Dog Training FAQ

Dog Training FAQ

Dear Ty, I have a 7-month-old shih tzu/bichon/poodle mix puppy (male, neutered) who is having a difficult time understanding that the "bathroom" is outside. I have begun (today) keeping him in his crate (where he sleeps at night) and only letting him out to take him outside to go to the bathroom and for a-few-minutes-at-a-time play in the house. I have also begun feeding him in his crate (he always has water available to him.) Will I see results by being this strict with him or am I creating an unhappy and potentially unruly dog? I don't want to keep him in his crate forever but I can't let him stay outside and I can't have him pottying in the house. Thanks

Hi Sally, Thanks for your question.
The first thing you must realize is that if your dog has gone to the bathroom indoors a few times he has already started to build an association toward going to the bathroom indoors. To be considered "housetrained" your dog must have a positive association to going to the bathroom outside and a negative association toward going to the bathroom indoors. Here is how to do it:

I think you are doing the right thing by crate training your dog. It does sound, however, like he may not be getting enough time outside the crate. The way I housetrain my own dogs at home is by keeping them in the crate while I sleep, when I am not at home, or when I am to busy to supervise. When I am home I keep my dogs outside the crate, but 100% supervised. And it must be 100%. The best way to accomplish this, I have found, is to keep my dog on leash in the house and sometimes even attach the leash to my leg. In this way I know exactly what my dog is doing at all times and when he goes to soil my carpet I can immediately grab the leash and give a strong jerk, tell him 'No', and take him right to the yard. I know it is a hassle to keep your dog on leash but if you do this well it may take a month or so of training. In my book, a month of inconvenience is definitely worth a housetrained dog, right? You must supervise perfectly, though. If your dog gets the chance to go to the bathroom and isn't caught in the act he is training himself to go to the bathroom indoors.

If you do this right you will eliminate accidents when you can't supervise because your dog will be in the crate, and you will soon eliminate accidents while you are around because of your constant supervision. You will build a new association to going to the bathroom outside because of repetition and you will build a negative association to going to the bathroom indoors because you will correct him when he tries to go potty. Makes sense, right? Dog training is all about building associations.

See the articles under crate training and housetraining and feel free to write back with any other questions you may have.

Good luck and good training. Sincerely, Ty Brown

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