|
|
|
Dog Potty Training
Potty Training -
The Crisis
|
Rating the Books
There
are a lot of dog training books available online. Some of the
books are dedicated to only the potty training issue. Not
all of the dog potty training books cover the basics properly.
Things like crate training as part of potty
training and timing of the "walks" for the dog after meals
are important issues. Some books have minimal information
on important issues. Some of the books are much more complete
than others. One of the heaviest marketed books (and widely
sold books) covers the least information. So that is one book to
avoid.
Because of the great differences between the books, I put together my own Potty Training Rating Scale of the books where I rate them on each of the major topics. This can help you know what you will be getting.
Reviewing the
Books
I have purchased the books and I can give you some independent opinion as to what to expect if you make a purchase. It can be hard to make a decision on which book to buy because you really don't know what you get until after you buy it. Reviews of the books are covered on the Potty Training Book Reviews page.
Paper Training / Litter Box Training
Paper training and litter box training are related because the paper training methods are the best way to get your dog to use a litter box. The paper training method will lead your dog to relieving herself in the same spot over and over due to a dogs keen sense of smell. They can smell where they went last time and will go there again. Once the pattern is established for them to go on a certain piece of paper, then you move the paper to the litter box and your dog will associate the right place to go as the litter box.
Dog Memory - Forget the Rolled Up Newspaper
A dog's memory associated with relieving herself is figured by the experts to be between 1 and 6 seconds. After that, your dog has moved on to other issues and can't relate back to the moment of relieving herself. This is the reason that punishing a dog for making a mess is useless unless you catch them in the act. So the "oldest method in the book" of putting your dog's nose to the tird on the floor and then whacking her with a newspaper just doesn't work. Your dog will have no idea why they got smacked.
Accident Clean Up
Because of your dog's keen sense of smell, cleaning up accidents is not just a good idea - it is critical to successfully toilet training your dog. A dog can smell that a "place" is an ok spot to relieve themselves because they can smell the old urine or feces that they themselves (or others) left behind. Since they have gone in this place before, they figure that it is ok to go again.
Therefore,
if the "place" they are smelling is not a good place at all
(the living room!) - then
you have to remove any ability for your dog to smell the remains.
This requires an enzyme in the cleaner. If the cleaner does
not have enzymes in it, then it is worthless for accident cleanup.
Your dog will smell the old mess and figure that this place is ok to
mess again. Another thing is to never use any product with
ammonia in it, because dog urine has ammonia in it, so if your dog
smells the ammonia, she is bound to relieve herself there again.
Since every toilet training adventure will always have accidents, proper clean up with an enzyme cleaner is critical.
Dog Food
What goes in, must come out. Based on this fact, quality food going in will result in your dog's digestive system behaving in a "regular" manner - that is to say - on schedule and solid logs. You will want this type of waste products while you are potty training your dog, so use the good food at least during the potty training time. If you are going to go cheap on the food budget, wait until after the training is complete.
Continuing Education (Training) for Your Dog
You should keep in mind that your dog training should go beyond potty training. Potty training is a basic "life" skill for your dog, but just like with any child, your dog needs to learn social skills as well. It is healthy for your dog to clearly see you as the Alpha Dog in the house, the leader, and for her to behave the way that you want her to.
Information on other obedience training books is on the Dog Obedience Training page. One of the books in this group also has excellent potty training information. It is shown in the Potty Training Rating Scale page.
Take Your Time (if you can in a crisis!)
You may need some time to think about this choice, so you can easily come back later to review the information again by adding this page to your favorites.
Good luck to you in completing the potty training quickly. When you are ready to move to advanced training for your dog, come back again to look at the obedience training books. All the experts agree that training is good for your dog's mental health, so don't think you are finished with just the potty training. Establishing yourself as the Alpha Dog is your responsibility as a dog owner and obedience training information will help you to "think" like the Alpha dog.
Go to the Potty Training Reviews page.
Go to the Potty Training Book Rating Scale page
|
|
