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Consistency
is key to housebreaking success
August 9, 2007
While visiting friends one evening, I had the pleasure of witnessing a
celebration that would rival most. Their sweet dog Emily had just gone
into their backyard to relieve herself, and her joyful parents cheered,
clapped and congratulated her with hugs and kisses.
I was waiting for the ticker-tape parade and cheering crowds to appear
next. They were so full of praise I found myself secretly wishing I
could trade places with Emily and be queen for a lifetime in their
household.
You might assume it was Emily's "first time," but it was not. They were
simply adhering to the golden rule of reinforcing successful
housebreaking with praise, praise and more praise.
Fortunately for Emily, she has humans that have a colorful and
fun-loving way of letting her know that she's pleased them and that's
she's done a good job.
Every dog owner goes through housebreaking, and the basic ingredient for
success is patience, combined with consistency and praise. Housebreaking
methods vary, but the most important guideline is to be consistent with
whatever technique you decide upon.
When Emily's humans first began their housebreaking methods, Emily was
essentially already housebroken, having lived in a shelter and a
previous home setting. Their work was simply to help her adjust and
establish a consistent routine in her new home, while overcoming some of
her innate anxiety.
They quickly discovered that giving her options wasn't the best route.
One of her humans was taking her in the backyard, while the other
preferred taking Emily out the front door on leash so she could relieve
herself on a short walk.
Any inconsistency can confuse our dogs, especially in training as they
become unsure of what we want from them, and their ultimate pleasure in
life is pleasing their humans. Once Emily's humans agreed on the
destination spot, she was on the road to success.
In my housebreaking experience with my dog Lola, she was a very young
puppy. For most of us, that is a classic scenario, and it requires lots
of patience. In Lola's case, she was too young to venture outside,
because she needed all of her shots and immunizations before tackling
the wide outdoors. So we began a weaning version of housebreaking.
We started with a pretty wide span of newspapers on the kitchen floor,
and every several days we would make the span smaller and smaller until
we navigated to the door. Once she was fully immunized, we would take
her outside every hour and a half or so, using a consistent verbal
command and reinforcing it with praise.
It's common for puppies to have accidents, because they can't fully
control themselves until they are a few months old. Also, dogs do not
like to soil their sleeping area. Crate training -- keeping them
contained but taking them out many times day and night to relieve
themselves at the preferred spot -- can work as well.
Housebreaking is essentially helping them establish a routine. For
example, taking puppies out a few minutes after every meal and after
they've consumed water is a good way to help show them the routine.
Even if you think they don't have to "go," and even if they don't
relieve themselves each and every time, continue the routine habitually.
It's also important to remember that when you discover "accidents,"
scolding them after the fact won't help. The incident has passed and
they have no idea what you're upset about. Scolding will only reinforce
their confusion.
Finally, when they begin to initially show that they've passed the
accident stage, an accident or two may still occur. That's when patience
has to kick in.
Your longtime companion is almost at the finish line, and continual
praise and consistency will help him or her achieve the gold medal and a
life of ticker-tape parades and lots of love.
- Gloria
Dauphin
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