Enjoy your puppy!
Did Santa bring you a puppy for Christmas? This little pet of yours is an adorable bundle of energy. In fact, he’s so lively you named him Jingle Bell.
But, here we are in January…just a month past Christmas. And all the newness of having a puppy in the house has worn off by now. You’re probably wondering how such a little dog can make such a big mess. This precious pet of yours is constantly creating one stain after another throughout your beautiful Grapevine home.
Since Jingle Bell came into your house, you’re convinced you’ve been given a new, full-time job…that of pet stain removal. Are you thinking you should have named your puppy “Tinkle bell”?
No need to get discouraged. Even the smartest, sweetest puppy can have problems getting outside or on the puppy pad fast enough. With consistent and persistent training, your pet won’t be leaving anymore stains for you to have to clean up. Your vet or a local, Grapevine pet store will be able to recommend some helpful training programs. (*For your benefit, we’re including an article from the ASPCA that provides you with the steps to successfully house train your puppy.)
All of the best animal trainers emphasize the importance of the removal of all the stains your pet leaves behind. That’s where we can help. A quick call to Dr. Clean will have us on our way to your home in Grapevine. With our variety of antimicrobial disinfectants, enzyme removers and highly concentrated deodorizers, we are confident we can remove each pet stain and restore that new carpet smell.
Now that you don’t have to fuss with the removal of each stain your little pet has left behind, you can take your puppy and head out to one of the beautiful Grapevine parks to enjoy some of this spring-like weather!
*House Training Steps
1. Keep your puppy on a consistent daily feeding schedule and remove food between meals.
2. Take the puppy outside on a consistent schedule. Puppies should be taken out every hour, as well as shortly after meals, play and naps. All puppies should go out first thing in the morning, last thing at night and before being confined or left alone.
3. In between these outings, know where your puppy is at all times. You need to watch for early signs that he needs to eliminate so that you can anticipate and prevent accidents from happening. These signs include pacing, whining, circling, sniffing or leaving the room. If you see any of these, take your puppy outside as quickly as possible. Not all puppies learn to let their caretakers know that they need to go outside by barking or scratching at the door. Some will pace a bit and then just eliminate inside. So watch your puppy carefully.
4. If you can’t watch your puppy, he must be confined to a crate or a small room with the door closed or blocked with a baby gate. Alternatively, you can tether him to you by a leash that does not give him much leeway around you (about a six-foot leash). Gradually, over days or weeks, give your puppy more freedom, starting with freedom a small area, like the kitchen, and gradually increasing it to larger areas, or multiple rooms, in your home. If he eliminates outside, give him some free time in the house (about 15 to 20 minutes to start), and then put him back in his crate or small room. If all goes well, gradually increase the amount of time he can spend out of confinement.
5. Accompany your puppy outside and reward him whenever he eliminates outdoors with praise, treats, play or a walk. It’s best to take your puppy to the same place each time because the smells often prompt puppies to eliminate. Some puppies will eliminate early on in a walk. Others need to move about and play for a bit first.
6. If you catch your puppy in the act of eliminating inside, clap sharply twice, just enough to startle but not scare him. (If your puppy seems upset or scared by your clapping, clap a little softer the next time you catch him in the act.) When startled, the puppy should stop in mid-stream. Immediately run with him outside, encouraging him to come with you the whole way. (If necessary, take your puppy gently by the collar to run him outside.) Allow your pup to finish eliminating outside, and then reward him with happy praise and a small treat. If he has nothing to eliminate when he gets outside, don’t worry. Just try to be more watchful of him in the house in the future. If your puppy has an accident but you don’t catch him in the act and only find the accident afterward, do nothing to your pup. He cannot connect any punishment with something he did hours or even minutes ago.
Additional House Training Tips
- Clean accidents with an enzymatic cleanser to minimize odors that might attract the puppy back to the same spot.
- Once your puppy is house trained in your home, he may still have accidents when visiting others’ homes. That’s because puppies need to generalize their learning to new environments. Just because they seem to know something in one place does NOT mean that they’ll automatically know that thing everywhere. You’ll need to watch your puppy carefully when you visit new places together and be sure to take him out often.
- Likewise, if something in your puppy’s environment changes, he may have a lapse in house training. For example, a puppy might seem completely house trained until you bring home a large potted tree—which may look to him like a perfect place to lift his leg!
House training does require an investment of time and effort—but it can be done! If you’re consistent, your hard work will pay off. Hang in there! If you need help, don’t hesitate to contact a qualified professional, such as a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT), a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB or Associate CAAB) or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist (Dip ACVB). To find one of these experts in your area, please see our article, Finding Professional Help.
What NOT to Do
- Do not rub your puppy’s nose in his waste.
- Do not scold your dog for eliminating indoors. Instead, if you catch him in the act, make a noise to startle him and stop him from urinating or defecating. Then immediately show your dog where you want him to go by running with him outside, waiting until he goes, and then praising and rewarding him.
- Do not physically punish your puppy for accidents (hitting with newspaper, spanking, etc.). Realize that if your puppy has accidents in the house, you failed to adequately supervise him, you did not take him outside frequently enough, or you ignored or were unaware of his signals that he needed to go outside.
- Do not confine your puppy to a small area for hours each day, without doing anything else to correct the problem.
- Do not crate your puppy if he’s soiling in the crate.
- If your puppy enjoys being outside, don’t bring him inside right after he eliminates or he may learn to “hold it” so that he can stay outside longer.
- Do not clean with an ammonia-based cleanser. Urine contains ammonia. Cleaning with ammonia could attract your puppy back to the same spot to urinate again. Instead, use an enzymatic cleaner. You can find one at some grocery stores or any major pet store.
For more information, visit the ASPCA’s website. http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-articles/house-training-your-puppy