Housebreaking

Sometimes the term "housebroken" means you have a dog and he/she has broken your house! My elderly Sheltie, Daphne, has begun to make indoor mistakes on my beautiful Chinese rug in the study. Partly, I think her cues are subtle, and she doesn't have much time 'cause her bladder and bowels aren't as tough as they used to be. So she goes to the door and looks back over her shoulder at me. If I'm not there, or I don't notice right away, she heads for the study. Last Spring I had the Chinese rug professionally cleaned and the guy made me feel guilty about the odor in his shop!


Anyway, I went back to some house training tips that I'll share with you

• Supervision: young pups and old folks need to be watched more carefully than other dogs.
• Confinement: dogs that are vulnerable (the young and the old) should be taken out before you leave them alone, then confined to a small, safe place. The dog should have enough room to stand up, take a few steps, turn around, stretch.
• Praise, praise and more praise: make a big fuss when the vulnerable ones go outside, as in "good girl, Daphne! Good girl!" Then give a gentle hug and some pats.
• Scheduling: always feed at the same time and don't leave the food down for more than 30 minutes. Feed two meals, morning and evening. Evening should be three to five hours before bedtime.
• Clean, clean, clean: use a product made especially for pet stains, like "Resolve". Buy a stiff brush to be used only for pet clean-up. After picking up, or soaking up urine with paper towels, spray the affected areas and brush vigorously. If you don't do these things the dog will surely pee or poop in the same place again.