When nature calls

Housetraining a puppy can be real chore

Nothing says “Awwwww” like a tiny puppy in the window. How much is that doggie, anyway? Sold!

He’s so soft and fluffy and cute as he bounds around the living room. But that new wet spot on the floor isn’t so cute.

According to Mary McCammon, owner of Merrimac’s Dog Obedience and Boarding in Piedmont, S.C., housetraining is a common complaint of pet owners.

“I get so many calls about that subject, especially with puppies,” she said. “But I don’t think people work hard enough at it and stick to same routine. Dogs have a wonderful timing sense. The repetition of doing the same thing tells the puppy what he’s supposed to do.”

But all puppies are not created equal when it comes to their willingness to be told where and when to do their business. Certain breeds, especially those in the Toy group, are notoriously difficult to housetrain, said Jane Fink, owner of Anderson Dog Works, Inc. in Anderson, S.C.

“Miniature dachshunds, Chihuahuas and bichon frise top the list but are not impossible to train. It just takes more patience and perseverance on the part of the owner,” she said. “It is advised to provide an indoor potty station for these breeds. Otherwise, they will simply relieve themselves on rugs or carpets throughout the house.”

Be realistic. Your puppy is not going to flag you down when nature calls. In the beginning, a puppy hasn’t a clue as to what he’s supposed to do. All he knows is that he has to go — and he’s probably already in the process of going.

“Puppies are like little children: when they feel the need to go, it is basically happening already,” Fink said. “Puppies are not born knowing to tell a human when they have to go out. All they are born knowing is to do their business away from where they eat and sleep. If the puppy sleeps and eats in the kitchen, naturally he thinks it is perfectly fine to toddle into another room to relieve himself.”

“Once a dog has established a place where he does his job, that’s where he’ll continue to go,” McCammon said. “Once they go on the carpet, that odor goes down into the mat and the dog decides that’s where to go.”

Although a common reaction to discovering a wet spot on the floor is to rub the puppy’s nose in it, this is totally ridiculous. Again, puppies don’t reason like humans and can’t read minds.

“If you scold your puppy by shouting or swatting at it, you are teaching it to avoid you whenever it has to potty. This inadvertently teaches the puppy to run off and hide if it has to go out, leaving you to find a mess days or weeks later,” Fink said.

The first rule of housetraining, Fink said, is to train yourself to take the puppy out at regular and reasonable intervals. Close off doors to all rooms except the room you are in, and when the puppy begins to circle and sniff, take him outside.

“Pick a spot in the yard in which you would like him to go and only let him wander around that area. This way the dog has a familiar spot to return to. He smells where he has gone before,” Fink said. “Stay near the house, keep the puppy on lead, associate a key phrase with the action and keep a few treats in your pocket to reward him after he has gone.”

Take the puppy outside at least 20 minutes after he eats and five to 10 minutes after he drinks water. If he doesn’t go, try again a few minutes later. Do not leave food down all the time, especially if your puppy is not in a confined area. What goes in, must come out.

“No one ever said raising a puppy was easy,” Fink said, “but if you put in the work when the puppy is young, it will pay off many times over for years to come.”