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Health, Food, Training etc :: RE: Harry - the un-toilet trainable pug

Brookelberry — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:40:41 GMT

Author: Brookelberry
Subject: Re: Harry - the un-toilet trainable pug
Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 11:40 am (GMT 10)

Thanks Rona. That's exactly the model we've been following. When we are with him outside, he goes and we throw a party like he's just cured cancer!! It's just how we associate the need to pee with going outside that we're struggling with - but I suppose this is where the patience comes in!
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George 'Leonard' Yates - our first pug!

Health, Food, Training etc :: RE: Harry - the un-toilet trainable pug

Fourteen Legs — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:48:00 GMT

Author: Fourteen Legs
Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 7:48 pm (GMT 10)

Brooke, this may be of great use to you. A friend of mine wrote it out as so many people on other forums were having house-training issues. Hope it helps!

Here is my housetraining post. Follow ALL the directions TO THE LETTER. The quality of the treats is CRITICAL. They must be VERY SPECIAL (chicken, cheese or steak - NOT crappy 'cookies' from the store). Everyone in the house needs to do follow these directions,too, because consistency is very important. This works. But you have to be patient. It's not just for puppies, but for older dogs in need of a refresher course.

Housetraining your dog (puppy or adult!)

The first thing you need to do is to remember that you�re trying to reinforce a new behavior. That means that the rewards for this behavior must be WONDERFUL. NOT crap from the store. Wonderful treats are poached chicken breast/turkey breast, cheese and steak. And you don�t have to use big pieces. Tiny pieces (about 3mm cubes) are just fine! I poach a whole turkey breast every few weeks, cut it into hunks when it�s cool enough to handle, wrap them well and store them in the freezer. When I need some, I�ll thaw a hunk overnight and cut off pieces and dice finely, storing them in a plastic bag in the fridge. One hunk will last about five days. Cheese is also popular, so variety is fine.

I carry these plastic bags in my jacket pockets in the winter and in a fanny pack in warmer weather. You HAVE to have these with you, or this method won�t work, because you need to reward as soon as the dog finishes pooping or peeing. It�s not going to work if the rewards are in the house.

Remember that you�re trying to change a very ingrained behavior. Some dogs like to feel certain things under their feet when they eliminate, like fabric, or newspaper. This is called a �substrate preference.� What you�re trying to do is change this substrate preference, and to do that you have to make the treats SO wonderful that the dog will change this very well-entrenched behavior. Thus the chicken, cheese, steak.

I love clicker training, but this can be done without clickers. You just need a way to �mark� the behavior you want to reinforce. Use the word �YESSSSS!!!!� very enthusiastically � that works for some.

You�re going to need to GO OUTSIDE WITH your dog and the dog needs to be on a leash. Yes, even in winter. If you don�t reward IMMEDIATELY after the event (when dog immediately finishes pooping or peeing) and wait inside, the dog is going to be reinforced for coming inside, not for doing its business. So, leash up your dog. STAND IN ONE PLACE. Be boring. Bring a book or magazine for yourself.

Eventually, the dog will do what you�re waiting for. The NANOSECOND that the dog is finished, HAVE A PARTY � lots of loud, high-pitched praise, treats and running around. You want to make this memorable for your dog! You�ll find that once the first event is achieved, the others will come more quickly. Keep on treating (you don�t have to throw a party except for milestones � a milestone = if he only pooped outside but now peed, too, or something equivalent to that) until he�s good and used to peeing/pooping outside. Before you know it, you have a trained dog.

Regarding accidents in the house: NO SCOLDING. Just clean them up. If you scold you�ll get the dog to think it�s bad to pee or poop and he�ll do it in places you won�t see. Until you step in it. Invest in a big bottle of Nature�s Miracle or Simple Solution and use it liberally on accidents.

To quote Patricia McConnell, author of �The Other End of the Leash� and co-author of �Way to Go� (a booklet on housetraining), �Once you face the fact that you just have take your dog out every time you turn around, give them the treat immediately after they potty, and prevent accidents in the house� well, it usually goes so smoothly.�

With young puppies, remember they have little control of the muscle that holds the bladder closed. This is something they grow into. Just as it�s not expected that a human baby is toilet trained at six months, don�t expect much from a puppy. Patience, patience, patience!!!! The nervous system in a puppy has to mature, and it won�t have much control over the sphincter (closing muscle) at the neck of the bladder until six or seven months. The same goes for the anal sphincter. Until control is achieved, both of these muscles operate on reflex: there are stretch receptors in the bladder wall. When the bladder is full, it sends impulses to the spinal cord and these, in turn, send signals to the sphincter to open and the dog pees.

In the stomach wall, there are also stretch receptors. So when the dog eats and the stomach is stretched, the impulses again go to the spinal cord, but this time the reflex, outgoing, nerve signals are sent to the anal sphincter, so the dog defecates. This operates in people, too � which is why some people rush to the �reading room� after a meal � especially breakfast.
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Rona and the Principessas Imogen and Pearl, keeping LouLou and Puck in our hearts while they wait at the Rainbow Bridge. (smiley) (smiley)

Health, Food, Training etc :: RE: Harry - the un-toilet trainable pug

Brookelberry — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:31:20 GMT

Author: Brookelberry
Subject: Re: Harry - the un-toilet trainable pug
Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 4:31 pm (GMT 10)

thanks angela....that's a good tip about staying outside even after he's done his business....we'll give that a whirl! thank you!!
_________________
George 'Leonard' Yates - our first pug!

Health, Food, Training etc :: RE: Harry - the un-toilet trainable pug

Puggered — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:32:37 GMT

Author: Puggered
Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 3:32 pm (GMT 10)

Bless you yes patience and persistance are the key. He wants so much to be with you, he is not emptying out completely. Thus no accidents when he has no access to you.
Staying outside with him for 10 minutes after he has first peed/pooped and and always immediately rewarding him (and George) for peeing/pooping outside, yet ignoring him when he goes inside are your best weapons.
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Angela & Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (boss cat), Cheddar (fawn clown Puglad), Maggie (Black Diva puglady),Sneaky (fawn exchange student puglet) , The Don (black loarding student puglad) plus various fosters and visitors

Health, Food, Training etc :: Harry - the un-toilet trainable pug

Brookelberry — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:15:57 GMT

Author: Brookelberry
Subject: Harry - the un-toilet trainable pug
Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 10:15 am (GMT 10)

Hi all

we've had our new little guy, harry, at home for 2.5 months now and we just can't seem to toilet train him!!

we take him outside as soon as he wakes up, after he's eaten or drunk, after he's played, when he's been inside for half an hour regardless of what he's been doing, when he starts circling the door or sniffing the floor. he always has access to the doggie door and it is always open. we don't let him inside the house when we get home until he's peed (in our presence).

when we take him outside, he pees and/or poos most of the time. but then so often, regardless of what he does outside, he comes straight inside and pees or poos. if not straight away, then within 10 minutes.

overnight we are sleeping him and george in the laundry and during the day when we're at home we give them the laundry plus a larger tiled area that we fence off and he has no accidents in there during the day or at night. but as soon as we're around, he just can't control himself.

we've tried ignoring his accidents, scolding him as he's having an accident, picking him up mid accident and taking him outside, but NOTHING is working.

we no longer clean with bleach or ammonia-based cleaners, but he still goes on the tiles. we thought we'd got to a place where he was only having accidents on the tiles, but over the weekend he's started having accidents on the carpet again.

the vet nurse said it could be that he's cold and doesn't want to go outside, so we bought him a little polar fleece coat. it's made no difference. he still goes inside.

everyone keeps telling us to be patient, but we just can't see a light at the end of the tunnel. will we ever be able to toilet train him??? we want him to be an indoor dog. we want him and george to be able to have the run of the house, night and day. but until he's toilet trained we can't trust him!

does anyone have any suggestions?? please!!! i am at the end of my tether!!

cheers,

brooke
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George 'Leonard' Yates - our first pug!