Housetraining Your Chow Chow
As with most things in life, there are hard ways and
there are easy ways to get things done. Rubbing a puppy's nose in a mess
is an inappropriate way to housetrain. Using ample amounts of
supervision and positive reinforcement is the easy way.
(Return to Top)
The first course of action in housetraining is to
promote the desired behavior. You need to:
- Designate an appropriate elimination area (for urine or feces)
outdoors
- Frequently guide your dog there to do his business
- Heartily praise him when he goes
By occasionally giving a food reward immediately
after your dog finishes, you can encourage him to eliminate in the
desired area. The odor left from previous visits to that area will
quickly mark it as the place for the pup to do his business.
(Return to Top)
A six- to eight-week old Chow Chow puppy should be taken
outdoors every one to three hours. Older puppies can generally wait
longer between outings. Most puppies should be taken out:
- After waking in the morning
- After naps
- After meals
- After playing or training
- After being left alone
- Immediately before being put to bed
(Return to Top)
To avoid spending a lot of time waiting for your puppy
to get the job done, you may want to teach him to eliminate on command.
Each time he is in the act of eliminating, simply repeat a unique
command, such as "hurry up" or "potty", in an upbeat tone of voice.
After a few weeks of training, you will notice that when you say the
command your puppy will begin pre-elimination sniffing, circling, and
then eliminate shortly after you give the command. Be sure to praise him
for his accomplishments.
(Return to Top)
Most puppies will eliminate within an hour after eating.
Once you take control of your puppy's feeding schedule, you will have
some control over when he needs to eliminate.
- Schedule your puppy's dinner times so that you will be available
to let him out after eating.
- Avoid giving your puppy a large meal just prior to confining him
or he may have to eliminate when you are not around to take him out.
Schedule feeding two to three times daily on a consistent schedule.
- Have food available for only 30 to 40 minutes, then remove it.
- The last feeding of the day should be completed several hours
before he is confined for the night. By controlling the feeding
schedule, exercise sessions, confinement periods, and trips outdoors
to the elimination area, your puppy will quickly develop a reliable
schedule for eliminating.
(Return to Top)
Training a Chow Chow puppy to be comfortable in a crate
is a popular way to provide safe confinement during housetraining. The
majority of puppies will rapidly accept crate confinement when you make
the introduction fun. Since it is important to associate favorable
things with the area where your puppy is confined, it is a good idea to
play with him there, or simply spend some time reading or watching
television nearby as he relaxes with a favorite chew toy. If he is only
in the area when you leave, it becomes a social isolation area that he
eventually may resist entering.
A good time to start crate training is at dinner time.
Feed your puppy his dinner, one piece at a time, by tossing pieces of
kibble into the crate for him to chase and eat. This way, you can make a
game out of training.
When you pick up his toys, store them in the crate so he
will enter on his own to play. You may even want to occasionally hide a
biscuit in the crate as a nice surprise.
You should not use the crate for periods that exceed the
length of time the pet can actually control the urge to urinate or
defecate. If you are gone for long periods each day, you will need to
provide a larger confinement area. You may want to consider using an
exercise pen or small room.
Provide an area large enough so that if your puppy has
to eliminate when you are gone, he can do it in a space that is separate
from his sleeping area. A 15- to 30-square foot area is adequate for
most puppies. If he chooses a specific place to eliminate, cover it with
paper to make clean up easier.
(Return to Top)
Left on his own, the untrained puppy is very likely to
make a mistake. Close supervision is a very important part of training.
Do not consider your puppy housetrained until he has gone at least four
consecutive weeks without eliminating in the house. For older dogs, this
period should be even longer. Until then:
- Your puppy should constantly be within eyesight
- Baby gates can be helpful to control movement throughout the
house and to aid supervision
- Keep them in the crate when unsupervised.
When you are away from home, sleeping, or if you are
just too busy to closely monitor your pet's activities, confine him to a
small, safe area in the home.
(Return to Top)
Although this is not typically a problem for a Chow
Chow, if your puppy squats and urinates when he greets you, he may have
a problem called submissive urination. Dogs and puppies that urinate
during greetings are very sensitive and should never be scolded
when they do this, since punishment inevitably makes the problem worse.
Most young puppies will grow out of this behavior if you
are calm, quiet, and avoid reaching toward the head during greetings.
Another helpful approach is to calmly ask your dog to sit for a very
tasty treat each time someone greets him.
(Return to Top)
Urine and fecal odor should be thoroughly removed to
keep your dog from returning to areas of the home where he made a mess.
- Be sure to use a good commercial product manufactured
specifically to clean up doggy odors. Follow the manufacturer's
recommendations for usage.
- If a carpeted area has been soaked with urine, be sure to
saturate it with the clean up product and not merely spray the
surface.
- Rooms in the home where your dog has had frequent mistakes
should be closed off for several months. He should only be allowed
to enter when accompanied by a family member.
(Return to Top)
It is a rare dog or puppy that can be housetrained
without making an occasional mess, so you need to be ready to handle the
inevitable problems.
- Do not rely on harsh punishment to correct mistakes. This
approach usually does not work, and may actually delay training.
- An appropriate correction consists of simply providing a
moderate, startling distraction. You should only do this when you
see your dog in the act of eliminating in the wrong place.
- A sharp noise, such as a loud "No" or a quick stomp on the
floor, is all that is usually needed to stop the behavior. Just do
not be too loud or your pet may learn to avoid eliminating in front
of you, even outdoors.
(Return to Top)
- Do not continue to scold or correct your dog after he has
stopped soiling. When he stops, quickly take him outdoors so that he
will finish in the appropriate area and be praised.
- Never rub your dog's nose in a mess. There is absolutely
no way this will help training, and may actually make him afraid of
you.
(Return to Top)
The basic principles of housetraining are pretty simple,
but a fair amount of patience is required. The most challenging part is
always keeping an eye on your active dog or puppy. If you maintain
control, take your dog outdoors frequently, and consistently praise the
desirable behavior, soon you should have a house trained canine
companion.
(Return to Top)
This site was last updated
01/19/08
|
