Petodor

House Training

2006-09-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

House Training

WATCH, WATCH, WATCH!
The key to successful house training is supervision.
Watch your dog constantly.
Your first duty is to identify what your dog does right before it eliminates.
Does your dog sniff? circle? hold his ears in a certain position? Some dogs provide signals that are easy to spot, while others are more difficult. Watch carefully.

PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE!
When you see the signs of an impending puddle, react! Quickly -before he has the chance to squat- ask him in an excited voice,
Do you have to go OUTSIDE? Lead the way, continuing to praise all the way.
Once outside, stay with him until you witness the desired results and praise him as he goes. Good, go potty outside! Make him feel that he is the most special dog in the whole world.

CONFINE WHEN YOU CANT WATCH
By confining him to a small place, like an airline kennel, you will teach him to wait to be let out. He will be more reluctant to soil his crate, because if he does he will be forced to sit and look at it and smell it until you return.
When you do let him out, take him directly to his assigned toilet area and praise for quick results.

KEEP A REGULAR SCHEDULE
Take him out first thing in the morning, last thing at night, and many times in between.
Feed and exercise on a regular schedule.
Remember, what goes in regularly, will come out regularly. How soon after he eats does he need to go out? Keep track. Free-choice feeding may hamper your house training efforts - what trickles in will trickle out unpredictably!

Your dog will probably need to go out soon after eating, after napping, and after exercising. If you can anticipate when he needs to go and hustle him to the appropriate spot at the first sign, youll avoid accidents.

DONT JUST PUT HIM OUT - STAY WITH HIM
If you dont stay, youll miss the chance to praise and youll also miss the chance to name the behavior.
Outside is where he needs to go, Go potty, Find a tree, or, Do your business (call it what you like) is what he needs to do when he gets there.
If you stay with him, youll also know for a fact that both duties were accomplished before he comes back in.
(Youll also be glad that your dog is comfortable eliminating in your presence when youre standing in the rain at that rest stop while vacationing with your pet!)

HE COMES RIGHT BACK IN AND MAKES A MESS
If you leave him out alone, you wont know if he completed his assigned tasks or was distracted by a butterfly.
Many young puppies are distraught about being separated from their owners.
They may spend the entire time while outside just sitting on the porch. Its unlikely that your pup will want to ask to go outside if it is a negative experience to be separated from the security of its human family.
He was out for two hours and came in immediately made a mess.
He may have spent most of the past two hours napping, awoke to the sound of the door and came running. Now hes finally back inside - is he apt to want to ask to be left out again?

NO PUNISHMENT
If he has an accident, swat yourself with the rolled up newspaper, not the dog. It was your fault for not watching him closely enough! Rubbing his nose in it (yuck!), scolding or hitting will only teach him to avoid you when he feels the need, rather than come find you.
Correcting before the dog learns how to ask only teaches the dog to sneak off down the hall where you wont see him.

TEACH HIM HOW TO ASK
If you have been a good cheerleader, your dog has probably made the association between the feeling of a full bladder and your excitement at the prospect of going outside.
You may notice that he circles and then looks to you like, Well? Im feeling it - are you going to get excited?
Now is the time to start playing stupid. What? What do you want? Show me!
The more stupid you appear, the more explicit he will be when trying to communicate his needs. Before you know it, he will be asking.

ACCIDENTS HAPPEN
Upsets in schedule, changes in food, or illness may contribute to temporary lapses in housetraining.
See your veterinarian if it persists. Outside stresses, changes in weather, a new pet or baby in the family, may also upset your dogs toilet habits.
Punishing long after the fact will only add to his stress.
Back up, give him more structure; confine & supervise. Help him be good!

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2006-04-22T14:28:00.000-07:00

PetOdor.com | Pet Odor | Cat Odor | Zero Odor | Pet Odor Remover

2006-04-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

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More about this Pet Odor Problem

Pet Predicaments

Some finicky pets are so problematic when it comes to housebreaking that they constantly find new, out-of-the-way places to leave accidents.

Their owners find them weeks later when it's too late.
Other pets routinely leave their messes in the same spot, regardless of how much scolding their owners give them.

If you're facing either one of these scenarios, it's probably time to call a professional.

If you're lucky, a carpet cleaning company may be able to restore the color to your faded patches of carpeting, and disinfect the affected areas.

If you're not so lucky, even the pros won't be able to restore your carpet to its pre-pet condition, and you'll be facing the expensive proposition of replacing your carpet.
The fact is that once those "accidents" make their way down to the padding of your carpeting, there's not much you can do.

And when the summer months arrive, you'll constantly be reminded of their presence.
Of course, it goes without saying that it's also time to consider sending your pet to a housetraining school (if your cat is a perpetrator, you might be out of luck, short of an unconventional kitty training video or book) or even finding him or her a new place to live.

You may want to contact your vet, as well, to see if something in your pet's diet is causing a proliferation of accidents.
If your lifestyle has experienced any upheaval lately -- for example, the departure of a child to college, a move, the arrival a new baby or a spouse -- that could be the problem.

Animals are extraordinarily sensitive creatures.
Even the most housebroken, model pets can fall into regression if they're facing a stressful event.
If you do, indeed, replace your carpet, it's time to regroup. D

o you want to shell out thousands of dollars for brand-new carpeting, only to have it destroyed again by your pet?
Many training centers have excellent success rates with their four-legged students.
Although pets are considered family members, the expense of replacing your carpeting isn't something you want to experience twice.

Your best bet is to meet with your vet before you empty your wallet for new carpeting or place an ad in the newspaper to give away your pet.

Your vet is your best resource for making sure you've tried everything possible to correct the problem.
Only then is it time to take drastic measures.
In more than a few cases, pet owners have pinpointed the problems leading to their pets' accidents, and they've had to replace their carpeting only once -- and without saying goodbye to their four-legged family members.

If your pet is clever and chooses a low-traffic spot that you don't find until several hours later or even the next day, you might experience faded carpet (your pet's mess actually bleaches the carpet) or a stubborn odor.

Depending on the dye used in your carpet, you might see a fading or other type of color change in your carpet.
This is particularly true if the spot has time to sit, and your pet's "accident" has had considerable time to seep through to the bottom lining of your carpet.

If the stain sits for several days or even weeks, not only will the dye discoloration become permanent; the fibers of your carpet will begin to weaken and deteriorate.
The area around the spot -- and even the room itself on a hot summer afternoon -- will take on a strong, acidic odor, reminiscent of ammonia.

The bad news is that there's not much you can do about that smell.
Adding to the problem is that the presence of urine in the fibers of your carpet attracts bacteria in the carpet and its padding.

Unfortunately, attempting to wet the area with various household cleaners will probably intensify, not diminish, the odor.
Pet stains are a tricky area.
Due to the combination of a high protein diet and their hormones, male cats are considered the worst offenders, followed by female cats and then dogs (dogs tend to have diets higher in carbohydrates, which means less offensive odors).

If your dog or cat had an accident on a washable surface -- a cushion with a removable slipcover, an item of clothing, a pillowcase or bedspread, for example -- you may continue to smell what your pet left behind even after you've run the item through the cycle of your washing machine.

Try adding some white vinegar in your next cycle along with your laundry detergent.
The vinegar should cut any residual odors.

If your pet had an accident on the carpet, you're facing a challenge.
Generally speaking, if you find the accident and clean the affected area immediately, you can restore your carpet to its previous condition.

If you do notice the spot soon after the crime has been committed, blot the stain using a white paper towel (colored paper towels might bleed into your carpet, making the spot even more noticeable).

After you've blotted the area as much as you can (you may even consider placing something heavy on top of the paper towel to help speed up the absorption process), rise the area using a household cleaning solution containing ammonia.

Blot the area again with another white paper towel, and then rise again using a solution of diluted white vinegar.
Blot the area again. Then, tear off a few fresh paper towels, and place them over the spot with something heavy on top (a stack of books, a wine bottle, etc.).

Leave them there for several hours to ensure that the spot is dried thoroughly.

If your furniture is dark and your pet has white, orange or another light-color fur, you've got your work cut out for you.

There's nothing worse than approaching a sofa covered in hair, which then transfers to your own clothing.

To pick up what your pets leave behind, dampen a cloth (don't saturate it), and run it over the surface of your sofa, bedspread or chair cushion.
This is the easiest way to pick up the majority of that fur and restore your furniture to top condition.

You can also use a piece of masking tape.
To avoid using multiple strips and experiencing the frustration of having the tape tangle up, try wrapping a piece around your hand, sticky side out.
Of course, you can always use a brush or tool on your vacuum cleaner to remove pet hair from your furniture, but that takes more time and often isn't as effective.dan the roommate man
When you're choosing a pet, you never consider the mark that your new dog or cat is going to make on your home ... literally.

Even if you manage to housebreak your pet with complete success, you'll find evidence of your furry friend throughout the house -- from hair on your bedspread to snags in your sofa to the slight stench that's been hanging in the dining room ever since Fido shook himself dry after a romp in the rain.

Since 1989 dan the roommate man has helped 1000's of people find roommates.

Need help? Contact him at 800-487-8050 or www.roommateexpress.com