Author: Kevin Simmons
Article source: http://www.topdoghouses.com/. Used with author's permission.
Making sure that accidents don't happen in the first place is the focus of this article about dog house training. Training is far easier and faster then getting upset with your dog every time they eliminate in an inappropriate place. The methods discussed in this article are effective for both puppies and older dogs that are new to living inside.
First of all, you'll need to purchase a crate for your pet. Talk to someone at the pet store to get an idea as to what size you'll need, as it will depend on the breed, temperament and size of the animal. And don't think of this crate as being a punishment, even before you bring it into the house. Instead, think of it as your dog's special resting place when you are unable to protect your house or furniture from his temporary inability to control his bladder. Since dogs don't like to eliminate where the rest or sleep, this is an effective, easy way of training.
Put the crate in an area that isn't far away from the action in your household. The purpose here isn't to segregate your dog into a separate living space, but rather to use the dog house training methods to teach them the appropriate place to take care of business.
Your animal may not like the crate at first, and this is normal. However, don't reward negative behavior by letting him out when he whines, giving him treats to keep him quiet, or spending time with him when he's barking or being boisterous. Alternatively, you MUST reward good behavior with affection, food or some other treat as soon as the behavior is displayed.
The first night that your new dog spends in your home, take him outside before he even gets into your home. Play with him there until he decides to go to the bathroom. When he does, reward him instantly. Then, play with him for a bit, and place him in his crate. This dog house training plan should include taking him outside every two hours (or more), since you don't know his schedule, yet.
On the topic of schedules, now is the time to start keeping one. Make a list of every time your dog eats, goes to the bathroom, and sleeps. A pattern should develop, and once it does, make a note of it on your dog house training schedule. We'll go more into this in a bit.
The first couple of nights, tuck your puppy into the crate, and go to bed. If he cries, take him outside for a potty break, gently support and encourage him, and then put him back in the crate. Within a couple of days, puppies should be sleeping through the night on their own.
Once you've figured out your puppy's schedule, adhere to it. Most likely your dog has to go to the bathroom as soon as he gets up, so make sure to take him outside before you do almost anything else. Then, you can leave him out until about an hour before he normally has to go again. Then place him back in his crate, and take him out at the scheduled time. Do this until there are no accidents (and if there are, make sure to add that time to the daily crate list). Slowly, you can cut down this time until you no longer need to crate your animal. In total, this should take a couple of weeks, at maximum to finish this dog house training. (c) 2005 dog-training-info.com. This article may be republished as long as these bylines are included.
Kevin Simmons is the webmaster of http://www.dog-training-info.com. Please visit the site for more free dog training articles. Online URL for this article: http://www.dog-training-info.com/dog-house-training.htm
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