HOUSETRAINING
by
Wayne Hunthausen, DVM
Housetraining is one of the most important tasks for the new puppy owner.
Most dogs spend a considerable
amount of their lives inside the home, so this makes successful housetraining
essential. Successful completion of
housetraining is so important, that a dog is at risk of being given away or
taken to the shelter if it is not trained in an expedient manner to be
dependable in its elimination habits. For
the most part, housetraining involves reinforcing elimination behavior in a
desirable location while preventing the behavior in undesirable locations for a
long enough period that the appropriate behavior becomes well entrenched.
The whole process may take anywhere from several weeks to many months
depending on the consistency of the family and the pet’s
capacity for learning. A consistent, patient owner should be able to
complete housetraining within a relatively short period of time, usually within
three months. The overall goal of housetraining is to teach the puppy when to
eliminate, where to eliminate and on what material to eliminate.
Reinforce elimination in a desirable area: The first step is to teach the pet where it is
acceptable to eliminate. To do
this, the owner must guide the pet to the chosen elimination area, mildly praise
any sniffing or other pre-elimination behaviors, and heartily praise it
immediately after it eliminates. The
owner can also provide a small food reward immediately following elimination to
more strongly reinforce the behavior in the desired location. The opportunity to eliminate outdoors should frequently be
given to the pet, especially after eating, drinking, napping, playing and before
confinement periods. In order to be consistent, the owner must go outside with
the pet every time in order to supervise and reward appropriate elimination.
Because the act of emptying the bladder and/or bowel is rewarding in and
of itself, owners should be counseled that what they want to reward is the act
of eliminating in the proper location. It is often desirable to use a phrase (go
potty, be quick, hurry, take care of business) as the puppy begins to eliminate.
This can often place the elimination behavior under verbal control, which is
useful when the puppy is not on its home territory.
Provide a consistent feeding schedule: The owner needs to set up a relatively fixed feeding
schedule. Food should be offered
for about 30 minutes, two to three times daily, at the same time every day.
By controlling the time at which the pet eats, the owner will have some
control over when it eliminates, which hopefully will be a time when the owner
will be available to take it outdoors. The
last meal should be finished about four hours prior to bedtime.
Water should be available all day and taken up just prior to bedtime
unless the pet requires access to water throughout the night due to a medical
problem.
Prevent elimination in undesirable areas: One the most important facets of housetraining involves
preventing the habit of eliminating in the home from forming.
The pet must be very closely supervised for an adequate number of weeks
until elimination in an appropriate area has been satisfactorily reinforced.
To accomplish this, the pet must be kept within eyesight of a family
member 100% of the time when it is roaming about in the home. The owner should confine the pet to a small area, such as an
exercise pen, or place it outdoors when it can’t be supervised.
Baby gates or a leash can be used to prevent the pet from wandering away
when the owner is busy. Confining a puppy to a kennel when it cannot be watched is a
common way to prevent the pet from housesoiling during training.
The owner should be counseled not to over use it.
The pet should not be confined to a small sleeping area for longer than
it can physically control elimination or for more than four to five hours during
the day on a constant schedule. Until
the pup has not eliminated in the home for at least four to eight consecutive
weeks, it should not be considered housetrained or allowed to wander off
unattended. Once that time has
passed and the pup is exhibiting control, it can gradually be given more freedom
in the home unsupervised.
Deal with mistakes: No matter
how closely the pet is watched, mistakes are bound to happen. If the
housesoiling repeatedly occurs in one area, an objectionable habit may readily
become established. To help prevent
this, urine and fecal odor should be removed from soiled areas with an effective
commercial deodorizing product. Fabric
and carpets should be soaked with the product, since merely spraying the surface
is not likely to be as effective. Closing doors or moving furniture over
frequently soiled areas will prevent access to those areas.
The pet can be taught to avoid some areas by making them unpleasant.
Upside-down mousetraps, balloons set to pop when disturbed and
motion-activated alarms can be successful in teaching a pet to avoid an area.
However, these items should only be used when the positive approach alone
has failed since any aversive stimulus runs some risk of inducing fear in
a sensitive young puppy. Another way to prevent resoiling is to change the
behavioral function of the areas. Since
a dog usually won’t eliminate
in an area where it eats, sleeps or plays, the owner can place food bowls,
water bowls, the pet’s bed or toys
in areas where the pet has soiled to stop elimination in those places.
Punishment: Punishment
is overused, relatively ineffective and not required for successful
housetraining. It must be discussed
with all pet owners because it is usually used in an inappropriate manner.
All owners should understand that physical punishment, harsh reproach
and rubbing the pet’s nose in urine or feces are unacceptable, ineffective and
may break the bond between the owner and the pet. A sharp noise such as a quick
stomp of the foot, a loud handclap, or a sharp thump on a tabletop can be used
to interrupt the pet when it is caught in the act of eliminating in an
inappropriate area. The sound
should be just loud enough to stop the behavior without frightening the pet and
it should not be associated with the owner. The interruption should only be
given during the unwanted behavior. The pet should then be taken to the area the
owner has chosen as an appropriate elimination area and praised for completing
its eliminations there.