litter box train dog

How To Litter Box Train Your Dog

By Teresa Heath

 

PAGE ONE

 

Understanding Your Dog

All dogs are known to be Den dwellers they do not like to dirty their den that is a key reason they can be housetrained easily.

 

Most dogs do not like to dirty the place where they sleep.

 

 

Our two poms, Mishy and Smokey, the ones you saw in the picture on my website sitting on the couch with me had a litter of  8 puppies.

 

For the first 3 weeks of their lives, their mother did everything for them: fed them, cleaned them and even took care of their potty mess.

 

 

By the time they were 4- 5 weeks, they began to wobble around the whelping box a little bit.

 

It was at that time I completely papered the whelping box so that no matter where they went potty it would be on paper.  (Thus the Passive Paper Training Technique- to be further explained later)

 

Even at the age of 5 weeks these puppies were getting up and going to the same spot on the paper away from their bed area to go potty.

 

This instinctive behavior is inborn.

 

As you study your dog's behavior and record potty times and etc. you will have a very helpful tool in achieving your housetraining success.

 

 

 Soon you will begin to see that your dog will usually want to urinate as soon as they wake up and will usually have a bowel movement any time up to an hour after they eat.

 

 

 

Before you begin, here are some important basic housetraining facts:  

·         Older dogs can be housebroken in the same way as puppies, it just might take a little longer to retrain new habits after learning old ones, but it can be done.

·         Puppies have small bladders and they cannot control them until they are at least a few months old.

·         Dogs & puppies like to be clean and sleep in a clean area and usually will not go potty near where they sleep or eat.

All dogs do best when kept on a routine schedule.

 

 

10 Greatest Tips for New Puppies -

10) When you bring your new puppy into a new home, providing them with a warm hot water bottle covered by a small t-shirt or piece of baby clothing (whatever will fit) and placing a ticking clock nearby in the room where they sleep will help to take the place of  the body heat and heartbeat of their litter mates and can really help them to relax and adjust to their new home. 

I now sell a hot new item called a "Snuggle Puppy" that is like a real live puppy, it has a heartbeat and has warmers.

Click Here To Visit My Snuggle Puppy Webpage: http://litterboxtrainyourdog.biz/Snugglepuppies.htm


9) When taking your puppy to the Vet for its first shots, health checks, etc. it is good to sit with your puppy on your lap and not have him or her on the floor.

 

This makes it easier for you to comfort the puppy and the waiting room may be filled with a lot of sick pets and your puppy is susceptible to picking up some infection.

 

Make the trips to the vet a fun time and be happy yourself, not nervous or concerned because they can easily sense your change in attitude.


 

 

 

 

 

 

8) Right from the start, give your puppy his or her own personal sleeping place, not used by anyone or any other pet.

 

This will become his or her bed (den) where they will know to go when they want to rest or be quiet.

7) Have regular, short play times with your pup throughout the day.

This will help to avoid your puppy from being destructive or disruptive.Playing little games like "Fetch" with a favorite toy is something all puppies love and it will strengthen the bond between you and your puppy.

6) Don’t expect too much of your puppy, remember to gauge your training and everything you do accordingly to your dog's age.

As you dog matures he will be able to concentrate easier, just like young children are so easily distracted, it is the same with young pups.

5) OWWWW! It is crucial to teach your puppy that biting and nipping is not acceptable behavior.

The best way to do that is the same way that his litter mates or mommy dog would do and that is to give out a yelp of pain.

That will show him better than anything else and that is how mommy dog teaches her puppies to behave, but yowling, growling, etc.

4) Right from the start show your puppy what is not acceptable behavior all the way around.

For example, if you are not going to allow your puppy to jump on the couch or any other furniture, do not hold him on the couch when he is young.

3) To help train your dog not to jump, make sure you do not pet him or pat him on the head or praise him while he is actually doing it, wait until he is down and then give him praise.

2) Make sure you associate your puppy's name with all things that are pleasant and fun.

You do not want to only use his name when you are reprimanding him for wrong behavior.

1) From the moment your puppy comes into your life, teach him to come to you and learn that is number one in your book.

Sitting on the floor with your legs spread apart is the most inviting position for your dog to come to you.

Each time he comes, make a big fuss about it, so that even when he is distracted he will come. 

Housetraining Puppies

Young puppies, under the age of three months have very little bladder control. Their so-called sphincter muscle control is not even completely developed.

And for the most part they don't have any idea they are going to go potty before they do. 

As you study your puppy and get to know his natural born habits, you will start to pick up little signals that will let you know when he is getting ready to go potty. 

One of the most prominent signals will be your puppy doing some serious sniffing on the floor.

Study your puppy!

 

Questions? Email me: doglitterbox@yahoo.com

 

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