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Episode 2 – Time for Housetraining

So, now you have your puppy – it’s time to housetrain!

This is one of the fundamentals of dog training so you really need to get it right from day one.

You can listen to the FREE podcast above or why not download my e-book on Housetraining your Puppy for only £2.99?

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Other discussions in the podcast – Handling tips – Develop your ‘Doggy Radar’ – you can listen on the link above

House training with your dog (house breaking or potty training)

It’s a frequent question of what can be an infrequent but persistent problem. To really get to the bottom of it (sorry about the pun) you need to look at the bigger picture first of all. You can also listen to the podcast for the full version of these show notes.

Is it a new puppy?

In the podcast Jon describes his puppy housetraining routine for his 3 Bassett pups at Kennel Bjorkwood. It is well worth making sure that you establish a really, really ingrained habit. It is time consuming but worth it, for a new puppy. ‘Housetraining your dog’ is available on the Intellidogs site here

But what if you don’t have a new pup? What if you have an older dog that seems to toilet only at certain times, or overnight?

Keep a diary

What is the existing habit your dog has built up? What triggers the house soiling? Make a note of all the activities in the day, and record what, when and where the accidents occur. If necessary, leave a webcam or video camera running. Information is a very powerful tool in sorting out a problem.

What are you doing to help or hinder?

Are you punishing the dog when you find an accident? It’s probably way too late unless you catch the dog in the act. Anxiety will make a dog toilet in fear – and may even make them hide the evidence by hiding away and toileting. Or worse still, even eating what they produce. Predict when they will toilet and quickly act by taking them outside and rewarding them well when they do perform where you want them to!

Are you rewarding them enough for going outside? What if the weather is poor – why would they want to go into the dark or the rain? Maybe you have a nervous dog anyway. Some dogs will hold on during walks or outside and toilet in the house where they feel safer. You need to give them something worth going out for. Great food, or possibly a game, can follow when your dog goes in their outside space.

Build a new habit

Decide that from now on there will be no more mistakes. Set your dog up for success. If necessary, teach them to enjoy being in a crate so that you can limit accidents! You must ensure that your dog is understanding that the best rewards lie outside after they have toileted. Work out when the dog needs to go to the toilet – after they have eaten, had a drink of water, just woken up, just been paying. Go back to square one and teach from scratch! You can find a full description of this on my mini book chapter on housetraining your dog here if you are not sure what to do.

Is it ‘toileting’ or is it scent marking?

Male dogs (and sometimes females) can scent mark on territory, especially if they are in a new room, or someone else’s home. They may do it if they feel a little insecure! For scent marking behaviour, sometimes castration is the answer but it is not always a solution – talk to your Vet. There are some more tips how to prevent this on the podcast. If your dog is cocking its leg and producing a small amount of urine on a vertical surface, they may well be scent marking. You will need to have eyes like a hawk and watch for those signs of sudden alert sniffing on a vertical surface… interrupt quickly and take them elsewhere. Clean the area thoroughly using a good quality pet enzyme cleaning product to prevent revisiting!

Might my dog have a medical problem?

Any problems like this should really mean that you take your dog for a Veterinary check-up first. Your dog might have an infection or a sign of something more serious, especially if there has been a sudden change in their toileting habits. If your dog is older, they can show a gradual decline in toilet training habits as part of their ageing process. There may well be other symptoms of this as well, but do ask your Vet or a qualified behaviourist about this. There are some things you can do to help.

If the worst comes to the worst and your dog is simply ‘leaking’ or is unaware that they are toileting, you may wish to invest in a dog nappy. It sounds crazy but these can often help you cope with an elderly or incontinent dog that otherwise has no other problems.

So – get those diaries started, and do seek qualified professional help! Housetraining can be conquered!

The free download on ‘Crate training’ referred to in the podcast is available by emailing Karen on podcast@karenwild.co.uk

This podcast was sponsored by 2Pure Petfresh - perfect for removing those housetraining spills – recommended by pet professionals.

More importantly, is there anything we can do to stop it?

Recorded as The WildPaw Dog Podcast with Karen Wild and Jon Buscall

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Other items in the WildPaw podcast:

• The John Lewis department store Christmas advert. Do you think John Lewis should be left out in the cold – or should they be wrapped in twinkly lights? What is your opinion? podcast@karenwild.co.uk

• Detective firm in Milton Keynes spies on dog fouling public

• Chihuahua makes the grade as Police Dog in Japan

Why does my dog eat poo? UGH!

First of all – DON’T PANIC.

Whilst they appear to enjoy it, it’s worth taking a look (not too close…) at what might be some causes.
 Does your dog have a medical problem? There are medical conditions and some medications themselves that can cause a dog to feel more hungry. Allergies and other problems that can cause the food to be malabsorbed could be a factor, so it’s always a good idea to ask your Vet, especially if the problem has suddenly started in an older dog.

Your dog’s diet: Partly linked to the above, but it may be that your dog is not getting the right nutrients it needs. Nutritional deficiency may cause your dog to want to supplement its diet with that little extra something. They may even be a bit bored with the same food every day, and are looking for variety of taste and texture!

Attractiveness: Well, it may just be that what comes out still tastes and smells like it did going in! Some foods are highly palatable and remain so after they have ‘emerged’. You could take a look at whether or not your dog is digesting the food properly if they are eating their own faeces. If they are eating that of other species, such as horse, cat or fox, then there may be other factors. Commercial cat food is quite strong smelling in order to make it attractive to cats, for example.

Is my dog hungry? Dogs, as we know, will scavenge. Some dogs value food highly and may simply see this as a case of ‘waste not, want not’.

Is it a dog houstraining problem? Are they ‘destroying the evidence’? If a dog has been punished by an owner for toileting in the home, they may wuickly eat any signs of the faeces in order to avoid future trouble.

Is it harmful? There is of course bacteria in faeces as well as germs, and also parasites such as worms can be passed along in this way. Some of these are not harmful to the dogs but they are harmful to humans so be very aware of hygiene. Especially if you have a ‘licky’ dog and young children! Our natural reaction is ‘ugh’ and that’s for a good reason, as we may not be as immune to some infections as a dog might be.

Competition for resources: If a dog thinks they are going to be beaten to their ‘prize’ by the owner, or perhaps by other dogs, they will quickly gobble it up. This is particularly so in certain dogs who really do see food as a very valuable resource.

What do I do about it? Along with some of the reasons above, your question will next be – how do I deal with it?

If it is a dietary or medical issue then your Vet will help.

Adding things to the faeces: It is possible to add a nasty taste to the poo to deter your dog. This may or may not work, given the reasons above. Sometimes a dog will eat it anyway, which is not at all nice and shows the dog really must be keen and/or depserate. I believe that with the amount of effort this takes it is probably just as easy, and certainly more long-term useful, to train the dog with the suggestions below.

Improve digestion? There is a theory that adding pineapple, or courgette, to your dog’s diet may help with digestion and therefore make the resulting faeces less palatable.

Will a muzzle help? If you have a particularly greedy dog who also gobbles up stones and everything else, after checking with your Vet, you may wish to use a muzzle out on walks to at least buy you some time to get on with training. It’s really only a part-solution but it prevents unwanted Vets bills in the meantime.

Provide a toilet area in the garden, as this is easiest to control and supervise. And of course, it may seem obvious, but do pick up regularly, especially if you have a young puppy. This will help to stop a habit becoming established.

Training your dog to leave it, and a great recall too

It is always better to distract and reward your dog with something that is a lot better. Something that YOU control. Some tasty, smelly treats in your hand, can work wonders. Don’t try boring biscuit!

Teach your dog the OFF command, and a Rock Solid Recall, too (mini-books available to download on my site). This saves you shouting or getting stressed yourself, and gives you the power to enforce what it is you want. Using a long line is also a really important part of this training with a persistent dog. Teach the dog that you are predictably going to give a command, followed by something better, including actually not allowing them to get into foraging behaviour. Act early and act positively. Be more persistent and determined than they are, and always ensure you are likely to succeed. A good recall is an absolute must for any dog, and this is another use for it. Teaching the ‘Off’ or Leave command really ends up being more of a negotiation. ‘If you leave that and back away, I have got something better over here’.

Thank you everyone for reading and listening! See you next week! Comments are very welcome below.