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Potty Training your Puppy

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Puppy potty-training often becomes an unnecessary burden to both puppies and their new parents. It creates stress for both parties and can also instil fear in your puppy which should be avoided at all costs. Here are some toilet-training tips that will ensure an easier, more pleasant journey to a house-trained pooch.

What it Takes for the Parent

House-training your fur baby requires immense amounts of patience and consistency on your part, as the parent. Showering them with positive reinforcement for favourable behaviour will also fortify the loving and trusting relationship between the both of you.

House-training can take between 4 – 6 months and in some cases, even up to a year so try to maintain a sense of humour throughout this sensitive process.

Size Matters

Smaller dogs tend to have faster metabolisms and obviously smaller-sized bladders than their larger counterparts, so they’ll need more frequent trips to relieve themselves.

Appropriate Age to Commence

12 – 16 weeks is considered a fitting age for a puppy to start learning where to do their business.

How to Commence

  • Maintain a regular feeding schedule for your puppy and don’t allow them any treats to snack on in between meals as this will set in cause for confusion.
  • Take your puppy outside onto the lawn immediately after a meal. Feeding generally stimulates the digestive system and puppies usually need to urinate approximately 15 minutes after eating. Mother Nature generally calls after your puppy has woken from a nap, so lead them outside to the same spot in the garden to do to their business.
  • Ensure your puppy has gone to the toilet just before you retreat to bed as well as just before you leave them alone for any amount of time.
  • Lead your pup to the same place to relieve themselves every time and stay with them until they’ve completed their task.
  • The most important thing is to make a fuss of your puppy with reassuring praises and scrumptious healthy treats.

Parental Blunders to Avoid

  • By punishing your puppy, you are not only causing them to fear you, which is unacceptable and damaging to the special bond between the two of you, but you’ll jeopardise all the hard work you’ve both put into the house-training process thus far.
  • Using ammonia-based cleaning products will only encourage your puppy to urinate again in the unsolicited area as the scent of these detergents resemble that of urine.
  • Rugs and carpets that bear a resemblance in texture to grass, should be either locked up or closed off from puppy’s reach until house-training is successfully achieved.
  • Set an alarm at intervals during the night to let your puppy outside to relieve themselves. They are too small and too young to go through the entire night without urinating.
  • Laziness on the parent’s part, especially in the middle of the night, is not an option when house-training. Your diligence and hard work will pay off and will swifly speed the process along.
  • Over feeding your pup or feeding them meals at the incorrect times will only stand to confuse them and put the whole system out of sync.
  • It’s unfair to leave your puppy alone for extended periods of time, thereby forcing them to relieve themselves indoors.
  • Exude a calm, patient and supportive attitude throughout the training process. Your intuitive little bundle of fur will pick up if you’re agitated, nervous and impatient with them and this will impede all you have both worked for

Remember that house-training is not a race! It requires patience and empathy from the parent and is also a wonderful opportunity to strengthen your bond with your puppy! By ignoring unfavourable behaviour and reinforcing positive behaviour through encouragement, praise and treats, you’ll be on your merry way to having a house-trained pup in no time!

Written for inFURmation
by Taliah Williamson

Pets don’t come trained, but you can help them!

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Pets dont come trained

Training your animals and addressing behavioral concerns is your responsibility as a pet owner.
Last week we looked and the why and what of training your animals, so this week we will jump right in with some tips for training your pets. The majority of training tips about animals is focused on dogs, however, the psychology and principles remain similar for animals in general. Remember that opinions and situations might differ, but it is important that you, who know your animals best, use what works for you and them.

Also read other pet training tips.

Here are our tips

  • Their name – Choose the animal’s name wisely. It helps to consider a short name ending with a strong consonant that they can always hear clearly. A strong ending, like in the names “Jasper,” “Jack” and “Ginger.” We choose not to use their name in the negative sense for example when trying to interrupt a behaviour.
  • Start young – Although we believe you can teach an old dog new tricks, the earlier they put a particular skill or training in their memory bank, the better!
  • Reward-based training – Positive re-enforcement is our preferred method and punishment is never one! Reward-based training is less likely to cause stress or anxiety, but positive however, does not mean permissive. Don’t set your pet up for failure and allow them to rehearse the right behaviour frequently. Keep the session short, simple and fun. Give them options, but also choices in the training. Be careful not to become dependant on treats only for training. Your attentions is another great reward that can be used.
  • Train in “dogs time” – Pets live in the moment and two minutes after they’ve done something, they’ve already forgotten about it. So, when your animals are displaying unwanted behaviour, use the training techniques right away so they have a chance to make the association between the behaviour and the “correction”. Consistent repetition will reinforce what they’ve learned.
  • Direction not correction – Interrupt the unwanted behaviour as soon as possible and redirect them at that moment e.g., if they are digging a hole in your garden, guide them to the sand pit you made for them immediately.
  • Address the cause & soon – As soon as serious behavioural concerns (e.g. aggression, fear etc.) surface and you ruled out any health issues, address the behaviour immediately (hours or few days). Do not let it escalate. You need to find out what is the cause of the behavioural changes. This could be a new family member (animal or human), a kid or adult abusing them, moving, lack of stimulation or resources etc.
  • Handle reactivity – Reactivity affects their ability to train and is an important aspect to address. Reactivity is when a dog overreacts to things in its environment. These reactions can include barking, lunging, and growling. You need to limit or cease exposure to the “random” triggers and rather work on them in an isolated, well-planned setting.
  • Consent – Consent should be CLEAR, VOLUNTARY with ONGOING PERMISSION! Consent is an important part of any healthy relationship and teaching people to allow the animals to approach you is a good practice that we need to be ever-encouraging. Even when you touch your pet it should be with consent. Don’t let people just touch your pets because they are “friendly”.
  • Body language – Animals use a series of facial expressions and body postures to communicate what they feel. Your ability to understand and interpret body language can help you to pick up on unspoken issues or feelings for your animals. It is a major part of communication, meeting their needs and it will improve training. Watch out for T-E-M-P (tails, ears & eyes, mouth and posture). Never punish a growl. This is a sign that they are uncomfortable. When you punish it, next time they might skip the growl and go straight to biting. Know what is normal behaviour and what is not. Some behaviours like digging, sniffing butts or crotches, rolling in stuff and even humping/mounting are quite normal.
  • Eye contact – Training eye contact as a wanted behaviour can help you with other areas of training. To teach your animals eye contact as a behaviour, you simply need to reward them when they look at you. This teaches them that deciding to look at us is a rewarding one, and as such, they will begin to do it more often and for longer periods. Then, if you choose to, you can add in a cue like ‘look’, so you have the behaviour on cue, and you can take it on the road.
  • Hand signals vs. verbal cues – Verbal commands are great, but I like for our animals to understand hand signals too as an additional skill. This could be helpful in an emergency or when they are further from you or when you can’t talk for some reason.
  • Exercise-displine-affection – The biggest cause of misbehaviour in dogs is when their needs for exercise, discipline, and affection are not fulfilled. Especially when they do not get enough exercise to drain their excess energy and bring their minds to a more calm state, during which we can reinforce and reward that calm behaviour with affection. It is very difficult to train an overwhelmed mind and if you give affection to this overexcited behaviour, you reinforce it. Don’t reward unwanted behaviour.
  • Your mindset – If you try to train your pet when you had a long day or feel sick or frustrated, it can be detrimental to their training. Your calm, positive and assertive energy is needed for training.
Pets-dont-come-trained-1

Image by AbsoluteDogs

  • Make deposits into your relationship bank account – Trick training is a great way of teaching your pet and bonding with them. Playing games to learn is another awesome way to learn and have fun. Free play is also necessary and training should not just be formal. The best enrichment activities include natural behaviour and time with you. Are you making deposits into your relationship bank account with your pet through play and quality time? If your dog doesn’t find you engaging, it’s unlikely they’ll focus on you over the distractions in their environment (chew toys, other dogs, cyclists, smells – you name it!). Follow Absolute Dogs for more on this.
  • The breed – although we never blame the breed, a Border collie might learn a new behaviour with 4 tries, while an Afghan hound might need 40 tries. A power breed like a Pitbull can do more damage when not trained or be tougher to handle than a Chihuahua that is not trained. We encourage using breed-specific type of activities.
  • Patience – Patience, in general, is important for training. You can’t expect your pet to learn everything in a few hours. It takes time and lots of practice to reinforce a behaviour. When you ask something of your dog, give them time to think. Do not expect that because they did something well two days ago that it will automatically happen today.
  • Decide on house rules – It is important to decide in advance what the house rules are and the whole family must stick to them! Be consistent.
  • Help your dog relax – Especially when you have an anxious or fearful pet, you need to help them manage stress better. This can include getting enough sleep, engaging in sniffing, letting them chew, vet checks, safe herbal remedies or prescribed medications if necessary. PTSD in pets is a reality. You should set up a private den which is their spot alone and where they can go to debrief or relax and feel safe. When your puppy gets home, give them a warm hot-water bottle and put a ticking clock near their sleeping area which can imitate the heat and heartbeat of litter mates that will soothe your pup in their new environment.
  • Routine – Establishing a daily schedule for your new pup or other animals is essential to having a well-behaved, balanced pet.
  • Food – You can use food and treats for positive reinforcement and in games, but wean them from expecting only treats too. There is a difference between giving your dog a piece of food from the hand and your dog only getting food if it comes from your hand. When we feed dogs exclusively through interaction with us we make eating conditional, when food is a basic welfare need which should come with zero strings attached. Food aggression and guarding need to be addressed through training, however, we do believe eating should be a sole dining experience. Great if your pets can eat close to each other, but they should not be forced to do so.
  • Pet-proof your yard & home – It is your responsibility to make sure that your yard is safe and secure, especially if you are still training your pet.
  • The right equipment – Many pet parents don’t realize the importance of choosing the right type of collar, harness, and leash for their dog. Certain dogs, for example, should wear a harness and should never be leashed or even handled by the collar. I prefer the harness above a collar and leash for health and safety reasons. Teach them from a young age to be comfortable with a harness and leash. Choosing the right bowl for eating and know which toys are safe for your animals.
  • Undivided attention – If you’re like many busy animal parents today, you’re multitasking when you’re interacting with your dog. For example, you play tug-of-war with one hand while talking on the phone or checking Facebook with the other. Give them your undivided attention because they deserve it!
  • Leaving mom too early – baby animals learn valuable information from their parents, especially the mom. Studies suggest pups and kittens should stay with mom for 12 weeks and I agree!
Pets-dont-come-trained

Image by Dr. Karen Becker

Special considerations with the training of small dogs (Dr. Karen Becker)
“Small dogs have unfairly gotten a reputation for being yappy, nervous and snappy. All dogs are capable of learning good manners through fear-free training.” If you have a small dog, help them stand tall with these training tips:
1. Get down close to her level instead of looming over her.
2. Offer extra-small training treats.
3. Use a harness, as well as small-sized toys and training tools.
4. Teach your dog a verbal “lift-off” cue to signal you’re about to pick her up.
5. Let her regularly socialize with safe humans and other dogs on her own terms.
6. Don’t accept obnoxious behaviour just because of size.

Meeting your pet’s needs is your responsibility and that includes health, diet, providing fresh clean drinking water, exercise, mental stimulation, love, proper care, a commitment to their lifespan and more. Training them or addressing behavioural issues is a crucial part of this. Contact a trainer or behaviourist for professional help, depending on what the need may be. Be consistent, have patience and end every session on a positive note!

Next week we will look at some foods your dog can eat!

WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER, DO BETTER!

Source: The Bulletin

Website: www.thebulletin.co.za

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Why Is Training Your Puppy Early So Important?

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puppy

Image: Pixabay

Why Is Training Your Puppy Early So Important?

How does a puppy learn?

Happy, sociable, well-behaved puppies are every owner’s dream. However, you’ll have to put in the effort to get the best outcome, and it’s always wise to start training your furbaby when they’re still young and impressionable. They may have even had some basic toilet training and obedience training from their puppy raiser. But now that they’re home, the task is now yours to reinforce.

Puppies tend to learn very quickly, and as obvious as it might sound, they don’t learn what they’re not taught, so you’ll need to teach them how to behave right from the get-go. There’s a ton of literature and advice available on puppy training, and a quick web search should also point you to training courses that may be available in your area. Alternatively, your vet would also be the best person to advise you on the best training professionals and centres for your specific breed, or may even offer their own training resources.

What basics should you keep in mind?

Puppy training can be approached in many ways, and no two trainers will train a dog in exactly the same way. However, they will mostly agree on these few basic golden rules!

  • Positive reinforcement for good behaviour in dogs: If your puppy does a good thing, reward it. Puppies learn by associating their actions with your reactions. If they get a reward for doing something good, they’re more likely to do it again. However, you have to reward them quickly enough to make the connection — about one or two seconds. You can reward your pup with a treat or with praise, or both. You could also turn it into a game to help reinforce their positive behaviour.
  • Ignoring naughty behaviour in dogs: Sometimes your puppy will be naughty, and you’ll need to teach them what not to do. Certain behaviour, like chewing, is part of how they explore their new world. However, your pup won’t know what to chew and what not to chew. Rather than shouting at your puppy or smacking it when it chews the wrong thing, it’s best to ignore them. Just pretend they’re not there.
  • Saying “no” to protect them or others: Occasionally, your pup will do something potentially dangerous, like chewing on a live electric cord. In this case, you will have to intervene, but without shouting and corporal punishment. Interrupt the pup with the word “no” to get their attention. Then, when your pup stops and pays attention to you, reward it. Again, praise or a treat will help to reinforce what they should or shouldn’t be chewing on or playing with.
  • Keeping the training short and digestible: Puppies, like kids, have a short attention span, so it’s best to keep training sessions brief. It’s better to have five or six two-minute sessions per day than one longer session. You should also train your puppy in a variety of environments, for instance, both inside and outside the house, and on walks. Just make sure that your puppy is not distracted. Your pup will have a better chance of understanding your requests when you have its undivided attention.

Source: Hill’s Pet Nutrition

Housetraining 101

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Housetraining

Housetraining 101

Housetraining your dog or puppy requires patience, commitment and lots of consistency – this is all new for your dog and you have to teach him or her what is expected. Accidents are part of the process, but if you follow these basic housetraining guidelines, you can get the newest member of your family on the right track in no time!

Establish a routine
Like little humans, dogs and puppies do best on a regular schedule. The schedule teaches them that there are times to eat, times to play and times to do their business. Generally speaking, a puppy can control their bladder one hour for every month of age. So if your puppy is two months old, they can hold it for about two hours. Don’t go longer than this between bathroom breaks or you’re guaranteed to have an accident.

  • Take your dog or puppy outside frequently – at least every two hours for puppies – and immediately after they wake up, during and after playing, and after eating or drinking.
  • Pick a bathroom spot outside, and always take your pooch to that spot. While he or she is relieving themselves, use a specific word or phrase that you can eventually use before they go to remind them what to do. Take them out for a longer walk or some playtime only after they have eliminated.
  • Reward your puppy every time they eliminate outdoors. Praise or give treats, but remember to do so immediately after they’ve finished, not after they come back inside. This step is vital, because rewarding your dog for going outdoors is the only way to teach what’s expected of them. Before rewarding, be sure they’re finished. Puppies are easily distracted and if you praise too soon, they may forget to finish until they’re back in the house.
  • Stick to a regular feeding schedule: what goes in on a schedule comes out on a schedule! Feeding at the same times each day will make it more likely that they’ll eliminate at consistent times as well, making housetraining easier for both of you.
  • Pick up the water dish about two and a half hours before bedtime to reduce the likelihood that they’ll need to relieve themselves during the night. Most puppies can sleep for approximately seven hours without needing a bathroom break. If your dog or puppy does wake you up in the night, don’t make a big deal of it; otherwise they will think it is time to play and won’t want to go back to sleep. Turn on as few lights as possible, don’t talk to or play with your puppy, take them out and then return them to bed.

Supervision is key
Don’t give your dog or puppy an opportunity to soil in the house; keep an eye on them whenever they’re indoors.

  • For the first couple of weeks, a new dog of any age should be supervised when he has the full (or even partial) run of the house. 
  • Watch for signs that your pooch needs to go out: barking or scratching at the door, squatting, restlessness, sniffing around or circling.
  • When you see these signs, immediately take them outside to their bathroom spot. If they eliminate, praise them and reward with a treat.

Mistakes happen
Expect your puppy to have a few accidents in the house – it’s a normal part of housetraining. Here’s what to do when that happens:

  • Interrupt your puppy when you catch them in the act and immediately escort them to their bathroom spot. Praise your pup and give a treat if they finish there.
  • Don’t punish your puppy for eliminating in the house. If you find a soiled area, the mistake is all on you and it’s too late to do anything about it. Just clean it up. Rubbing your puppy’s nose in it, taking them to the spot and scolding them or any other punishment will only make them afraid of you or afraid to eliminate in your presence. Punishment will often do more harm than good!
  • It’s more effective to clean up the mess and put it in the designated elimination spot, so the smell will help your dog recognise that this is where to go. Clean the soiled area thoroughly – dogs are highly motivated to continue soiling in areas that smell like urine or faeces. 
  • It’s extremely important that you supervise to minimise the number of accidents. If you allow your dog or puppy to eliminate frequently in the house, they’ll get confused about where they’re supposed to go, which will prolong the housetraining process.

Source: TEARS Animal Rescue

Housetraining your puppy!

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puppy

Housetraining your puppy!

Housetraining a puppy can be challenging, however with consistency, proper management, and positive reinforcement, you can housetrain your puppy effectively.

Here are some guidelines for more successful housetraining:

  1. Ensure a designated toileting area ( for example, outside in the yard on the grass )
  2. Use positive reinforcement. When you reward your dog (praise, play, food, toys, etc.) when they respond to you or offer an action or a behaviour that you like, then that behaviour is likely to be repeated. Your dog learns that good things happen to them when they do the thing you like.
  3. Applying positive reinforcement methods to housetraining means rewarding our puppy every single time they toilet in the designated area.
  4. Take your puppy on leash to the designated area and wait it out ( be patient, they’re still learning). Once puppy has eliminated, reward them!  Remember not to take pup off the lead until they’ve finished, as puppies can become so easily distracted or run off to play and may not have been done relieving themselves.
  5. Set a timer for every 1-2 hours, so that you can take puppy out to their designated area regularly.
  6. Did you know that pups cannot hold their bladder for long like adult dogs? A general rule of thumb is to take puppy outside to their designated toilet area every hour, as well as after eating, before bedtime and after a nap are good times for a toilet break.
  7. Observe your puppy’s body language for signals they may need to toilet. Pawing at the ground, circling, sniffing or standing at an exit may be signs they need a toilet break.
  8. If your pup has an accident inside the home and you observe them doing it, quickly and gently interrupt them and take them to their designated area.
  9. Do not hit, smack or push the puppy’s face in it this will ONLY MAKE THINGS WORSE and cause FEAR.
  10. Punishment will only prolong the learning process and increase fear and stress. Punishment does not teach the pup where to eliminate and the use of punishment will only make them fear you and break their trust in you.

TOP TRAINING TIP: don’t be stingy with reinforcement. Puppy treats must be tasty and motivating! We recommend tiny bite sized liver biltong ( available at SPCA Vetshop ) as it is a high value food reward and your pup will learn effectively, safely and have fun!

Source: Cape of Good Hope SPCA