Owning a dog and training them to control their
bowels requires a great deal of patience and can become a rather
arduous task. The problem is that dogs by nature answer the call
of nature whenever they feel the need and don’t really care when
and where. All they understand is their immediate concerns and
they just have to go. Potty training your dog is aimed to correct
and guide your new companion on where and when he should use the
toilet. Like all forms of obedience training his basic toilet
instincts need to be changed to conform to your domestic needs by
the gentle use of conditioning.
Fundamentally, there are four key elements that can help you in
potty training your dog. Sometimes the best way to toilet train
dogs is to confine them using either crates or cages for this
purpose. Make sure that the crate or cage is big enough for your
dog allowing him enough room to turn around and lie down. The main
purpose of doing this is to discipline his bowel movements using
another basic instinct to help you. Dogs usually don’t want to
mess their den so they will normally tend to find a way out of
their crate to either urinate or eliminate their bowels.
It is not intended that you should imprison your pet as this would
be cruel but to place them in confinement after a meal and they
will soon give some sort of signal that they need out. Remember,
you are only taking advantage of a dog’s basic need to keep his
personal accommodation clean. By doing this repeatedly every time
your dog needs to potty will create a regular toilet pattern which
your dog will follow even when he is no longer confined no his
crate or cage.
Using a leash is an important aid in training a dog to potty. The
leash will keep the dog from running away and is a perfect tool
for controlling your dog and directing him to the place where you
want him to potty. It is very important that you train your dog to
understand certain commands such as "go potty" so that he will
associate these words with his toilet needs. In order for your
commands to be understood and remembered by your dog it is very
important that you use the same words over and over again.
Similarly, never forget to direct your dog to the place where he
is suppose to potty every time you give the potty command. Lastly,
don’t forget to reward or praise your dog for every correct
response that he makes. A happy dog is better and easier to train.
In potty training your dog, it is very important that you search
for the proper timing when to finally give your dog the freedom to
potty on his own. There are dogs that are quick to potty train
while there are some that requires more time. Either way you need
to exercise a lot of patience and you also need to be extra
observant to see how well your dog is coping with the training.
It may well be a good idea to provide a baby gate for your dog to
limit its area of freedom. A leash is also essential especially
for dogs who love to chew things, dig on the ground and toilet
anywhere indiscriminately. Dogs give certain indications when they
need to potty. All you need to do is to be extra conscious of
these signs. Some of the potty displaying signs made by dogs can
be easily detected when suddenly they become uninterested in play,
or become restless and run out of the room, and of course, there’s
the I-want-the-toilet look. Ultimately, you will become very
familiar with all these potty warning signs and eventually this
will make the whole potty thing easier for you and for your dog.
