Breaking and entering leads the pack in terms of being the topic I get the most questions about, hands down. The key is really making sure you’re following a consistent plan. Consistency will make housetraining your dog or puppy as simple as possible. However, breaking and entering remains difficult. And it’s not something you’re going to achieve overnight, or even in a week, despite the fact that some of the advertisements you may see online indicate that you can. Breaking and entering is a process. Your dog must learn through conditioning where she is and it is not appropriate to go to the bathroom.
Even if you are following all the steps, you can still run into unexpected hiccups in the housebreaking process, namely when your dog starts using the indoor bathroom again after apparently having a solid break-in or when your dog starts to use the bathroom in his cage. There are different processes for handling these issues, so I’ll address them separately, starting with treating a dog who started pottying indoors after he thought he was fully housebroken.
Before we dive into home invasion, keep this in mind…even the best-trained dogs will have accidents. The goal is for it to be so occasional that you can’t remember 2 of the last 3 times it happened. Even my 11 year old dog surprised me a few months ago with a little liquid treat near my back door after being housebroken for a decade! In that case, the accident was entirely my fault. She had left town overnight and she had nowhere to go. Keep this in mind when potty training your dog or puppy because a single accident may not mean your dog has relapsed completely. However, if you are dealing with accident number 2 or more in a short period of time, you should take action immediately to avoid further problems.
The common reasoning I hear from owners when their dog begins to relapse in potty training is that the dog is angry, or is doing it out of spite or to “get back” at the owner for some injustice done to him. I too am guilty of having these thoughts before, but the quickest way to find a solution is to let go of that line of thinking and adopt the mantra that your dog doesn’t do things out of spite or hate towards you. Dogs generally want their owners to be happy. They are pack animals and want to be in a happy, cohesive pack. They also don’t have the same feelings as a human and don’t hold grudges or act out of spite.
It’s actually quite simple… from the dog’s perspective. He thinks he’s supposed to go in the house now…he’s done it so many times without correcting it (or with the wrong kind of correction).
That means that when you can’t take care of your dog, it must be crated or confined so it doesn’t have accidents and must have very limited access to roam freely around the house until you get control of the trespassing again. Here is the specific strategy for handling burglary issues:
1. Tie your dog to a leash attached to your belt or to some piece of furniture so he’s never out of sight.
2. Watch closely and learn to determine when your dog is reaching the maximum threshold for potty grasping. Usually, a lot of ground sniffing happens right before an accident. Take care of your dog!
3. When you see your dog lean (or squat) into that classic “I’m going potty” pose, JUMP (even if you’re standing), clap your hands to get your dog’s attention, and say “Ah- Ah” in a clear, firm voice (no need to sound hysterical here, the idea is to scare your dog into paying attention to you instead of going to the bathroom).
4. Using the leash, lead your dog outside. Pick up your dog if necessary to get him out quickly.
5. Encourage your dog to go potty with sweet praise and smiles once you’re outside. Praise your dog DEEPLY with treats and cuddles and a love of finishing outside. Is that what you want.
The “Ah-Ah” was enough to stall my Sheltie long enough to get her outside. Then he would coax her with a smile and a friendly “potty time” command until she went OUTSIDE to the bathroom. Then it’s time for lots of praise and even some treats if she has some on hand. A few times of doing this and her dog will understand that potty training should only happen outside.
What I want you to gain from this strategy is that you shouldn’t just focus on punishing your dog for using the bathroom indoors. In fact, the only time you should punish them for that is when you catch them in the act (with the “Ah-Ah” or a firm “No”). Punishing your dog after the fact, even 3 minutes later, is not going to work.
Your dog will NOT, I repeat, NOT make the association between what he did even 2 minutes ago (ie potty indoors) and you ranting and raving and sticking your nose in the mess.
Clean up the mess, don’t let your dog see you clean it up, and be ready to catch your dog next time when he’s squatting.
For a puppy, this process is even easier because they tend to be light enough that you can pick them up and carry them outside. This is a good way to get your pup out quickly before he’s finished going inside.
With my English Bulldog I ran into an unexpected problem that you may be experiencing yourself. Even with the firm “Ah-Ah” and the jumping, I wouldn’t/couldn’t stop going to the bathroom once it started. And this frustrated me to no end! But continue with the process. Get your dog out as quickly as possible and encourage him to go to the bathroom.
So show your dog where you want him to go when he has to go to the bathroom. Reinforce the behavior faster. And make it beneficial for them to go potty outside by showering them with love and treats when they do.
