ALL K9-INSIGHT STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR A $100.00
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ALL K9-INSIGHT STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR A $100.00
DISCOUNT OFF ANY IN-KENNEL PROGRAM |
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Trainers Andrea Holsinger (l) and Kass Goulding with 3 personal dogs DART ™- Aggression Rehabilitation Retriever Field Training Seminars Bertschire Flat-coated Retrievers Pet Care Products, Non-Toxic Cleaning Products and more
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Housebreaking And Destruction HOUSEBREAKING PROCEDURES FOR PUPPIES AND ADULT DOGS: UNDERSTANDING ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS To understand how housebreaking is accomplished one should understand a little about a dog's behavior in the wild. By nature, dogs are pack animals. This means they are social creatures and their wild societies have a very ordered set of rules. In addition, dogs are den dwelling animals. In the wild dogs feel very safe in a den. Also, Mother Nature equipped the dog with instincts that prevent the dog from soiling, with their own excrement, the den area. As pups, wild dogs will begin to follow their mothers out of the den area as soon as they are old enough. They will continue to return to the same area by identifying the scent. There are several reasons that housebreaking problems arise in the human environment. With the exception of health problems and, occasionally, extreme temperament problems, housebreaking problems are the result of a lack of proper communication between owner and dog. To begin with, dogs do not understand the difference between the inside and the outside of your house. If left undirected, your dog will choose an arbitrary bathroom spot and will continue to return to the same spot by identifying the scent. Contrary to popular belief, dogs do not use the bathroom in the house out of spite or anger. Left undirected, most houses are large enough for a dog to choose a bathroom area inside the house which is an acceptable distance from the dogs sleeping area. Dogs left to roam the house without supervision will soon be soling the house. The dog will establish a den area and all other areas of the house will be fair game for bathroom activities. Many people try to confine their dog to one room. This is not usually acceptable because most rooms are large enough for the dog to establish a bathroom area and a sleeping area in this one room. For those of you who work, some obvious problems can arise during the housebreaking period. Puppies must be shown what you want in a way that they understand. Punishing the dog for accidents only serves to frighten and confuse them. You must control and shape the dog's behavior by preventing the use of the house as a bathroom area. In other words, the key to housebreaking is environmental control. The procedure outlined below will show you how to housebreak your dog successfully without punishment, pain or suffering of any kind.
SUPPLIES NEEDED: ONE DOG (OF COURSE!!!) ONE OR MORE OWNERS ONE COLLAR AND LEASH TO FIT YOUR DOG OR PUPPY ONE FOOD AND ONE WATER BOWL SEVERAL CHEW TOYS (SEVERAL IS NOT EVERY ONE YOU SEE AT THE STORE!) ONE AIRLINE TYPE PLASTIC CRATE (PURCHASED LARGE ENOUGH TO ACCOMMODATE YOUR DOG AT IT'S ADULT SIZE, SO THAT YOUR DOG STAND UP AND TURN AROUND) LOTS OF PATIENCE AND CONSISTENCY
HOW TO PLAY THE GAME TO WIN (THE RULES, IN OTHER WORDS) 1) Any time you are not home or too busy to watch the dog, it must be confined to the crate (see crate breaking section) 2) The dog should be taken out on a collar and leash each time to the same spot in the yard. 3) Paper training only serves to teach the dog that it may use the house for bathroom purposes. Paper training will confuse your dog and you will pay for it later. Stick with outside; it may seem more difficult now but it will be worth the extra effort in the end. 4) The dog must be taken out first thing in the morning, not 5 minutes later. This includes weekends. It is very important to stay on schedule. 5) The dog must be taken out last thing before you go to bed. 6) The dog should be taken out 5 minutes after every meal. 7) The dog should be taken out after a drink of water and after play. 8) The dog should be taken out when it wakes up from a nap. 9) The dog should always receive verbal praise for going to the bathroom when you take him out. 10) When you are home you must keep the dog within your eyesight. Use barriers, which prevent your dog from roaming the house. This will help prevent accidents from occurring without your knowledge. 11) If you catch the dog in the middle of an accident do not punish. Instead, pick up your dog quickly and whisk it outside to the bathroom area. Stay out with the pup until it finishes its business, then praise!!!! A "cue" word or phrase (such as "go potty", "go outside", "get busy", etc.) will help teach a little bit faster. 12) Do not expect your dog to begin to understand this new concept of housebreaking until it's at least 4 months old. If you have an adult dog expect at least 4 months to pass before your dog will begin to understand. INTRODUCING YOUR DOG OR PUPPY TO THE CRATE Contrary to popular belief, putting your dog in a crate is not cruel or inhumane. In fact, experts have proven that dogs sleep most of the time when owners are not at home. This answers why they are so active when you arrive home from work. With proper introduction dogs grow to love their crates. To the dog a crate represents a safe and secure place. Dogs still retain many of their instincts from the wild and a small enclosed place protects them from predators and intruders. Many dogs will go into their crates to sleep on their own. There are several additional benefits to the use of a crate. First, the dog cannot chew up the house when it is confined to a crate. Chewing is not only destructive; it's dangerous. Some dogs will ingest parts of the item they are chewing, and that can easily result in a painful blockage that requires surgical intervention to relieve. All dogs go through a chewing stage, which usually lasts until about two years of age. This behavior is natural and will disappear when the dog is mature. However, in cases where the dog is allowed to develop the habit of chewing household items a pattern of destruction may emerge and can last for the dog's entire life. All dogs should be taught that only certain items may be chewed. The crate prevents chewing on unacceptable items, thereby shaping a habit of chewing on acceptable toys, which the owner provides. Also, dogs travel well in crates if they are kept in one at home. When visiting a strange place otherwise well behaved dogs may be come destructive. Bringing the crate along when traveling helps prevent destruction that would otherwise occur because of the stress of change. The dog will also feel secure and happy in their crates. INTRODUCTION TO THE CRATE 1) Feed your dog in the crate. Start with the crate door open and place the food bowl in the back corner. Leave the room. Try this a few days until the dog is comfortable going into the crate to eat. 2) Begin closing the door after the dog has gone in, at mealtime. 3) Begin closing your dog in the crate with a few safe chew toys. You may have to help your dog into the crate at first. Remain calm and cheerful and choose a word which you will always use when putting the dog into the crate. It is important that you disregard your dog if he barks or cries. Do not punish for this behavior. Instead, praise the dog when he is quiet and let him out of the crate. 4) Consider feeding your dog in the crate at every meal for the rest of the dog's life. It is cleaner and most dogs eat better when they are not disturbed. HOW TO STOP YOUR DOG FROM CHEWING UP YOUR HOUSE AND DESTROYING YOUR SANITY In addition to the use of a crate to control chewing, one must find a way to control chewing when the owner is home and the dog is loose in the house. Dogs are natural chewers. Therefore, they must be taught what they can chew. Owners must be careful with the use of punishment to stop unwanted chewing because the dog may think it is not suppose to chew at all. 1) Chew toys must be chosen carefully. You should have a few safe toys that your dog cannot destroy. Nylabones, pressed rawhides and hard rubber toys are good choices. Do not give your dog articles of clothing, shoes or rags to chew. This will only confuse your dog since your dog does not understand the difference between good and old household items. 2) Remove as many chewable items from your dog's reach as possible. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. 3) When you catch your dog chewing something unacceptable do not punish or yell. Instead, remove the item from his mouth and replace it with a chew toy. Praise!!!! Avoid chasing the dog to retrieve the item; try calling him to you and rewarding the recall with the acceptable chewing item. 4) Yelling at your dog to, "drop it" serves no purpose other then to scare the dog. In addition, you can ruin your dog as a retriever in this manner. Always, replace the article with an acceptable chew toy. Soon, your dog will only be chewing on his toys.
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