Before bringing your dog home, set up a confinement area. This is a place for your dog to stay when you can’t provide 100% supervision. For example, when you are out or busy around the house and can’t keep your eyes on him the entire time. It prevents chewing accidents, potty accidents, and can help you teach your dog to be alone comfortably. ‘Confinement’ may sound harsh, but having a confinement area is the best possible start for your dog in your household. People often give a new dog the run of the house right away. Then, when he has an accident on the carpet or chews on the couch cushions, they confine him, and confinement becomes a punishment. Instead, give your dog a safe place from the beginning, and let him make a gradual and successful transition to his new home. He will be much happier and your furniture will remain intact. Where? The ideal confinement area is easy to clean and easy to close off with a door or baby gate. It should be mostly free of furniture and non-dog related objects. The best places for a confinement area are often the kitchen, laundry room, bathroom, or an empty spare room. What? Furnish the confinement area with a bed or a crate with something soft to sleep on, a water bowl, and several toys, including a chew toy or a Kong stuffed with part of your dog’s meal.
Step 1. When you arrive home, take your dog out for a walk or bathroom break.
Step 2. Introduce him to his new home on leash, including the confinement area
Step 3. Take off his leash, give him a chew or a stuffed Kong, and leave him alone in the confinement area for approximately 5 minutes.
If your dog howls, whines, or barks, wait until he has been quiet for at least ten seconds before interacting with him. Otherwise, he learns that whining or barking makes you appear or gets him out of the confinement area, and he will bark or cry for longer periods of time.
Start alone-time training now. Begin getting your dog used to short absences within the first few hours of his arrival. You will want to spend every minute with your dog when he first comes home, but it is better to prepare him for a normal routine right away. He must learn to be relaxed, calm, and settled when alone—and this doesn’t come naturally to dogs, social animals that they are.
How? Leave your dog alone in his confinement area while you go out or spend time in another part of the house. Vary the length of your absences, from 30 seconds to 20 minutes, and repeat them throughout the day. If your dog seems comfortable, you can increase the amount of time he is left alone.
Remember, it may take several days or weeks for your dog to make the transition to his new home.
Potty accidents can happen even with adult, previously house-trained dogs. It is not at all obvious to dogs that the bathroom rules in one place apply everywhere else.
Teach your new family member to distinguish between indoors and outdoors by getting him to go in a designated area and then rewarding him with treats and praise. With a little patience and supervision, your dog will soon be fully versed in toilet etiquette.
Prevent Accidents. Supervise your dog in the house. Use a crate when you are not sure if your dog is empty.
Reward your dog for going outside. Praise at the right moment, i.e. the second he starts ‘going.’ Reward with a treat after he is finished.
1 - Until your dog is perfectly house-trained, don’t leave him alone except in his confinement area.
2 - If you see your dog sniffing and circling in the house, take him out immediately.
3 - Praise and reward your dog with a treat when he relieves himself outdoors.
4 - Never yell or punish your dog for a potty accident, otherwise he may become afraid to relieve himself in front of you.
Another good habit to start right away. A crate is a terrific training and management tool, useful for house-training, brief alone-time, settling, and any form of travel. Most importantly, a crate teaches your dog to hold it when he has to go to the bathroom. A crate helps your dogs in many ways—and saves your carpets.
Get started. Throw small tasty treats into the crate one at a time. Praise your dog when he goes in to get the treat. When your dog is comfortable going into the crate, practice closing the door for 1-2 seconds, then treat him through the door. Let him back out. Repeat this step several times, gradually building to10 seconds.
Next stuff a Kong with something very yummy or use a special chew that will take a lot of time to get through. Put the treats in the crate. Shut the door. Move about the house normally. Let your dog back out after 5 minutes or while he is still working on his treat. Don’t make a fuss over him. Repeat this step several times as you practice your short absences, varying the length from 1 to 20 minutes.
Dogs prefer to sleep indoors where it is quiet and warm. At night, put a chew toy in your dog’s crate or sleeping area and leave the dog. He may have trouble settling in at first, but should eventually relax and sleep. It is important not to let your dog out of his confinement area if he cries or barks. The bottom line is, if you give him attention for making noise, he will keep it up longer next time. Steel yourself and wait it out. (It’s normal for your dog to cry a little for the first few nights, but he will quiet down more quickly each night.)
