The problem of toilet training is faced by both beginners and experienced dog breeders. There are many ways to teach on the Internet, including the use of physical force and punishment. But which method is the most effective and painless?
Need alleviation is a natural need
In the animal kingdom, it is quite natural to relieve need as soon as it appears. However, a puppy that gets into a house is forced to live by the rules of the human world. Dog owners cannot allow them to relieve themselves in the "wrong place", so they have to train their dogs to toilet themselves.
Fortunately, the innate sense of cleanliness in dogs is an ally in this matter.
Are all dogs easy to toilette?
Unfortunately, not all dogs are toilet trained. The reasons:
- The puppy was purchased at the "puppy factory". This is how experienced dog breeders call breeders who breed large numbers of dogs (usually small breeds, as they bring more profit), and keep them in poor conditions. For such breeders, dogs and puppies sit in cages, relieve themselves, so they do not have a developed sense of cleanliness. It is very difficult to train such dogs even to film and a litter box.
- Bad habits instilled by the breeder. Some breeders, trying to save on diapers, teach puppies to relieve themselves on rags. Subsequently, the puppy finds itself in a difficult situation: when he sees a similar texture, he wants to relieve it. Clothes left on the floor, towels, pillows, furniture that have fallen from the dryer can be targeted.
- Lack of complete toilet training. Some owners, after having their dog relieved for a couple of days only on the street or only on a diaper, believe that it is already accustomed and stop reinforcing the desired behavior. However, this is not the case. The training process can only be completed if the dog has gone to the toilet without fail for more than 2 months.
The toilet training process
The golden rule of dog training and education is "reinforce the good and don't reinforce the bad." But how does this rule work in toilet training?
It's simple enough: you need to praise the puppy when he relieves himself in the right place, and not allow him to do it in the wrong place. It is pointless to scold a puppy for mistakes. Firstly, he cannot bind "he relieved himself in the wrong place - received punishment." He perceives this as "the owner saw a puddle or a bunch - he began to swear." And what people usually perceive as remorse is just the reaction of dogs to the owner's anger. Secondly, when a puppy defecates in the wrong place, he already receives a lot of reinforcement, as he feels relief.
In fact, training a puppy to the toilet, according to the golden rule of training and raising dogs, looks like this:
- The puppy must be supervised at all times: either at home or on the street. If this is not possible, then it is necessary to leave him in a confined space: a cage, a playpen, a closed room in which his bowls and sleeping place are located.
- When the puppy is relieving himself in the “right place,” it is necessary to reinforce this behavior with praise and treats. As noted above, the feeling of relief is already reinforcement, and treats and praise will amplify this effect many times over.
- While at home, the puppy should be under active supervision. Active supervision is the interaction of the dog and the owner: play, learning commands, weasel, etc. Such supervision will allow you to quickly react when the puppy wants to relieve himself. By contrast, passive supervision is reactive in nature. That is, the owner, going about his business, will react only when the puppy goes to the toilet in the wrong place.
The puppy is trying to relieve himself in the wrong place: what to do?
If the puppy suddenly dropped everything and began to sniff, in search of a place, or already sits down to relieve himself, then it is necessary to interrupt him and take him to the right place: on a diaper, in a tray or on the street. There it must be kept until it relieves itself, and then praised.
You can interrupt the puppy by claping your hands, running up to him as close as possible. At the same time, you should not scare him too much: the effect may be the opposite.
The puppy endures on the street to the last: what to do?
Some puppies may not be able to relieve themselves on the street because they simply forget. The street is full of various interesting smells, sounds, impressions. In such cases, you need to find a quiet, secluded spot for the toilet before you can explore the world with your puppy.
It becomes a mistake to end the walk immediately after the puppy has relieved himself. Then he realizes that the longer he endures, the longer he will walk. If you start an active walk after the puppy has coped with needs, then it will become an additional reward.
Seeing the above scheme, there will always be someone who will say: "but I just physically punished my puppy for mistakes, and he stopped." In such owners, the dogs begin to relieve themselves in the right place for natural reasons. And with the right approach to the training process, this would happen much faster.
