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Table of Contents 01 Introduction Fun facts about dogs... 02 Potty Training Overview 1 1 3 03 Potty Training Techniques 6 The direct method... The paper method... The bell method... The rope method... The crate training method... The potty patch method... The whistle method... 6 6 7 8 8 9 9 04 Dog hygiene 10 05 Worst training techniques and Common Mistakes 12
Introduction: Dogs are people s best friend. The relationship that you have with your dog is all up to how you want your relationship to be. If you are a dog lover and show your dog a lot of love and affection your dog will show it back even greater. The more activities you do with your dog the closer your dog will become with you. Talking to your dog, taking him on long walks, playing with your dog, spending quality time with him or her will all get your dog to be more responsive and attentive with you. This will go a long way when you train your dog. Fun facts about dogs 1. Poop eating is fairly common among particularly young dogs. Not a lot is known about why dogs do this but there are several theories, such as. The dog is suffering from nutritional deficiencies. Boredom: he eats poop because there s nothing else to do. It just tastes good. No matter what the reason, it is rare for a dog owner to be excited about their dog eating poop. If you see your dog doing this, do your best to stop him or her. It is potentially dangerous for your dog to eat either his or another dogs poop because it can contain worms, harmful bacteria, and other parasites. 1
Introduction: 2. Seeing eye dogs pee and poop on command so their owners can clean up after them. Male dogs are thought to pee without lifting their leg so they don t get their owners pants leg by mistake. 3. Dogs urine can corrode metal. Studies show that dog urine contains certain acids that corrode metals. So the next time your dog pee s on a lamp post, it just might be more dangerous than you think. 4. Dogs have a tendency to pee if they hear a sudden loud noise, so be careful on the next thunderstorm when your dog jumps in your lap. 5. When dogs get really excited, like when you come home and they are super happy to see you. Be sure to watch your shoes for yellow stains. 6. If you ever see your dogs wipe their butt on the floor, pay close attention because 9 times out of 10 when they are done they go back and take a big sniff on the floor they just laid tracks on. 2
Potty Training Overview When you start to train your dog, be sure to stay consistent with the same commands or messages throughout the training. The more consistent messages and commands you use with your dog the less your dog will become confused. If you have a family, make sure to include them in the way you want to train your dog. Try to always praise your dog the same when your dog does good and to reprimand your dog the same when the dog is being bad. It is best to pick one person to do the main training with your dog. Even though everyone will be using the same method and commands with the dog, but as you re starting the training dogs react to body language. The dog can get very confused if the dog has to read several different body languages when it s trying to learn what you want to teach him. During potty training for instance, timing plays a big part on how fast the dog will learn what you are teaching him or her. The timing I am referring to is the time from when your dog takes either a good action or bad action, when the action is taken you want to make sure that you are either praising him or her or reprimanding them. You should take either action within two to three seconds after the dog takes action, because if it is any longer than that, the dog could have trouble associating your action words with the action the dog has just taken. Try to keep in mind that dogs have a mental capacity of a toddler. Also remember that dogs are animals of habit and they learn by repetition. You must havepatients when potty training your dog because it will take several repetitive sessions to get your dog in the habit of what you are implanting in their memory. Dogs also require refresher sessions throughout their lives stay conditioned. Dogs are intelligent animals. Dogs understand vocabulary and depending on the breed of the dog will depend on just how much vocabulary your dog can understand. Some dogs can only understand a few words, others can learn vast vocabularies. Some dogs do their best and can strongly understand just five or six basic commands. 3
Potty Training Overview This is why repeating the same command is so important in training your dog. The use of the same verbal commands and doing the same actions help your dog to form a strong understanding on what commands go with what action. Here is a tip when you either correct your dog or reprimand him. Try to say his or her name first before using a command word or disciplining your dog. This is to get the dogs attention before you give the command word or discipline you are ready to give. Potty training your dog is no easy task, but depending on how you do it will result in just how easy or hard the potty training task was. When you first get a puppy, you can expect him or her to have accidents overnight if the puppy is less than four months old. When they are under four months old they have a hard time holding their bladder throughout the night. You will also notice what you may consider weird behavior. For instance, if you have a male dog they like to urinate on random things. They do this to mark their territory by leaving their sent behind. Female dogs do this too, but more commonly only when they are in heat. Both breeds of dogs like to scratch at the ground after they have defecated. It is said they do this to also leave a scent behind for other dogs to find. Dogs have scent glands on their paws and in between their toes. Once they defecate they scratch at the ground to release more scent produced by their paw glands and scrap dirt from their paws toward their facile matter. Some dogs actually bury their facile matter. It is said that they do this to hide their scent from predators, which they have inherited from their wolf ancestors. There are some very effective ways to get your dog to go potty in the same spot without hurting the dog or punishing the dog. If your dog has already found a place to go to the bathroom where you do not want him to, you will have to break them of that. Dogs have bad habits, when they find a place to go they usually like to go back to the place they are familiar with by smell and sight. If this is the case, the best way without causing harm or punishing the dog is to give the dog more chances to go outside to use the bathroom. If there is a particular spot you would like the dog to go, put a leash on the dog and walk them to the spot you want them to use an command them to go pee. The dog may not be used to go on a leash yet so you may have to wait a little longer than usual. If they still don t go, then take the dog back inside for a ten minute break and try again until the dog goes. They are smart and usually get the hint. After the dog goes where you want him or her to, be sure to praise the dog. Say good boy or good girl and you can also 4
Potty Training Overview reward them on the spot with a treat. Every time this is done they will remember and think, Ok if I go here, I will maybe get a treat. But after a few times of the dog using the same spot, it becomes second nature to them because it is now a habit to go there. A potty patch is a good option to go with. It is an artificial grass patch that dogs. Recognize as a natural potty area. Once the dog starts going on the potty patch,he or she will most likely always return to it. The best thing about the potty patch is you can use it inside or outside. 5
Potty Training Techniques The direct method The direct method is to let your puppy associate with them relieving themselves outside with your praise. 1. Once the puppy has eaten, either take or let them outside right after their meal, if they go to the bathroom make sure you praise them right away. Say good boy or good girl, you can also reward the dog with a small treat. 2. If the dog does not go to the bathroom when you let them outside, you can bring them back in but make sure you let them back out about every 30 minutes to an hour until they go. 3. Make sure that when you let the dog back in to keep an eye on them to make sure they do not go inside the house. If the dog comes in and attempts to go indoors, you can clap real loud and say in a stern voice no bad dog and let the dog outside right away. If the dog is stubborn then you can always get creative and use a little squirt gun an give the dog a spray or two to get them to stop so you can let him outside. The paper method 1. If you live in a high-rise apartment or if the dog will be in the house alone for a few hours, select a room and put newspaper down on the whole floor. For some reason puppies love to go to the bathroom on newspaper. 2. To get him to start to use the newspaper, right after the dog eats place them in the room with the newspaper. 3. Once the dog uses the newspaper to relieve themselves, clean up all the newspaper but one sheet that still has some urine on it. 4. Put down new newspaper on the floor and on the top place the one old sheet of paper. This way the dog will be able to find the spot he used the bathroom before and out of habit will use it again. 6
Potty Training Techniques 5. Each time the dog uses the newspaper, make the area covered by the paper smaller each time until you are down to one square. 6. This would be a good time to use a potty patch, you can put the one section of newspaper on the potty patch and when the dog relieves him or herself, take the section of newspaper away and the dog will use the leftover scent to go on the potty patch from then on. The bell method 1. Buy some bells and hang them on the door you want the dog to use to go outside to use the bathroom. 2. When the dog begins to go to the bathroom in the house, pick them up, put a leash on them and go out the door with the bells to take the dog outside to finish going potty. Do not take the bells outside with you Keep the bells on the door because it will only confuse the dog on what the bells mean. 3. If you keep doing it the dog will catch on eventually. 7
Potty Training Techniques 4. Try to come up with an uncommon word that you don t use around the house for a command word for the dog to use the bathroom. You could try tinkle, tinkle to tell the dog to go to the bathroom and it will relate that word with going to the bathroom. The rope method 1. Get a 15 foot piece of rope or leash and tie one end to your belt or belt loop and the other end to the dog s collar. This will keep the dog insight of you all day. 2. Look for signs that the dog needs to go to the bathroom. 3. Take the dog outside to go to the bathroom and praise the dog after they go. The crate training method 1. Have a dog crate ready at home before you bring the dog home. Make sure the crate is large enough for the dog to stand up in and turn completely around in. 2. Put food and water in the crate with the dog. 3. Put your dog in the crate anytime you leave the house, go to sleep and at night. The dog will think of the crate as a den and will not want to go to the bathroom in the crate. 4. Take the dog outside as soon as you let the dog out of the crate. When the dog goes to the bathroom, be sure to praise the dog and give them a treat if you would like. 5. If the dog does not go in a considerable amount of time, use a keyword like tinkle, tinkle to urge the dog to go to the bathroom. Dogs are very good at going to the bathroom on command. 8
Potty Training Techniques The potty patch method 1.Purchase the potty patch. 2.Place the potty patch in a room that you would like the dog to use it. 3.You may have to take the dog to the potty patch and use your command words or method to let the dog know it is ok to use. The whistle method 1. Purchase a dog whistle. 2. When the dog is sleeping, blow on the whistle and tune until it alerts the dog. 3. Create a whistle pattern to use for what you are training your dog to do. For instance, instead of using a command word to get your dog to pee use the whistle as the command method. 9
Dog hygiene Checking a dogs ear s at least once per week help prevent any complications to the dogs ear that could be caused by, redness, inflammation, ticks, mites and unusual odors. To clean a dog s ear, use a dampened cloth either with water or oil. Wipe out any dirt inside the ear slowly. Don t try to go down into the dog s ear canal. Eye infections are a big problem among dogs that you want to avoid if possible. Use a dry clean cloth to wipe away any dirt or eye discharge. If the eye discharge is yellowish in color contact your veterinarian right away because it is a sign of a possible eye infection. Include teeth brushing as early as the puppy stage. Dogs can also develop periodontal disease. There is a variety of dog toothpaste and toothbrushes available. Also be sure to bath your dog about every 6 weeks. Bathing helps keep the dog smelling good and keeps their coats shiny and soft. It also helps any skin problems the dog may have. Consult your vet or groomer to find out the best bathing solution for your dog. 10
Dog hygiene A potty patch is a really good method on potty training your dog. Potty patches are great to use on a lot of occasions. If you live in a high rise apartment building, an apartment, or just to use a permanent spot for your dog to go to the bathroom outside. It is also a great tool to use if you work or are not home a lot. If you re not a big fan of the crate technique and want your dog to have freedom to run the house when you are not home the potty patch is the answer. Sure you could always keep down newspaper or a puppy pad but, from experience, coming home after work every day and getting the unpleasant smell hit your nose as soon as you walk through the door after a hard day of work and you have to go right to the newspaper room to clean up the mess before you can even take a minute to yourself, that gets old very quick. With the puppy pad product it is big enough for your dog to do his or her business and small enough to not take up much space. It looks like a little patch of grass and it absorbs your dogs mess so there is no run over onto your floor. The potty patch is very easy to clean, be sure to clean it every day to keep your house or apartment smelling fresh. Pick up the solid waste after the dog relives him or herself and pour the liquid waste down the toilet from the collectable tray. At the end of the day, just wash the plastic grass and tray with mild soap and rinse with water and allow it to dry overnight. 11
Worst training techniques and Common Mistakes When you first bring your puppy home you have to make sure that you get on top of the potty training. If you don t start the process right away, the puppy will just start going to the bathroom where ever the puppy would like, not knowing it is a bad thing. There are a lot of bad techniques that people use that are really cruel to the puppy. Some people will bring their puppy home and not keep a good eye on the puppy to see if the puppy looks like they may have the urge to go. The puppy will normally sniff around a little before he gets down to business. This is the time you want toput one of the methods into action. A quick pick up of the puppy and taking him outside works well as a fast way to get the puppy to start understanding he needs to go outside to go to the potty. Don t forget to use the keyword of your choice or the whistle technique to tell the puppy to go to the bathroom, even if the puppy already started; still say the word or use the whistle so the puppy starts comprehending that word or whistle blow with potty. As for the worst techniques would be: 1. When the dog pees on the floor, be sure not to hit the dog with your fist, newspaper, or any hard objects that can cause the dog physical harm. This will cause the dog to be frightened of you and will begin to act aggressive toward you, family, friends or just people in general. 2. Don t scream at the top of your lungs in the dog s ear to try to get the dog to stop. It will only scare the dog more and hurt or possibly burst the dog s ear drum. It can also make the dog turn aggressive or frightened of you. 12
Worst training techniques and Common Mistakes 3. If the dog defecates in the house on the floor, do not stick his nose in it to try to show the dog that it was bad what the dog did. The dog does not comprehend that if he gets his nose stuck in poop, he did wrong by pooping there. You really have to treat your dog like you would treat your infant. If you want your dog to grow up being a loving, loyal, and best friend. Make sure to treat the dog accordingly. 4. Make sure you do not get your dog dependent on treats to go to the bathroom. Treats are good to use when you are training him to go to the bathroom where you want him to. When the dog starts understanding that he has to go to the bathroom outside, start cutting back on the treats and just use the praise technique until he goes to the bathroom outside all the time. You don t want your dog thinking I am not going to the bathroom unless I get a treat. 13