| Article 13: House Training on the Go 2 |
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House Training On the Go 2
When you’re out and about with your dog, say walking through
town, it is inevitable that he will have to go to the bathroom.
It is also inevitable that he will be on his leash for this.
Therefore, it is vital to train your dog to go to the bathroom
while wearing his leash. Since he will have to eliminate while
you’re away from home, he needs to be used to doing so on his
leash. You can’t let him off the leash suddenly for him to go,
since this could threaten the possibility of him running away
and being difficult to catch, or even interfering with someone
who isn’t such a dog lover. This person could make a complaint
about you not having your dog on a leash, and all because you
were planning on just letting him off to go to the bathroom.
Start him going to the bathroom while on his leash when he is
young and at home where he is comfortable. That way even when he
is out with you, it’s not strange – it’s perfectly natural and
the only way he knows to eliminate.
When you’re potty training your dog to only go outside,
associate the leash with going. Don’t just open the sliding
glass door and let him take a run in the backyard to go. Leash
him up and walk him to where you want him to go. A retractable
leash is the best tool, because you can be close enough to your
dog to enforce that he has to go now, while on his leash, but
you can also give him enough slack and room to be comfortable.
Say his “potty cue,” or a phrase you use to let him know it’s
time to do his business – as simple as “Go potty, Fido!” When he
is done, praise him with that positive reinforcement you use for
all of his good behavior. After about five days of your dog
successfully going to the bathroom on his leash at home, start
taking further and further away from home each day, starting
with down the block and going to across the neighborhood. Once
he is going without a problem even further away from home, you
know he can go anywhere you are on his leash.
Remember that when you’re in public, your puppy may have to
sniff around to find a place no other dog has gone before. This
is because in nature, dogs mark their territory by eliminating
in a certain place, and another dog has to consider himself of
equal or greater status to go there. Puppies are too scared to
do this. But older dogs want to go where they can sniff out that
other dogs have gone.
Information written by Kenny Hendrix of
Oh My Dog Supplies, look for new discounts on
toys for small dogs online. |
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