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Potty Training
Despite the Housebreaking a puppy is no simple task. Patience and a 'never give up' attitude are the key. Please understand it could take your puppy from several days to several weeks to a few months to get the total hang of it. A puppy simply does not have any muscle control. It can take up to four months for those muscles to take control, and this of course will vary from pup to pup. Puppies bladders are tiny and can only hold so much, so don't get frustrated, these things are out of the pups control. One of the best potty training techniques at night is by way of the crate, it makes housebreaking so much easier. A dog instinctively will not go potty where they sleep, so a crate is an excellent avenue to take. As I stated, we used the crate for night time/bedtime only. We chose the puppy pad method for during the day. When you purchase your crate, plan for future puppy growth. Your pup should be able to stand up and turn around with ease for the next few months. Put some toys in the crate to make it a positive environment. I found the nylabone edibles for Gideon worked great. It took him a long time to get through one and he usually would end up falling asleep while gnawing on one. Put something soft on the bottom of the crate, but also very durable and washable and be prepared for accidents. Make sure that the crate is within your view. We have alwaysput ours in the bedroom next to our bed. This way Gideon didn't feel like the crate was a negative thing, or a punishment.
When it is time to go to sleep for the night, use a light bed sheet to put over three side of the crate, covering the side facing you. We have found that they go to sleep a lot easier if they cannot see you to get your attention. For the first few months your pup may wake you 2 or 3 times a night to relieve himself. As they get older and the bladder grows and muscle control improves, the nightly interruptions will lessen. When the pup starts to cry/whine, and you know it has been enough time for him to have to go again, take the pup out of the crate and put him utside. When they are done, return them to the crate with great praise. If they are whining and you know it isn't time to go out yet, ignore them. Pups also will often seek out the scent of another dog and relieve themselves on that spot.
Potty Training 10 1 with Gideon
Since we have four Aussies total, finding a previous potty spot has never been a problem for Gideon. During the day we use the potty pad method. We feel crating during the day is very restricting for a puppy, especially one as active as an Aussie. This, of course may not fit everybody's lifestyle. We place several potty pads together in the most common area of the house that the puppy would be in, but a good distance from where he would sleep and eat . We used a baby gate to confine him to this area. Take your puppy there after each meal or drink of water, after each nap and exercise time, whenever he looks agitated or starts sniffing the floor, or circling, and always before bed. Puppies generally take to puppy pads immediately. If it seems to be taking too long, take a soiled paper towel of your pups urine and put it under a puppy pad. Since they are growing and developing rapidly at this stage, they eat more food, burn up more energy and seem to need to eliminate constantly. Put your puppy on a regular and timely feeding schedule. He will generally need to go between 5 minutes and a half hour after he eats. Chose a command word when you want to tell him to do his business and stick with it. hand. This will cause far more harm than good. Any physical discipline can result in lifelong negative effects, instilling fear and anxiety in your pup. Besides, it's just plain wrong. After you are confident that your pup has mastered the puppy pad you can start the next phase. Whenever you see your pup sniffing, circling, and after meals etc, take him outside to a designated area and place one of his soiled pads out there. Wait until he goes on the pad outside and praise and reward. While this process is going on, every few days we moved the indoor puppy pads in the house an inch or so closer to the doggy door. Eventually, the pads were by the door Gideon would be using. By the time the pads reached the doggy door, our Gideon had already made the connection and was already jumping through it to follow the others into back yard. Remember, Aussie's are very smart and normally catch on quite quickly. But if it is taking longer than you expect, remember patience is the key.
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