Potty Training Your Bully
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- Published on Wednesday, 02 March 2011 17:24
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www.BigBulldogs.com's house training 101
PREVENT, DON'T PUNISH
If you purchased your puppy from us, we send the puppy home with parasite and worming treatment for the first two weeks as a precaution to ensure that your puppy is parasite free. It is totally normal that puppies have parasites, especially when they live with many other puppies. Even though they have been treated, it is difficult to rid puppies of all parasites because they pass them back and forth to one another by licking and eating feces...Sorry guys, dogs don't greet by shaking hands like we do. THEY GREET BY LICKING BOOTY...haha
If you DID NOT purchase your puppy from us read this paragraph. If you did, then you can skip to the next one. Remember, the state of your puppy’s health will affect his ability to be successfully housetrained or housebroken. Be sure your puppy has a fecal exam within 72 hours after coming home from the breeder or animal shelter. If your puppy does not receive a “clear stool,” report possibly due to conditions like cystitis, bladder infection, etc. ) he must be properly treated. A fecal check will determine whether internal parasites or worms are present. There are several types of worms that are only visible under a microscope. Fleas can also cause tapeworm.
Feed Your Bully Pup A High-Quality Adult Food
A consistent diet of a premium brand dry (kibble) puppy food is recommended. We actually use IAMS brand adult mini-chunk. Bulldogs usually grow rapidly and need less protein than normal pups to prevent bone and joint growth problems. Avoid changing brands unnecessarily or feeding your puppy table scraps. If you should need to change your puppy’s food for any reason, do it gradually over a period of 4 to 7 days. Feed both the old and new food together adding more new food and taking away more old food each time until the original food is phased out completely.
Note: Feeding your puppy canned dog food can loosen his stool making it more difficult to housebreak him. Plus deadly contamination was found a few years back only in canned food.
Close Supervision Is Essential
Close supervision is required any time your puppy is not crated indoors. It only takes a moment for your puppy to have a house soiling accident. So, watch for signs that your puppy may need to eliminate such as sniffing the floor, circling, or running out of sight suddenly. A long leash can be used to stop the puppy from suddenly sneaking off.
Confinement When Puppy Can’t Be Supervised
Crate training or area confinement is recommended for puppies and most adolescent dogs when left unsupervised indoors. If used appropriately and properly introduced, crate training is an efficient and humane way to prevent housetraining accidents and keep your puppy safe when you can not watch him or when you leave home without him. Although brief ‘time-outs” in the crate are fine, crates should not be used for excessive periods of time or as a punishment. A balance of sufficient daily companionship, interactive exercise and playtime are very important to all dogs and puppies. Excessive periods of isolation can be detrimental to your puppy’s development, and can cause numerous behavioral problems including hyperactivity, destructive behavior, digging, self-mutilation, and excessive barking.
Determine Puppy’s Safety Zone, Grey Zone & Danger Zone
Keep a diary of your puppy’s urinating and defecating times for several days or more as needed. Determine the minimum time interval between eliminations then subtract 15-30 minutes from this period of time and that will be your puppy’s temporary “Safety Zone.” This is the duration of time he can generally be trusted to hold his urine after he is taken for a walk or has “gone” potty, as long as he does not drink a ton of water during this time. Ensure, however, that he is still closely supervised any time he is not confined to his crate or confinement area.
HOUSEBREAKING PART TWO
Your puppy needs frequent access to backyard and walks if fully immunized. Puppies need to urinate soon after they eat, drink water, play, chew, or sleep. For most puppies older than 10 weeks, that means somewhere between 5 and 10 times a day! Adolescent dogs (from 6 to 11 mos. old) will need 4 to 6 walks a day. Adult dogs need 3 to 4 walks a day, and elderly dogs need at least 3 to 4 walks daily. Incontinent dogs will need more than that.
Do Not Return From A Walk Until Your Puppy Eliminates
If your puppy has been confined overnight to a crate, take him outside first thing in the morning before he’s had a chance for an accident indoors. Be prepared to stay out with him until he eliminates. It is normal for this to take from a few minutes to as much as several hours! After your puppy eliminates outdoors, offer him lavish praise. If you take your puppy back inside the house before he has fully eliminated, he will likely have a house soiling accident. Note: If you must go back inside before your puppy does his “business,” crate him, then take him outside again every 15-30 minutes until he “goes.”
Early Interactive Socialization With People Is Important
Early and frequent interactive socialization with lots of friendly new people including calm friendly children is very important. If your puppy is not immunized sufficiently to walk outside, be sure to have lots of new people visit your puppy in your home. You can also carry your puppy outdoors to public places to properly acclimate him to the sights, sounds and activities of the outdoors including crowds of people and traffic noises. He is protected soon after he has received at least two series of shots as long as he is not placed on the sidewalk or streets or brought near other dogs (or anywhere other dogs might have been.)
Praise & Reward Your Puppy for “Going” Outdoors
Use of lavish praise and a trigger word (i.e.: “potty”, “get busy”, “business”, “bombs away”, etc.) following his eliminating in the right place such as backyard or outdoors will help you communicate to your puppy that you are pleased with his behavior. Delayed praise is not effective, so witnessing him going in the right spot and offering praise immediately is important.
Block Access to Inappropriate Areas to Eliminate
Many puppies and dogs prefer certain areas or surfaces to eliminate on such as rugs or carpeting. Whenever possible, keep your puppy away from risky areas or surfaces. If your puppy suddenly runs out of sight or out of the room, he may be looking for a secret spot to eliminate. Close doors to rooms where he may sneak a quick pee or poop.
Neutralize Urine Odors With Enzyme-Based Deodorizer
Despite your best efforts, your puppy may have a few houses soiling accidents. Neutralize any soiled carpet or floor surface with a pet odor neutralizer. A vinegar and water solution works well and will not harm your carpet or furniture. Do not use ammonia –based cleaners to clean up after your puppy’s urine because ammonia breaks down to urea, which is a component of urine.
HOUSEBREAKING PART THREE
No Water 3 Hours Before Bedtime.
Generally speaking, it is advisable to take up your puppy’s water bowl 3 hours before bedtime unless weather conditions are exceedingly hot or he seems very thirsty. But a couple of ice cubes are OK.
Diarrhea Will Prevent Housetraining Success
Your puppy or dog cannot be expected to be reliable if he has diarrhea. Loose, liquidy or mucousy stools will slow any housetraining success.
After-The Fact Discipline Does NOT Work!
Never ever discipline (verbally or otherwise) your puppy or dog after-the-fact for accidents that you did not personally witness. Even if you should see your puppy eliminate on the floor or carpet, harsh physical punishment is never recommended.
Never Discipline A Dog for Submissive Urination!
Submissive and excitement urination is completely involuntary, so never discipline your puppy for it. Situations such as eye contact, verbal scolding, hovering over, reaching out to pet your puppy’s head, animated movements, talking in an exciting or loud voice, or strangers/visitors approaching your puppy, may all trigger your puppy to piddle. Do not discipline him for an involuntary action or the problem could get worse.
Humor
BigBulldogs.com believes that a rolled up newspaper can be an effective training tool when used properly. For instance, you can use the rolled-up newspaper if your dog chews up something inappropriate or has a housebreaking accident. Bring the dog over to the destroyed object or mess, then take the rolled-up newspaper… and hit YOURSELF over the head as you repeat the phrase, “I FORGOT TO WATCH MY DOG, I FORGOT TO WATCH MY DOG!”
Problem: I am trying to housebreak my pup but he keeps "going" on the same spot on the carpet!
Consider your dog's incredible sense of smell! You can scrub until the offending spot is long gone, but your pup can still smell it. You must replace that scent with one of your own. Keep a pump bottle of white vinegar close by through the housebreaking process and when the inevitable accident happens, do your final cleaning with common vinegar. Always spot check the surface to be sprayed to make sure the vinegar does not harm or discolor the surface. Don't forget that you can use your pup’s sense of smell to help your training. When you are cleaning an accident, use a piece of newspaper to absorb residual urine before you use the vinegar. Then take the paper to the spot in your yard where you would like your pup to "go" and weigh this down with stones. Later, when you walk your pup, bring him to this site and praise him lavishly when he performs. With consistency a pup will learn to use a specific area to eliminate and the rest of the yard can remain clean. The vinegar can also work when your pup hits a wrong spot in the yard.
Question: What is the quickest way to potty train my dog?
Here is a simple three step program; it doesn't get any easier than this!
Step 1.
Your dog must learn where he is allowed to eliminate. Using a crate can be very helpful in this case. If you bring your dog in at night and have him sleep in the crate, this can give you the opportunity to take your dog/puppy outside on a regular routine to teach them that going outside to go potty is a good thing. You may also want to use this same technique during the day when you just don’t have the time to watch him while he is in the house loose. Take your dog to the same door each time he needs to relieve himself. Make this a normal routine after any nap, any chewing, any water or food, any play time and most importantly - each morning and evening. Choose a place in your yard where your dog will relieve himself. Take your dog to that spot each time he needs to go potty, then when he goes, praise him.
Step 2.
Your dog must learn to signal at the door that he is ready to go out. Take your dog to the door you have been using to let them out. Keep it closed until your dog shows you some sign that he needs to be let out and to please open the door. Any type of sign should be accepted at first, but you can later encourage it to be a bark, cry, or scratch at the door.
Step 3.
Set your dog up to fail. Take 20 or 30 minutes a few times each day to set your dog up. Put your dog on a leash or the remote collar after he is up from a nap or sleeping times, after playing or chewing and most importantly after eating time. You must allow your dog to start to make the mistake before you can correct him. If your dog does not go to the door you prefer, then wait until he tries to go potty in the house. At the time your dog tries to relieve themselves, MAKE YOUR CORRECTION and TELL your dog NO, then take your dog outside and wait until he or she goes potty. THEN, PRAISE your dog.
Todd Howard and BigBulldogs.com reminds you that a well trained Bully = a happy owner. You must initially invest the time effort and energy necessary in order to reap the years of pleasure that your Bully will provide. Happy training...