The most important thing to understand about house training an animal is that dogs do not think in terms of "good" and "bad" behavior as we do. They also have a very different ability to process cause and effect. Punishment, therefore, does not work very well when house training a dog. Often what will happen when you punish a dog for going to the bathroom in the house is they will simply become sneakier.

So how DO we create good behaviors? The answer is to build good habits. Dogs are creatures of habit. In fact they take this trait to an extreme.

The foundation of house training an animal should be crate training, which we cover on another page of this site (see link at bottom of page). A crate is essentially a small kennel, usually made of heavy wire. It should be large enough for your dog to stand up, turn around comfortably, lie down in any position and if you desire to feed your dog in the crate it should also have room for a food and water bowl. It should be no larger. Under no cirucmstances should it be large enough that the dog can eliminate in one end and sleep in the other.

While enjoying time in a crate is foreign to our psychology as humans, a crate in fact satisfies a dog's denning instinct. It is not cruel to keep your dog in a crate when you cannot supervise them, as long as they are getting adequate social time with their "pack" - which means you!

Begin crate training immediately when you first bring your dog home. Housetraining should begin at the same time.

At first, take your dog out for potty breaks often. In fact you should take him/her out more times than they need. The goal is that by being outside so much they will form the association between potty time and outside. Always take the dog out for a potty break immediately after releasing him/her from the crate, and very shortly after eating(especially with puppies and adolescents).

Your dog will of course try to eliminate inside when he/she feels the need as well. That is the other reason why a crate is important. While you are house training your dog, you must never leave them unsupervised. If you need to do something that would mean you cannot supervise them, or if you just need a break, put them in the crate for the duration of the activity. Then release them and immediately take them out for a bathroom break.

To correct the behavior of elimination in the house you must catch it before or during the act. Even immediately after completion is too late. If you catch them in time, correct them verbally and immediately take them outside for a potty break. It is important to take them outside, even if they do not need to eliminate anymore. If you don't take them outside, they may just come to the conculsion not to eliminate around you and will therefore just become sneakier about it instead of beginning to ask to be let out.

When you catch them before or in the act, do not rub their nose in the mess, or leave them outside. They will not understand what you are trying to communicate. You will only damage your dog's trust in you.

If they have already started walking away from the waste, do not punish them. Just clean it up. Dogs understanding of cause and effect is very immediate compared to ours. This means that if you correct them at the same time as the act, they will understand the correlation between your displeasure and the act of eliminating. (We already covered communicating the distinction between eliminating in your presence and eliminating inside) Once they leave that act, however, in their mind it is done. They are unlikely to understand why you are angry or what you are trying to communicate to them.

Of course, when correcting your animal - do not strike them - ever. That is not beneficial in any way.

Click here to learn more about crate training your dog.

Visit the CHHS Online Training & Behavioral Center to read more articles on training, understanding your companion animal and culitivating desirable behaviors.

If you have any further questions feel free to call us at 316 283 0839. We are here to help!


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