February 26, 2002
Tuesday

At last. Potty training. You've been waiting for this one for weeks. But to get this one right, you had to have the basics down.

So now you're the Treat and Praise Dispensing Puppy Trainer.

There are three steps to potty training, and it's going to take more than one of these columns to cover them all.

So. The First Step: How do I get him to do it right?

The key to potty training is to be really vigilant until you are sure he's got the basics down. Remember, you're teaching him a foreign language here. The only thing he's been taught by his mother is that it's not OK to pee where you eat and sleep. That's called the denning instinct, and we're going to use it in teaching him it's not OK to pee inside. But again, remember, that 'inside' means nothing to him, so you're going to have to teach him.

The way we're going to use his denning instinct, is by getting him a crate that's big enough for him to turn around in, but not much bigger. If he's going to be a really big dog, and you only want to buy one crate, then you'll have to wall off an area of a big crate for him. Otherwise he'll pee in one corner, and the crate will be big enough for him to curl up at the far end, and it won't bother him. For the first few times, put a stuffed Kong toy - or other yummy treat for him to work on for a while - in the crate so he knows this is a fun place to go. (But not every time. Remember, you don't want to be the Pop Kong Machine dispenser, do you? Intermittent and unexpected stuffeded Kong toys, after he gets the idea.)

And this is the key to potty training.

His denning instinct will make him want to leave the room when you're not watching, and pee out of sight. So, the first thing you're going to have to get set in your head, as a puppy owner, is that, until he is potty trained, when he's in the house, he's either in the crate or you are watching him.

Next : Taking him outside

 

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