability to be successfully house trained. Make sure your puppy is seen by a veterinarian within 48 hours of arriving at your home. If your puppy does not receive a clean bill of health, it is important that any physical conditions that can impede successful house training be properly treated. A fecal check will determine whether worms or internal parasites are present. |
| Diet Is Important |
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Feeding a consistent diet of a high-quality premium brand dry puppy food is recommended. Avoid feeding your puppy table scraps or changing brands unnecessarily. If you should need to change your puppy’s food for any reason, do it gradually over a period of 4-to-7 days, preferably by overlapping both the old and the new puppy food together until the old food is phased out completely. [Note: Feeding your puppy lots of canned dog food can loosen his stool, making housebreaking more difficult]. |
| Close Supervision Is Essential |
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Close supervision is essential any time your puppy is not crated indoors or confined to a small area covered with newspapers. It only takes a few seconds for your puppy to have a house-soiling accident, so watch for signs that your puppy may need to eliminate, such as sniffing the floor, circling, or running out of sight suddenly. |
| Confinement When Supervision Not Possible |
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Crate training or area confinement are recommended for puppies and most adolescent dogs when left unsupervised alone in the house. If properly introduced and used appropriately, crate training is an efficient and humane way to prevent house training accidents as well to keep your puppy safe when you can not watch him. The crate should not be used for excessive periods of time and should not be used as a punishment. Brief “time outs” in the crate, though, are fine. |
| Determine Puppy’s Safety Zone, Grey Zone & Danger Zone |
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Keep a diary of your puppy’s urinating and defecating times for several days or more. Determine the minimum interval between elimination. Subtract 15-30 minutes from this period of time and that will be your puppy’s temporary “Safety Zone.” This is the duration of time he can generally be trusted to hold his urine after he is taken for a walk or has “gone” outdoors, provided he does not drink a ton of water during this time. Make sure however, that he is still closely supervised any time he is not confined to his crate or confinement area. |
| Frequent Access To Backyard Or Taken For A Walk |
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Puppies need to urinate shortly after they eat, drink water, play, chew, or sleep. For most puppies over 10 weeks of age, that means somewhere between 5 and 10 times a day! Adolescent dogs (from 6 to 11 months old) will need 4 to 6 outings a day. Adult dogs need 3 to 4 outings a day, and elderly dogs need at least 3 to 4 outings daily (incontinent dogs will need more). |
| Do Not Return Indoors Or From A Walk Until Your Puppy Eliminates |
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If your puppy has been confined overnight to a crate, take him outside first thing in the morning before there’s a chance to soil indoors. Be prepared to stay outdoors with him until he eliminates. This could take from a few minutes to as much as several hours! As soon as your puppy eliminates outdoors offer lavish praise and a treat. If you take your puppy back inside the house before he’s fully eliminated he will surely have an house soiling accident indoors! If you absolutely have to return indoors before your puppy does his “business,” crate him, then try taking him outside again every 15-30 minutes until he “goes”. |
| Praise and Reward Your Puppy For “Going” Outdoors |
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Lavish praise, a trigger word –potty, get busy, business, bombs away — and a treat reward immediately following his eliminating in the right place will help you to communicate to your puppy that you are pleased with his behavior. Delayed praise is not effective, so witnessing him going in the right spot is important. |
| No Access To Inappropriate Areas To Eliminate |
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Many puppies and dogs prefer certain areas or surfaces to eliminate on, such as rugs. Keep your puppy away from risky areas or surfaces whenever possible. If your puppy suddenly runs out of sight it may be to look for a secret spot to eliminate, so close doors to rooms where he may sneak a quick pee or poop. |
| Neutralize Urine Odors With Enzyme-Based Deodorizer |
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Should your puppy have a few house-soiling accidents despite your best efforts to prevent them, neutralize any soiled areas (carpet or floor surface) with an pet odor neutralizer such as Nature’s Miracle, Nilodor, Fresh ‘n’ Clean, or Outright Pet Odor Eliminator. Avoid using ammonia-based cleaners to clean up after your puppy’s urine as ammonia breaks down to urea which is a component of urine. |
| No Water After 9 PM |
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It is best to take away your puppy’s water bowl after 9 PM unless he seems very thirsty or weather conditions are exceedingly hot. A couple of ice cubes are OK. |
| Diarrhea Will Prevent Housetraining Success |
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Your puppy or dog cannot be expected to be reliable if he has diarrhea. Loose, liquidy or mucousy stools will hinder any house training success. |
| After-The-Fact Discipline Does NOT Work! |
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Never ever discipline (verbally or otherwise) your puppy or dog after-the-fact for house soiling accidents that you did not actually witness. If he does have an accident, roll up a newspaper and hit yourself over the head three times for not keeping a closer eye on him. And, if you should see your puppy eliminate on the floor or carpet, harsh physical punishment is never recommended. |
| Never Discipline A Dog For Submissive Urination! |
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Submissive and excitement urination are completely involuntary so never discipline your puppy for this. Eye contact, verbal scolding, hovering over, rea
ching out to pet your puppy’s head, animated movements, talking in an exciting or loud voice, as well as strangers/visitors approaching your puppy, may all potentially trigger your puppy to piddle. Disciplining your puppy for involuntary piddling must be avoided or the problem will simply get worse. |
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Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Obedience/Training
by Ms Dany Canino
Teaching your new puppy not to use your home as a bathroom, is not as difficult as you might think. All you need to do is remember some basic rules and to be consistent in your application of those rules.
Before you start, there is a basic principle that you need to know about your puppy. You must understand the pup´s natural instinct about this natural function.
Dogs are by nature den animals. If they were still in the wilds (non-domesticated) they would seek out a small cave to go into. That´s so that they can feel safe. They would eat, sleep, play, and procreate in the cave. They would never however, go to the bathroom in the cave because they wouldn´t want to soil their sleeping area and, they wouldn´t want to let their enemies know where they were.
To properly housebreak your puppy you need to simulate that same atmosphere. This is easily accomplished by the use of a dog crate. NOW DON´T GO WOOSIE . ON ME! CRATES ARE NOT CRUEL! They are similar to a cave. Remember that it´s a natural setting for your dog. You will discover that after your dog has used his crate a few times, even when he´s not required to go into it, he will choose to go in on his own.
Young puppies usually need to eliminate:
- upon awakening.
- right after eating.
- after about 10-15 minutes of play.
So if you want to have your puppy out of his crate to visit you´ll need to remember these things because it will be your responsibility to let him outside to potty at these crucial times. Always pick a key word or phrase to use when you let your puppy out to relieve himself. “Go Potty” – “Outside” – “Get Busy” – or any word or phrase you´re comfortable with. Just remember to always use the same word or phrase.
If you have a doggie door (another pet owner´s helpmate), be sure to let the puppy out through that door every time so that he´ll soon learn that this is his exit and entrance to good behavior. If you don´t have, or don´t want to have a doggie door, try to use the same house door every time you put him out to potty. You can even try getting him very excited about going out to potty. This sometimes helps to teach the dog to bark to let you know when he has to go potty. For example; “do you want to go outside” “what do you want to do” “do you have to go potty” Be sure to make your voice excited when you do this. Whether or not he responds right away with a “woof” praise him verbally and then let him out. After a short time he´ll be going to the door and barking to let you know that “nature is calling”. Respond to that call immediately or else he´ll feel you don´t care that he´s trying to be good. Remember, it´s him going out-you stay in.
At night is when our official housebreaking will begin. Make your dog´s last meal of the day around 5 or 6 p.m. Make his last bit of liquid around 8 p.m. Don´t Panic!, he won´t dehydrate from a lack of water for a few hours. Just before the time that you would be going to bed, let the puppy outside to relieve himself. Don´t forget to use the right words or phrase, and don´t go outside with him. Give him time to finish the job (15-20 minutes) When you let him back in be sure to praise him. Take the puppy to his crate and give him another key phrase like: “crate” – “go to bed” – “kennel” – “load up” or anything you want. Help him into the crate, close the door and again praise him. He´s allowed to have a toy or two in his crate, but nothing edible and no liquids.
In the beginning the puppy may whimper or even bark a little when you first introduce him to the crate. (You might want to put him in the crate a few times during the day before you start this nighttime regimen.) If you either ignore this little temper tantrum or if you hit the top of the crate and verbally scold him to “quiet”, this too shall pass. In a short span of time he will come to realize that this is just a part of growing up. Sometimes it helps to put the crate in your bedroom so that the puppy can be aware of you. He might not feel so abandoned. Remember, crates are portable and can be moved from room to room. If he is to be left in a room away from you, a radio playing soft music is quite soothing to a puppy.
First thing in the morning, as soon as you awake, you must let your puppy out to go potty. Leave him out until you get a chance to fully wake up, then you can let him in to feed him and, shortly after he´s eaten, let him out again.
If someone is home during the day the pup can periodically be crated for a few hours and then be let out to potty; then visit; then back into the crate for a little while. Don´t worry that this pup is going to spend his entire puppy hood in a crate. This is just during his training period. Another method is to set a cake timer every 3-4 hours to remind you to let the pup out (whether he´s crated or not). If you choose the latter method, don´t forget to keep an eye on the pup´s whereabouts. A puppy not seen is a puppy up to no good. I suggest that in the beginning you put a bell on the puppy´s collar so you know where he is at all times. After a few weeks of this your puppy will be getting a handle on where he´s allowed to potty and where he is not.
If there is no one home during the day housebreaking becomes a little more complicated, but not impossible. Here are a couple of rules to follow:
- if you have a doggie door you´ll need to flush the crate up to it with the crate door open and brace the crate with something heavy. Just make sure that he can´t squeeze under the fence or gate. If you have a pool you´ll need to make sure he can´t get in there either. Put the puppy outside (with a few toys and chew bone) and this way he´ll already be in his potty area and if he feels insecure he can go in to his crate to sleep.
- you could put him in his crate and bribe a neighbor to come in about every four hours to let him out to potty.
One of the worst things you can do is to put the puppy in a confined area of the house and then put newspaper down. The puppy will feel you´re giving him permission to use your home as a bathroom.
There is one thing you must ask yourself before worrying about housebreaking a puppy. The question is whether or not you really have time to properly care for a puppy. If your life style is such that you´re away from home all day and your weekends are filled with activities away from home, then perhaps an older dog might be a better idea. Remember that housebreaking is only one of the responsibilities connected with owning a dog.
However, if you are willing to face up to these responsibilities and you get a puppy, housebreaking can be pretty simple.
If everyone in the household is away during the day you may want invest in a kennel run
for the dog´s safety while you´re not home. You can also consider creating a run by
attaching a gate from the edge of your house to the fence; thus making the side of your house a secure place for the pup to be while no one is home. Just make sure he has a dog house to go into in case the weather changes to extremely hot or it begins to rain. Also be sure he gets a lot of social time when everyone is home.
There may be a time or two when your puppy has a potty accident in the house. You must be prepared to scold him for this. If you catch him in the act a slight slap on his behind and a scolding word will suffice. Then you must put him outside immediately, (don´t forg
et to say the potty phrase) reminding him where he´s supposed to go potty. His momma would do a lot more to him if he soiled in the cave.
If you discover the wrong deed after the fact, take him to it, but DON´T RUB HIS NOSE IN IT! Scold him verbally, give him one small swat on the behind and then put him outside (using the proper potty words) where he´s supposed to potty. Be sure to clean the mistake up by using any of the good commercial products on the market or, absorb it up with multi-layered paper towel and then pour salt over it. In the morning you can vacuum it up and the smell will be gone.
In either case, be sure to praise the pup when you let him back in. This way he´ll be reminded that inside is a definite No and outside brings about a kind word.
One word about the selection of a crate. It really doesn´t matter whether you buy a wire crate or the fibreglass type. Wire crates have the advantage of being able to be folded (suit case size) when you don´t need them. However, what is really important about the purchase of a crate is that if you decide to buy one so big that it would suffice a full grown adult dog, this will usually entice the puppy to sleep at one end of the crate and potty at the other end. If the crate is too big, try to block off a portion of it (with a piece of cardboard perhaps) to make it smaller. That way, the crate can grow with the puppy.
If you purchase your puppy at 7 or 8 weeks of age (the earliest you should take the pup from his momma), and if you are consistent in your housebreaking routine, you could start testing the puppy´s reliability at about 10-11 weeks of age for short periods of time.
However, even if the puppy seems to be fairly reliable don´t get too complacent. Your puppy will still need to go through his nighttime crating for a while. But by now when you´re home he won´t have to spend as much time in the crate as he did in the beginning.
If you follow through with these suggestions, by the time your puppy is 4-5 months old, he´ll be housebroken. Then he´ll be old enough to start a formal obedience class to learn the next set of rules about being a well-behaved dog and family pet. Good luck, and hang in there. The time will pass before you know it and you can be proud to know that you did it without the aid of some expensive behaviorist coming to your home to tell you to do exactly what you´ve just read.
Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Obedience/Training
Housetraining fills many hearts with dread and foreboding. So many ideas, so many techniques, it’s amazing that as many dogs end up housetrained as there are!
First off, let’s just say that there are some good ways to train your dog to be housetrained that don’t involve:
- You losing your temper
- Your Dog having a bad experience
- Newspapers (except maybe as a place to potty)
- Physical Correction
- Accidents
- Noses
With that out of the way, let’s get in the dog’s mind about housetraining. Dogs, by nature, do not choose to eliminate where they sleep and eat. This seems to arise out of the desire to keep their scent away from animals, like prey and predators, since stealth is an important part of the hunting done by Canids. So, even your dog has a natural inclination to stay clean and not to potty in the spot where they sleep or eat. Puppies, like small children, generally do not have the urinary or bowel control that allows them much warning, as such, it falls to us to make sure they get out and go frequently before they feel urgency. So, now that we know this, it is simply a matter of communicating to the dog that the entire house is the-place-where-we-eat-and-sleep.
Posters and picket lines have proven ineffective in these methods, so we suggest a crate. No, a crate is not absolutely necessary. Some homes are militantly anti-crate, and if you are among them, that’s fine, it just means you will have to be the shadow of your dog essentially 24/7 in the effort to prevent accidents (see, accidents cause more accidents that result in habits… which means your dog isn’t housetrained). It can be a challenge.
If you aren’t familiar with introducing and using a crate, you will definitely want to review the section on crate training. If you are, off we go then!
Let’s start by reiterating that preventing accidents will be the secret behind helping your dog be housetrained quickly. PREVENTING ACCIDENTS. And the sooner your dog is housetrained, the sooner they get house privileges. That thing that we all dream of when we dream of bringing our bundle of joy home. Reading a book with them next to us, having them trot up while we are watching TV, watching them play or wondering what they are up to or groaning as they bring us the leash… they can’t do any of these things until they have house privileges and those need to be earned or you will be finding “love droppings” in many magic and secret places all over your home for eternity.
So, as honestly as you can, keep your dog, otherwise known as beloved, crated except when you can focus on them. This means they are not out while you are fixing dinner or while you are getting ready for work or reading the paper with your coffee. Yes, for a week or two (this is all it would really take even for puppies to get the hang of it) you may want to get up early if you want to spend time with your dog in the house before you leave for work or you may have to rearrange the schedule to have play sessions at other times of the day (but you considered all this prior to getting your dog right?).
Now, when you get your dog out of the crate, straight outside (or to the potty spot) we go! For all but the little puppies, a dog will be able to go every couple hours. For little puppies it can be even more often. If your dog doesn’t reward your efforts with some evacuation, then back in the crate they go. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be for more than 5 minutes or so, but then, we go back outside. This is how we help emphasize that going outside is very very good. Also by only allowing them loose in the house once your dog has gone, means there is little need or likelihood, that they will eliminate in the house. Creating habits can be a good thing!
But your dog is such a good dog, that they went right away! And you jumped and sang and danced and your dog jumped and sang and danced with you rejoicing and praising over what a good dog, your dog is! Seriously, praise is VERY important in helping your dog understand that this is desirable behavior (so no sending your dog outside into the fenced yard without supervision at this stage!) Now we can go back into the house for a wonderful play session. After 20 minutes or so, did your dog go get a drink of water? Well, let’s go back outside! Drinking and eating both stimulate the need to go (drinking more quickly than eating) so as more prevention, we will give the dog more opportunity. As a help, more reasons and cues that your dog needs to go a listed below.
Cues that Your Dog NEEDS TO GO
- Sniffing the Floor
- Whining
- Going to the Door (or in the direction of where your dog potties)
- Just had something to eat
- Just had something to drink
- Gas
- Your Dog may have individual cues, watch to see if you can recognize them
Well, dogs aren’t machines, and sometimes they don’t get the idea right away or sometimes we miss the cues or forget the schedule… and end up with “a mess”. We were hoping for 100% compliance, but this isn’t always the case. First, if at all possible, get your dog outside to let them finish whatever they need to do. Then back into the crate, which also helps to get them out of the way while you do clean up.
Lots of suggestions exist out there for dealing with messes, especially as clean up isn’t always a simple endeavor on surfaces like carpet. If it is in an out of the way place and its urine (and still wet). Try scooping some cornstarch on it. Do NOT blot it first (that just forces the fluid down into your pad and floor.. ugh). The cornstarch will absorb the liquid and let the water evaporate over a day or so then you can just vacuum it up all dry and clean! Obviously this is why it needs to be an out of the way place to work. Vinegar/water can also work to help with discoloration and odor, which is critical since the odor can attract your dog back there if they ever need to go while in the house in the future.
That is the system, it’s that simple. If you have an accident, and can’t find where you did anything “wrong” just try to up the supervision a bit.
Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Obedience/Training
by Ms. Dany Canino
Conversation between two new puppy buyers:
Owner #1: “…the breeder of my puppy wants me to get a dog crate to periodically put my puppy in until she´s past the housebreaking and teething stage, but I just can´t bring myself to put that adorable puppy into a cage like a wild animal. I love her too much to do that to her. I think it´s a cruel practice.”
Owner #2: “…I got a crate for my puppy and I don´t think it´s cruel at all. I was able to housebreak my puppy in less than a week and now that he is teething I put him in his crate when I´m not there to watch him. This way, he doesn´t destroy anything nor get into anything that might hurt him or kill him. I love my puppy too. I love him enough to give him this protection. Interestingly enough, the puppy now absolutely adores going into his crate.”
One week later, same two puppy owners:
Owner #2: “…Why don´t you bring your puppy over today to play with my puppy?”
Owner #1: “…I can´t . My puppy was rushed to the Vet this morning for emergency surgery. Apparently she was chewing on something, we´re not sure what because she was in another room of the house, and it lodged in her intestines. The Vet is trying to dislodge it. Right now, we don´t even know if she is going to live. The Vet told me that if I had had a crate for her during this teething period, this situation probably wouldn´t have happened. I really wish I had listened to my breeder.”
THIS SCENARIO ISN´T HYPOTHETICAL. IT HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES. EVERYTHING IN YOUR HOME AND YARD CAN BE SAFE IF YOU LEARN ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF USING A DOG CRATE FOR AN UNTRAINED PUPPY. THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT INTRIGUE A PUP; ELECTRIC CORDS, A TRASH CAN THAT HAS DANGEROUS MEAT BONES IN IT, AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON.
You might look at a crate as a sort of cage, but to your dog it´s simply a bed with a door on it, or an indoor doghouse. Dogs are by nature, “den or cave animals.” Therefore, a crate is not such an unnatural setting to the dog´s basic instincts.
Bringing a new puppy into your home is quite an event, not only for the family members, but for the puppy too. Sometimes, it´s quite devastating to a puppy to discover not only how tall his new littermates (or pack members) are, but also that they have no fur on their body and they don´t walk on all fours nor do they bark as he does. So a crate becomes a very comforting place for the puppy to retreat to when he becomes overwhelmed.
By natural instinct dogs don´t want to soil their den. So, using a crate in your home to housebreak your puppy is the fastest way to ensure that your puppy will soon come to regard the entire house as his den. Crates are very portable so they can be moved from room to room for teaching this.
It´s important that you remind yourself that your pup isn´t a human being. He is a dog! He is not capable of reasoning and thinking like a human being. You have to learn to think like a dog thinks. You have to realize that even though dogs have been domesticated for centuries, they are still, quite often, governed by their natural instincts. Dogs are pack animals that are looking for pack leadership. It´s important that we establish early on to the dog that “we” are going to be that leader. So when you start crate training your puppy and they balk at the idea, don´t relent. You might have to physically put the puppy in the crate the first couple of times, but remember, if this pup was with his momma and she wanted him to go into the cave and stay there, she would be very demonstrative in her actions to make her demand known. You´re not going to bear your teeth into him like his momma might nor will you have to growl at him, but you´re not going to be swayed by his whining, barking, or scratching on the crate floor to make you give up the battle. Feel right by what you´re doing as you´re doing it for his own good. Remember that your dog won´t have to live out his life in this crate. This is for a short period of time until the dog knows what he is allowed and, is not allowed to do.
The crate is to basically get him through the early stages of his life, to include housebreaking and teething. Once good behavior has been established, which should include basic obedience as early as 4 months of age; your dog can be completely integrated into the household. He can then be trusted to not use your home as a bathroom and not use your furniture as a teething ring, By the way, when he is teething, put him in his crate with a couple of ice cubes. The cold cubes will help to freeze the gum from pain and the hardness of the ice will suffice the dog´s need to chew on something hard. You can even take a small “gumabone” and put it in the freezer for about an hour. Give it to the pup in his crate.
Don´t be surprised if when you´ve left the crate door open you discover your pup is inside taking a little “catnap”.
Just think of how nice it´s going to be not to have to scold your puppy constantly so that your relationship with him becomes basically a negative one. Instead, every time you let him out of the crate for bonding time, your relationship will become positive. Furthermore, a crate will avert you from giving up on this dog because you´re sure he´s too destructive, untrainable, and just plain stupid, only to find out that you encounter the same problems with the next dog you get.
You´ll also discover that the crate enables you to take the dog with you on family vacations. He can travel safely in the car, not panting or drooling on anyone. Oftentimes your pet will be allowed to stay in your room at the motel if you prove to the manager that you have a crate for your dog. The motel will know that this dog cannot destroy anything if he´s in a crate.
The size of the crate depends on the size of the dog. If you´re going to get a crate that will suffice the dog as an adult, you´ll need to block off a portion of the crate to housebreak the pup. If the crate is too large the puppy might decide to sleep at one end of the crate and go potty at the other end.
If you want to introduce an older dog to a crate, try putting his food in the crate (with the door open) each time you feed him. A hungry dog will accept a new situation much faster. Let the dog get used to this new object as something pleasant before you close the door with him inside. Once you do close the door, sit beside the crate for a few minutes the first few times you leave the dog closed up in the crate. Be sure it´s for short periods of time at first. You´ll be surprised how soon he comes to accept this as something comfortable and pleasant.
There are so many different uses for a crate that the list is almost endless. Just think of the professionals that you respect that use crates, Veterinarians, groomers, dog trainers, and the breeder you bought your dog from. If you´re still in doubt just ask these people about the benefits of using a crate. I guarantee you that by the third person you talk to you´ll be on your way to your local pet supply store to purchase a crate.
Besides being your pup´s second best friend, a crate will save your sanity and, it just might save your pup´s life.
Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Obedience/Training
Crates, kennels, cages and probably a host of other references both admiring and disdaining have labelled the modern age’s answer to the doghouse. With the exception of some types of collars (notably choke and electric shock) no other piece of training equipment has been the source of more controversy. This is perhaps more the fault of how the crate is used than due to any inherent aspect of the crate itself.
Ultimately, a crate is to serve to replicate the sense of a den. Whether wild or not, dogs seem to have a preference for some rather interesting cozy places. Dogs will find their favorite place under a wide variety of items (typically with very low clearances) like porches, beds and tables.
Crates serve as a great tool for preventing the creation of bad habits and life threatening possibilities. A dog that is crated will not slip out the door, they will not consume garbage or chew on electrical cords during those few moments that you can’t supervise them. Nor will they destroy your $300 pair of Italian loafers or jump on your dry cleaning as you walk in the door. Clearly, this type of influence with your new dog, be they young or old, can go great lengths in maintaining domestic harmony while they learn the new routine and manners needed.
Additionally, a crated dog is one who’s energy level is being influenced. It is far easier to communicate to a dog that it’s nap time. This again offers the benefit of helping you introduce and reinforce the preferred routine.
To argue that you wouldn’t want to be in a crate so you wouldn’t put your dog in one, or that it seems like a prison, can have merit depending on how the crate is used. First, let’s consider that when you were a child and without the sense of routines, manners and good judgment, you were closely monitored, probably very closely monitored. You were diapered and a good parent would alert the moment you weren’t in eyeshot. You would have spent some amount of time in cribs, walkers, playpens, etc. Ultimately, many of us were crated during our formative years, for many of the same reasons mentioned here. Much as when we were children, the issue was less that these tools were employed and more how they were employed.
Using a crate begins with its introduction. Many pups are introduced to a crate for the first time when they leave their litter and are sent home, alone. This is a bit unfortunate. It’s a lot for a puppy to cope with and for that puppy who has already grown familiar to a crate, perhaps by climbing on and sleeping in while with his littermates, it serves to be something comforting during this period of stress. For a puppy that has never been around a crate before, it is just another trauma. Regardless, either pup can quickly learn to appreciate their crate as a haven of peace, security and safety.
Crates can also be used in such a way as to create problems or at least make them worse. Excessive crating (for long periods of time) is difficult for dogs to tolerate. Their very instinct compels them to choose a place other than their “bedroom” for eliminating. Leaving a dog in a crate for a long period of time will only increase their restlessness as their discomfort finds outlet. Dogs that will ultimately eliminate in the crate can be remarkably challenging to housetrain. It’s also been said that crates should not be used for punishment. This is accurate but requires some understanding of a consequence versus a punishment. By simply crating a dog to end an undesirable behavior (for example, a dog fight) you are able to communicate safety, security and the fact that its time to chill, in one fairly easy motion. To scream at the dog while you are doing this would only add to the tension and potential aggression and resentment.
So, how does a loving dog owner consider introducing a crate. Ideally, you have a week or so where you can allow the dog in the room around the crate to consider it with the door open. You feed the dog in the crate (again with the door open) and have inviting things in the crate, like a bed. Should the dog go into the crate unbidden, you can provide them with a chew toy and close the door. They may show initial restlessness like a bit of whining but this should pass (5-20 minutes depending on the character of your individual) and they will begin to entertain themselves or nap. At this point, you can let them out. Early on, the most challenging and perhaps necessary aspect of the crate training is to let them out when they are quiet. A barking dog will quickly learn that his noise results in the crate door opening. This is not an ideal precedent for a long and happy life with your dog! Crating with the door closed should be kept to a minimum at this point of 5-30 minutes at a time. When the dog is let out of the crate, they should be escorted to a proper potty place and essentially ignored until they get that job out of the way. Praise then follows. Should our canine friend forget why they are out there, they will go back into the crate after the exercise session. House privileges need to be reserved for dogs that aren’t getting ready to “go”.
Within the previous paragraph is the philosophy behind crate training and its contributions to housetraining. As the dog becomes more familiar with the crate, times can be increased. Ideally, at least as a routine, dogs should not be left crated for much more than 4 hours (and this would be an adult). While the need may not be desperate, after 4 hours, virtually all dogs feel the need to potty and stretch. The exception to this is overnight as many dogs and people can sleep the night through comfortably but with a fairly immediate need in the morning. Many dogs live very happy lives crated in the morning until someone comes to exercise them around lunchtime and then crated after that play/potty session until their people are home in the evening and a more energetic few hours filled with visits and play before bed time. Certainly many dogs are in schedules that are more demanding, even to the point of 10 hours crated while their owners are at work five days a week. This level of crating is very challenging over the long term and some if not many, will end up with anxiety as a result and become difficult to crate, destructive when they are out, hyperactive and generally neurotic as they have few options in dealing with this level of stress. To suggest that these dogs would be better left loose in the house is equally irresponsible as they are so stressed as to now lack (assuming they ever had them) the skills to deal with good behavior while loose. For a dog that is either inexperienced or now expressing the result of a poor crating schedule, the best choice in most cases is to introduce the dog to a more ideal schedule and regular breaks (ideally starting at more often than every 4 hours).
Breeder/Exhibitor Ed, Obedience/Training
written by by TD Yandt
submitted by Judy Bohnert with permission:
You are more than welcome to share the article and to include it on the DPCA site. I’ve been to your site often and do recommend it to others. It’s a fabulous resource! Thank you for writing.
Brightest Blessings, TD Yandt.
Clicker training is a form of operant conditioning. It´s a way to train your pets without punishments or harsh corrections. It´s building a path of clear communication between yourself and your pet. It builds trust, increases confidence, and results in a happy, eager-to-please pet who loves being with their person.
The typical clicker is a small hand-held rectangle made of plastic. You slip your thumb into a hole in the side and push down on a metal piece that makes a clicking noise. Clickers are typically available at any good pet supply store, small mom-and-pop dog shops, or the little corner pet store. You can also find them online at several sources. They come in a range of styles and shapes, with the typical rectangle box being the most widely available. They range in price from $1.50 to about $7.50. Price does not always reflect a difference in quality.
The first thing you need to teach your pet is what the click means. The easiest way to do this is by setting up a really relaxed first training session. You aren´t teaching any tricks or shaping any behaviors, so there is no way you can do this wrong. Relax and just have fun with your pet.
Pick a favorite treat — for dogs, a hot-dog sliced into little pieces; for a bird, a bit of raspberry; for a cat, a can of flaked tuna; for your rat, a dab of baby food, etc. Whatever your pet loves to munch. It´s important to pick something your pet really enjoys. However, some words of warning: Be sure not to pick anything too big. You want tiny nibble-sized portions whenever you are training. Something that takes more than two or three chews is too big. Think soft and tiny.
Now, with your treats beside you and your clicker in hand, you are ready to start your first training session. Click, and give your pet a treat. Do it again. Click and give him another treat. Click, and treat. Click, and treat. Click, and treat. Notice a pattern?
By this point, your pet should be starting to anticipate that when he hears a click, he will get a treat. Keep repeating this. Click, and give him a treat. Click, and give a treat. Click, and treat. Click, and treat. Isn´t this fun? Once you start noticing that with every click your pet is looking to you for a treat, he has learned what the click means. It means a treat is coming. It´s a promise of something good.
Your pet may not understand the concept of conditioning, or that you are teaching him that the click is a marker and a contract between the two of you. All he knows is that he must have done something to please you, because when you click you are happy and he knows you will give him a treat he really loves. And this is what is important. It is building up your pet’s confidence and trust in you.
At this point, you should end this first training session. So click one more time, and give your pet a “jackpot” – a small handful of treats; four or five treats is a perfect amount. You always want to end a training session with a success and the occasional jackpot. It´s important that you end each training session on a positive note, so your pet will look forward to training with you next time.
Now. This is when the fun really begins. It´s time to start playing the clicker game with a goal in mind. For your first behavior, it´s best to pick something really simple; a behavior that your pet already does naturally. For a dog, try sit, down, come, or a kiss. For a bird, try a whistle or a wing flap. All of these are really simple to shape.
Clicker training really is a matter of breaking tasks into small easy-to-train steps. This is one of the many reasons that this form of training is used for assistance dogs. You can take a very complex task, like getting the mail, by taking it one step at a time. This is, for some people, the most difficult part of clicker training. For some people, it comes really naturally, and for others, it´s hard to think through a task in such baby steps.
Let´s look at shaping “step up” with your pet budgie. The first time you click in this session should be when your bird looks at your hand (that you´ve conveniently placed near him). Don´t forget to give him a treat right after that click. When he looks at your hand again, click and treat. Do this a few times until you are sure that he understands that what you want is for him to look at your finger before “upping the stakes.”
“Upping the stakes” refers to increasing your expectations, moving one step closer to the end behavior. In this instance, you are going from clicking when your budgie looks at your hand, to clicking when he moves towards your hand. Some birds may only lean towards your hand, while others will take a step towards you. In either case, click and treat. If it takes three steps (a lean, a shuffle, and then a step) or one, that´s fine. Remember to break things into tiny baby steps.
When your budgie is reliably taking a step towards you, then start clicking if he touches your hand with his beak, wing or foot. Work towards getting him to touch your hand with his foot. Keep slowly upping the stakes, one small step at a time, until your budgie is consistently climbing onto your finger.
Once your budgie is reliably stepping onto your finger when it´s offered, it´s time to add the cue. In this case, it would be “step up.” We only start adding the cue when we are at least 80 percent sure that your pet will offer the desired behavior. Say “step up” right before your bird does so, and click the moment he is on your finger. Just keep practicing, and before long, when you ask your bird to step up, he will.
The keys to training any behavior are patience, consistency and repetition.
Be patient. It takes time for an animal to really understand what you are asking for. If you find you are starting to get frustrated, take a break. It is possible you are trying to take too big of a leap. Make sure to break down each behavior into small baby steps.
Be consistent. If you let your cat on the sofa once, and push her off the next time, you will end up with a very confused cat. Decide on the rules and stick to them. Do not reward your pet for a behavior on one occasion and punish her for it the next.
Be repetitious, it may seem redundant to ask for behaviors you think your pet already knows, but animals don´t generalize. Practice each cue in many environments (kitchen, bathroom, yard, etc.) and from different positions (sitting, standing, kneeling, etc.) to “proof” the behavior.
If you are patient, consistent and repetitious, you will be able to train your pet to do all sorts of fun and useful tasks. A well-trained pet will help you, your family and your pet enjoy your time together much much more.
