Adventures of Gracy : Housebreaking and Socialization

Foster Girl Gracy in the dog basket.

I am happy to report that Foster Girl Gracy is making great progress! We are very proud of her here at the Dog Training/Foster Shack!

When she first joined our pack, she was not housebroken and needed some work on socialization. As you may remember, Gracy is about 6 months old. She was very sick during the first few months of her life and had to remain in her crate most of the time. As a result, she was never really socialized much and she was not housebroken.

Socialization:

She is a very sweet girl. She loves people. However, she gets stressed when there are too many people or other dogs around. This became apparent when we first started taking her to adoption events at Petco in Peachtree City,GA. The first day we took her to an indoor adoption event, she immediately became overwhelmed and extremely stressed. I had to take her back to the shack after about 10 minutes.

Gracy enjoying the backyard sunshine
 at the Dog Training/Foster Shack

At the adoption event the next weekend, I kept her in a crate right next to a chair in which I was seated. She was still nervous and a little stressed but she did better. I would occasionally let her our of the cage to sit on my lap. The other volunteers also gave her some attention. This seemed to make her more comfortable.

Last weekend at the adoption event we put her in a small pen that was open on the top. She did much better. 

During those three weeks, between adoption events, I was really trying to make her more comfortable around people. She went over to her foster grandma and grandpa's house several times. Each time she became more comfortable over there. She loved the attention and the treats! I also worked with her around other dogs by taking some of the other pack members on walks to grandma and grandpa's house with her. 

She has made a great deal of progress over the last few weeks. However, as with many things in dog training, it takes patience and routine. We have to slowly introduce her to more people and dogs and make it a very positive experience for her.

Housebreaking:

With Gracy, we had a fairly unique but not unheard of issue. Because of the extended time she had to spend in the crate when she was sick, she learned to eliminate in the crate. When she first arrived at the shack, the crate was the only place that she would eliminate. That made for some very nasty clean-ups.

We began watching for signs that she needed to eliminate (i.e circling a spot, stress, etc). When we saw these signs we immediately took her outside. We also took her outside immediately when she had accidents in the house. We stopped keeping her in the crate at night and when we were away. We just left the door open on the crate. We also kept her where we could see her when we were home.

Dr. Phil McBeagle. He has no direct connection to this post
He is just a cute little foster guy in our pack. He will
be available for adoption very soon!

I noted how long it usually takes for her to eliminate after eating  (it was about 5 mins) and I began taking her out 5 minutes after meals.  We also took her out about once an hour when we were home and she was awake.

She still could not make it through the night without accidents. So, we set an alarm for 3:00 am and one of us would wake her up and take her out at 3:00. Most of the time she eliminated outside at 3:00 am. 

Eventually we noticed that she could make it through the night. 

I am pleased to announce that she rarely has accidents inside anymore! We are very proud of our little foster girl. 

Her housebreaking was difficult but, because we were diligent and developed a routine for her, the effort has been very successful!

I am writing this not to blow my own horn but to encourage my readers. If you have a dog with housebreaking or socialization problems, the situation is far from hopeless. I know that it is extremely frustrating but, you can be successful! It takes proper technique, determination and routine.

The Lovely Shane dressed for Christmas working on master
degree classes from the office at the Dog Training Shack

If you need help with the technique please contact me at anytime, I will be happy to help! As I always tell you, "Polite Dogs = Happy People". Let me help you get happy today!

Gracy is available for adoption. If you are considering adding a new addition to your pack, please, please, please, consider adoption! There are many little guys and girls like Gracy who desperately need and want a forever home. If you are in the Atlanta Area please contact me and I will be happy to get you in touch with a wonderful local rescue group!

Till Next Time

-William-

Housebreaking 101

Housebreaking a puppy is one of the most common things that people ask me about.

Please do not get discouraged. Like much in Dog Training, this can be accomplished if we develop a routine and are consistent.

As many of you know, I encourage crate training with puppies. When you are not at home or when you are sleeping the puppy should be in a crate.

I recommend a crate like the one pictured on the right. This is a wire crate. You should buy it for the adult size of your dog. Pretty much all of these crates come with a wire divider that can make the interior area of the crate smaller. This way you can make the space smaller for the puppy and move it as he grows. The area should be just a little bigger than the dog needs to lie down. The idea here, from a housebreaking perspective is that dog's generally do not eliminate where they sleep. Therefore, if the area is only big enough for him to sleep, he will be discouraged from eliminating in the crate.

These crates vary greatly in price depending upon where you buy them. The lovely Shane and I made a trip to a local store called "Tuesday Morning" I was surprised to find that not only did they have a good selection of crates but they also had pretty good prices as well. I will give you another tip, Petco sells their crates much cheaper on the website than they do in the store. They do not advertise this but, if you are nice to them they will usually match the web site price in the store if the item is identical. Also, Wal-Mart, Big Lots and Lowes all carry crates. So shop around for the best deal.

I also discourage people from spending a lot on crate pads or bedding  for a puppy. Until they get out of the chewing stage, I recommend old towels, blankets, etc.

When you are at home, it is important that you keep the dog where you can see him. That means in the same room with you. Generally a puppy will eliminate in another room not right in front of you. So keeping him confined helps. Also this makes it easier for you to spot the indications that he may have to go (restlessness, circling a spot, etc.)

I know it is frustrating but, please resist the urge to yell at the little guy when he has an accident. If you catch him in the act, clip on the leash and take him outside. If you don't catch him in the act, simply clean the mess.

Speaking of cleaning: It is very important that any mess he makes is cleaned up very well. He should not smell the urine/feces. This is difficult when it occurs on carpet. I strongly recommend cleaning any accidents that occur on carpet with a enzymatic cleaner.

 The Nature's Miracle product on the left is a very good product. However, any cleaner that is enzymatic will work. These also vary widely in price so shop around. They are available from pet stores and pretty much anywhere cleaners are sold. I found that Petsmart has a better deal on this stuff than Petco but a thrifty shopper can probably find a better deal than either one at a non-pet sort of store.

Okay, a few things to remember here, in regards to housebreaking:

1. A puppy can generally only hold it for a maximum of one hour for every month of age. This is just a rule of thumb and this is only for waking hours. When the puppy is sleeping his metabolism slows and he can wait longer to go. Also, small breed dogs have smaller bladder and colon muscles. When they are puppies they are not yet fully developed. So, I have found that small breed puppies may need to go out more often. That being said, take your puppy out often when you are home.Give him the best chance to succeed! 

2. I know I said this before, but it is very important to keep the dog confined to the same room you are in while you are at home.

3. If the feeding schedule is routine the elimination will be routine. Feed the puppy at the same times each day and take up the food after he eats.

4. I strongly suggest that you don't just let the puppy out in a fenced backyard off-leash to potty. Take him on the leash and wait for him to do his business. He is less likely to get distracted this way and it is safer as well.

5. Again, don't scold the dog for having an accident in the house. He does not connect it. He will think that you are mad about the mess and he may make sure that you don't find it next time. Just take him outside when you find it and clean it up well.

6.  If the puppy is continually having accidents in front of you, it is possible that the problem is medical. A puppy will usually try to get away to eliminate.  Consider having him checked by a veterinarian.

This covers the basics of housebreaking. If you need additional information or if you are having problems please contact me!

Till Next Time

-William-

William Moore

William Moore Canine Training

678-702-4791

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com