Last week, I talked about teaching your new puppy to potty when you ask him to. Puppies are relatively easy to teach about eliminating on cue because they have no preconceived notions about potty behavior. Start teaching them where and when to go from the moment they first join your household, and they will most likely retain into adulthood the behaviors you teach.
What about adult dogs?
Adult dogs, on the other hand, do come with preconceived notions about elimination. And many of those ideas can be counterproductive to a happy home life—for example, an adult dog who still potties in the house! This could be the result of no house-breaking, poor house-breaking, or even a health issue, like a urinary tract infection.
When you adopt an adult dog and know little about his pottying behavior, don’t give the dog the opportunity to show you what his past life has taught him. Chances are, letting doggy nature take its course with elimination will not serve you well. This can be especially true if the adult dog you’ve adopted has been a stray or has lived in an animal shelter rather than a home situation. In a shelter, dogs learn to urinate and defecate in their kennel runs (a relatively small area), generally using one end of the run for sleeping and the other for elimination. Because of the nature of that confinement, whatever instincts dogs have to remain “clean”—to eliminate away from where they sleep—are blunted by habits they’ve developed while in the care of the shelter. Their shelter habits are unlikely to be welcome if “away from where they sleep” means in your kitchen the minute they step out of a crate.
If the adult dog who’s just joined your family has an unknown background, your first step is to get him a wellness check with your veterinarian.
Many clinics offer free wellness checks to dogs adopted through animal shelters; some extend this courtesy to dogs adopted through rescue organizations, as well. Inquire at your clinic ahead of time so you know what’s available. If you don’t have a regular vet of your own, ask at the shelter or rescue for a recommendation. Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors, too. It’s important to find a clinic whose services fit your needs (cost, open hours, specialties), so be sure to shop around before you adopt.
So. Your new dog has been vetted (literally!) and you’re bringing him home.
Before he gets out of your vehicle, put a leash on him.
That leash will stay on him most of the time for a while. You’ll take it off when he is crated, and you may take it off so he can play and explore freely in your fenced yard . . . but not until you are positive he has emptied his bladder and bowels!
Do not walk inside your front door and let him loose. The minute the dog steps into your home, immediately lead him out the back door (or carry him if he’s small enough) to your fenced yard or where you’ve chosen for him to potty. (Yes, you need to figure out where you want him to eliminate before you bring him home.)
For male dogs, it’s helpful to locate the potty area somewhere there is an “upright”—a tree, a post, a bush, a hedge—against which your leg-lifter can lift his leg. (Not every male dog lifts a leg to pee, so don’t be concerned there’s something wrong if your new male dog doesn’t. Not doing so isn’t unusual at all, and doesn’t mean he’s unmanly!) For female dogs, it’s a bit more difficult, as most of them squat to pee. They need a more-or-less flat spot.
For both male or female dogs, a spot in the yard with a different substrate, a different surface, might be helpful. For example, in a mostly grassy yard, an area with bark or pea gravel instead of grass might be perfect (although it’s much more difficult to scoop fresh poop off bark or gravel than it is to scoop it off grass). Also keep in mind that a very “superstitious” dog might decide that he or she should eliminate only on bark or only on pea gravel—not just at home, but anywhere. That could be a problem. With your help, though, most dogs learn to generalize the cue to potty to include various surfaces.
Okay. The new-to-you dog is on leash in the area where you’d like him to eliminate.
What do you do?
Absolutely nothing!
Allow the dog to investigate the area by sniffing, of course, but keep him in that area by walking around in circles, if you must. Watch for signs that he is about to eliminate.
As he eliminates, praise quietly but happily: “Good pee!” or “Good poop!” or “Good job!” Praise with the cue word you have chosen.
What if he only pees but does not poop? Take him inside and crate him. Repeat the potty-area visits every 15 minutes until you get the poop.
I know, I know—it sounds boring. Well, would you rather be bored periodically for the first few days a dog lives with you so you can teach him something critically important? Or would you prefer to have no control whatsoever over when and where he eliminates? Tedious as it may seem, the procedure is but a small investment of your time that will make your new dog’s life—and yours!—far, far better in the future.
Although most adult dogs urinate multiple times during a day, keep in mind that they rarely defecate more than twice. (Don’t be standing around waiting for a bowel movement when the dog had one just an hour before!) Sometimes the stress and excitement of a new home with a new family can cause a dog to eliminate more than usual or even to become unusually reluctant to eliminate, causing constipation. Once the dog settles in and you get to know his regular elimination “schedule,” it will become much easier to decide when he is due to poop.
Consistent repetition is the key.
- The dog does not go outside without you on the other end of the leash.
- You see that the dog goes immediately to the designated potty area.
- You stay with the dog in that area until he eliminates.
- As he eliminates, you praise him with your cue word.
- Once he has eliminated, you stay outside to play with the dog if he wants to play, or to be company for him even if he’s not eager at that time to interact.
Do not make the mistake of teaching your dog that the “reward” for eliminating is being left alone outside or being taken inside and crated. Dogs who are treated that way soon learn to “hold it” as long as possible so their owners stay outside with them!
Is it possible for a dog you already own to learn to potty on cue?
It certainly is!
It’s pretty simple. Pretend the dog you already own is entirely new to you, and follow the protocol I outlined in this week’s and last week’s information. In other words:
- Treat your dog exactly as if it’s his first time in your home.
- Put on the leash or long line, take him to the designated area (yes, you need to designate that area before you start the protocol).
- Wait.
This will probably seem quite odd to your longtime dog companion! “What is my crazy human up to now?” he will probably wonder. Don’t worry, he’ll figure it out.
Just remember that the dog you already own is probably going to have the hardest time of all getting with the new program. You will be asking him to change old habits and—as we humans know so well—that is never easy. You, too, will need to change some habits, including the habit of opening the back door and letting your dog out to potty while you stay in the house drinking coffee and typing on your computer!
Certainly, you will be able to go back to that ease of care once your dog has learned the cues and responds to them consistently. But as you’ve been warned, that can take some time. Believe me, it’s time well worth investing in your dog!
Next week, I’ll continue with the protocol for getting the elimination behaviors on cue—for your new puppy, your new adult dog, or your longtime companion canine. Be patient and be positive! It will happen, however how long it takes, and you will be very glad you spent this time to train a very useful cue!
