House training a dog is a super important process that all pet parents have to go through. To make things easier on you, we spoke with certified trainer, Erika Gonzalez of From Dusk Till Dog, to get her top tips to house train your dog.
What is House Training?
House training or, potty training, is the management of accidents by teaching your dog that outside in the place to go. The main goal here is to decrease or eliminate accidents indoors.
The 3 Golden Categories
While potty training, dogs should always be in 1 of the following 3 categories:
Category 1: Your dog is outside going potty with you
This is the best-case scenario. When bringing your dog outside, you’ll want to bring them to a common area that they can routinely identify as their ‘potty area’. It’s best to use a leash when you head out with your pup as you’ll have more control.
It’s important that you’re right there with your dog to reinforce / reward them. So, you’ll want to be sure to have a high-value reward ready to give to them immediately after they go. And we mean immediately after the last drop falls! This is a very common mistake as people tend to wait too long and then their dog doesn’t understand what it’s being rewarded for.
Category 2: Your dog is inside with 100% supervision
This is what pet parents tend to have the biggest problem with. As a pet parent who’s learning to house train your dog, you need to be watching your dog at all times. That means no letting your dog sneak off into another room or behind the couch! By keeping a watchful eye on them, you’ll be able to understand their unique behavioral cues before they go to the bathroom and will know when to let them outside.
If your pup starts to go while you’re there, stay calm and politely interrupt them by very lightly clapping or gently picking them up. The key here is to not startle your pup. From there, direct them outside to finish their business!
Category 3: Your dog is inside and you’re unable to give them 100% supervision
In the event that you can’t supervise your pup, you want to manage the environment to set your dog up for success. So, you’ll want to have your dog “gated or crated” so they’re kept to a smaller space. That way your dog can’t practice having accidents around your house and if they did happen to go, it would be in that confined area.
A lot of dogs actually enjoy being in their crate and don’t want to soil their sleeping areas. So, being in a crate while unsupervised can work very well when potty training.
What if my dog has an accident inside the house?
If your dog has an accident, yelling at them or showing them what they’ve done wrong isn’t effective. Dogs don’t understand that concept and they won’t know why you’re really upset. Instead, you should learn that that’s a sign to keep a more watchful eye over your pup. Patience really is key when it comes to successfully house training your pup!
How should I clean up after an accident?
Whatever you do, use a dog specific cleaning product. The bottle should say enzymatic cleaner and identify as pet specific. These products are designed specifically for neutralizing pet odor. By really cleaning up the mess with one of these products, your dog won’t be able to smell their accident which will prevent them from having another one in the same spot.
2 Common Myths About Housetraining:
Myth #1: “My puppy knows they did something wrong because of the look of their face is guilty”
This is actually a sign of appeasement, not guilt. When we find an accident, our typical reaction is to get mad or to look upset and surprised… your dog can actually tell that you’re upset. This is a trigger to them as a sign of danger and so their instinct is to look cute. In reality they have no idea why you’re mad.
Myth #2: “My dog purposely goes potty in the house to get back at me…”
First of all, our pup’s aren’t capable of planning an evil scheme to upset us. And secondly, unlike humans, dogs are not actually repelled by feces and in fact, a lot of them like it. So, there’s no reason for your pup to “get back” at you by leaving a pile of poop on the kitchen floor! In these situations we need to understand that as the human, we’re in control and should take the blame. We may just need to give our dog’s a little more guidance!
Have any questions on learning to house train your pup? reach out at whatthepup@spotandtango.com
