HOUSE TRAINING
Dogs who are not housetrained are more common than you think. Many people live with a marginally housetrained pet, because they simply don't know what else to do. Housetraining is actually very simple to teach, if not easy. First and foremost, your dog must be supervised at all times when in the house. This means he does not enter a room or hallway without an adult with him. If you are in the kitchen, and he sneaks into the hall for 30 seconds and urinates, he has just been rewarded for doing that, just as surely as if you stood there praising him. Think about it. His bladder is full which as we know, is uncomfortable. He sneaks to the hall, pees, feels MUCH better, and comes back. Nobody is the wiser until 20 minutes later when you step in it. Scolding at this point does NOT change the fact that it was a GREAT experience when it happened. Punishment after the fact is confusing. The trick to truly effective training comes in not allowing unwanted behavior from being rewarding, as I just described. So our dog is now with us at all times in the house, attached by a ten foot rope if necessary, and crated if he is inside alone. His options now are to pee in front of you, or try to get outside. If he begins to pee in front of you, do not scold! Rush him outside as quickly as humanly possible. From the time he starts to pee to the time he's standing on grass should be about 1.3 seconds! THAT would make urinating in the house unpleasant! Remember, it's not bad behavior, it's unwanted behavior. If we punish for peeing, what's he supposed to do, hold it forever? So when you catch him starting to pee inside, show him QUICKLY where he's supposed to be. Then when he finishes outside, praise and reward with play. This is easier if initially we have many bathroom breaks. But this is also an area for common mistakes by humans. The right way to do this is to bring your dog outside, on leash, to a certain tree or spot, and wait 3 minutes for him to eliminate. If he does, praise and play, off leash if possible, for several minutes or more. If he does not, return to the house on leash, wait ten minutes, and repeat. Do not walk all over the yard trying to get your dog to pee, only to bring him in when he does. Outside is fun! Don't give him the freedom of the yard until he pees, and then punish him for peeing outside by bringing him in and ending his adventure! Reward outside eliminating with freedom and play, which is earned by eliminating in the first place. This is a simple approach, but can be tiresome because you're constantly on alert. But if you're consistent early on, and don't allow mistakes to go un noticed inside, then they will begin to catch on quickly. And you will not only have a lifetime of a dog who only eliminates outdoors, but one who primarily uses the same spot each time!
HOLIDAY DANGERS!!!
- I want to take a minute and identify some common dangers that
cause emergencies over the holidays. My hope is that you understand
what they are and act to prevent them in your dog.
After all - it is no fun spending part of your holidays with your dog
at the hospital.
#1. Gastrointestinal Upset - This is a common problem that occurs
during the holidays. Adorable dogs beg for human food that doesn't
agree with them. Alcohol and chocolate are toxic. Turkey bones left
in an accessible place are irresistible to pets, and can lodge in an
animal's throat or block the intestinal tract. Remove leftovers from
the table and don't leave garbage where animals can get to it.
#2. Ornament Ingestion - Some dogs play with ornaments like a "ball"
to play and either ingest pieces of the bulb, the hook or be injured
by broken glass. Don't use edible ornaments or fragile, easily
breakable glass decorations to trim the tree (especially on the lower
branches).
#3. Tree Dangers- Your pet may knock over the tree playing, trying to
get to the bulbs or while playing under the tree. The needles (even
artificial ones) are indigestible and can cause gastric upset. You can
keep your dog away from the tree (using a baby gate in the doorway or
low lattice fencing) or secure it so it can't be knocked over.
#4. Ornament Hooks. Don't use wire ornament hooks that can easily snag
an ear or a tail, or, if swallowed, can lodge in the throat or
intestines. Instead, fashion loops of yarn, ribbons or lightweight twine.
#5. Ingestion of String, Tinsel or Ribbon. Ingestion of string, ribbon
on gifts, or bulbs can cause what vets refer to as a foreign body.
That can require surgery. Prevent exposure of your pets to the gifts
unless supervised.
#6. Burns and House Fires - Candles are popular this time of year and
dogs can knock over a candle with their vigorous tails. This can cause
burns and even house fires. Another common cause of house fires (which
has nothing to do with your dog) is a dried out Christmas tree. Keep
your tree watered.
#7. Drinking Tree Water. Some pets will drink water from the tree.
Don't use preservatives in the stand water. They can be toxic if
consumed by a thirsty pet. Carefully cover the top of the stand with a
tree skirt so your pet can't get to it.
#9. Potpourri - Liquid potpourri is commonly used during the holidays
to give a nice aroma to the home. Dogs can be attracted and lick some
up. This can cause severe caustic burns to the mouth, gums, tongue and
esophagus. These burns can be severe enough to require hospitalization
and placement of a feeding tube.
#10. Electrocution - Some dogs (especially curious puppies) will chew
on or bite electrical cords causing life-threatening electrocution.
Make sure electrical cords are out of reach, taped firmly to walls or
floors.
#11. Plant Problems - Certain plants are a menace to dogs: Poinsettias
irritate the stomach and eyes. Berries of the Jerusalem cherry are
toxic, and cause pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Holly and mistletoe,
amaryllis, chrysanthemum, rhododendron and winter broom as well as
Christmas berry, cherry, pepper and rose can all cause problems to
pets that ingest them.