Accidents happen…

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… even to the most diligent pet owners and best trained dogs… Often accidents can be linked to extreme need and/or stress; sometimes you’ve just missed your dog’s signals.wet-floor-sign_z1j4mJC_

Whoops There Goes the Rug

No matter how vigilant, there are times when you will step in a puddle or find a present on a favorite carpet. How you react in this situation determines how your dog views you and your leadership. 

DO

  1. Claim responsibility for the success or failure of your pups potty training.
  2. Crate your pup if you cannot be watching.
  3. Tie him to you if you are busy around the house and you are distracted.
  4. Make potty breaks your main priority first thing in the morning. This means that you may have to wait on that first cup of coffee, unless you have a friend or spouse that is kind enough to bring you one while you stand shivering in your pajama’s saying, “Go Potty” to your little friend while the neighbors shake their head in wonder.
  5. Remember that even though your pup went potty before breakfast he will still need to go out again after he has his morning meal.
  6. Clean up any accidents with the proper product. You must use a product that has an enzyme breaker in it. If you use most common household products they will hide the smell from you but not your dog. You have to eliminate the odor completely.
  7. Watch for signs that you furry little friend needs to go out. Remember that a puppy that is sniffing and circling is giving you a clue that they need to go potty. Learn the signs of impending disaster. All dogs have them.

DON’T

  1. Scream at your puppy. Take your dog to the offensive spot and show it to him or rub his nose in it. Or throw him outside while doing the inappropriate screaming behavior. These behaviors make your dog think that you’re nuts, and he might start to question your stability. Dogs do not follow unstable leaders.
  2. Bring the dog back in the house as soon as he goes potty. Wait just a minute and then tell him, “ Play, Ya wanna Play.“ Then give him a little personal fun time. If you take him in the minute he goes potty he may well figure out that as soon as he potty’s the fun times are over with.

Caught in the Act (Or No Not On My Rug)

  1. It is never fair to correct you dog after an accident. What exactly is the appropriate behavior when you catch the cute little guy in the act? Right at that moment, he is not looking so cute, and you may be feeling really frustrated. Think back to five minutes before his transgression when he was upside down, letting you rub his belly. Try to remember how cute he was at that point in time.
  2. When you catch your dog in the act, make an abrupt noise such as clapping your hands and give a correction noise such as augh,augh or baap, baap, baap to stop the unwanted behavior.
  3. Use a firm tone of voice to indicate that this is totally inappropriate. Firm does not mean yelling like your head is going to explode. It just means firm as in “I mean business”.
  4. Never run at your dog and try to stop them. Your dog will want to run away and try to hide.
  5. Say “Outside, potty outside.”
  6. Keep your body posture relaxed and do not stare down your dog. This could make your pup run or even drop and pee submissively. Neither is a great scenario and can be much worse to clean up after.
  7. Take your dog directly to his potty spot, and  be sure to clean the spot with the appropriate cleaning product to prevent recurrence.

Potty Training Topics:

Potty Training
Potty Training