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Common housetraining mistakes

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If you don't seem to be making any progress with housetraining, check your methods. It's easy to make mistakes that don't seem important to us but have a big impact on a puppy.

Here the two biggest mistakes people make:

  • Keeping your puppy in the yard, instead of in the house in her crate, makes house-training much more difficult. You're basically teaching her it's okay to eliminate anywhere and anytime she wants. So she'll go ahead and do so when she comes inside.
  • Rubbing your puppy's nose in the mess, smacking her with a newspaper, and similar misbegotten advice can derail all your housetraining efforts. These punishing methods can make your poor dog too frightened to eliminate in your presence. If your pup is scared to go when you're around, she'll learn to hold it on walks and relieve herself only after you've left the house.
If housetraining is still dragging on and you can't figure out why, check with your vet. Your pup may have a physical problem, such as a urinary tract infection, that makes it hard for her to hold it.


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“Classical conditioning is your friend.

Dogs are great associative learners. Set your dog up for success through ritual and routine. By anticipating their needs and when they might need to go, you can set up good habits and avoid accidents.

It's okay to interupt your dog if they begin to make a mistake, and take them to an appropriate place. But please remember, a dog will generally tend to associate actual punishment with the act itself, rather than where the act is taking place.

A walk is also a great way to help your dog "get it all out".” — chasorg, Jul 11 2008

“Classical conditioning is your friend.

Dogs are great associative learners. Set your dog up for success through ritual and routine. By anticipating their needs and when they might need to go, you can set up good habits and avoid accidents.

It's okay to interupt your dog if they begin to make a mistake, and take them to an appropriate place. But please remember, a dog will generally tend to associate actual punishment with the act itself, rather than where the act is taking place.

A walk is also a great way to help your dog "get it all out".” — chasorg, Jul 11 2008

“Right away, especially in the summer when it is so easy. Here is a link on how to get started:
http://dogtime.com/start-housetraining-0-to-3-months.html


” — Kelly Dunbar, Jul 09 2008

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