Sportsman Standard Poodles



  • HOME
  • Who We Are and Where We Live
  • Available Puppies
    • Standard Poodles - Sassy
    • AussieDoodles - Lucy
    • AussieDoodles - Maggie
  • Pricing and Puppy Package
  • About Standard Poodles
  • About Aussiedoodles
  • Our Breeding Pets
  • Mr. BoJangles
  • Jude - A Tribute
  • Testimonials
  • Contact Us
  • Previous Litters
    • Aug 4, 2015 Tessa and Mr. BoJangles
    • Feb 27/2015 Sassy and Mr. BoJangles
    • May 2012 litter - Prada and Moses
    • May 2012 - pictures up to 8 weeks old
    • October 2011 litter - Prada and McCoy
    • October 2011-pictures up to 8 weeks old
  • Basic Tips on Training Your Puppy
    • Bringing Your New Puppy Home
    • Control Barking
    • Crate Training
  • Special Links
  • Blog

The following article was taken from http://www.foundanimals.org/pet-care/ask-experts/how-to-housebreak-a-puppy

How to Housebreak a Puppy: The Basics of Crate
Training
 
 Housebreaking a puppy is not the easiest thing in the world. It takes time,
patience and perseverance; it’s not something that happens overnight. No matter
how diligent you are, accidents will happen, arm yourself with some good
cleaning products, the best
housebreaking aids
available and some knowledge about puppies, and how their bodies work.

A
puppy doesn’t have control over muscles of elimination before 4 months of age
and all puppies vary in the developmental time of these muscles.  Smaller dogs
have smaller bladders and will need to urinate more frequently.

Dogs are
naturally hardwired not to eliminate in their “den.” Taking a cue from this
natural instinct, a great way to housebreak a puppy is by crate
training.



Crate Training Shopping List:

  1. A metal collapsible crate that she can grow into, not too big that it
    doesn’t feel den like, but big enough for the grown dog to stand up, turn around
    and stretch in.

  2. Dog toys and chews so the crate is inviting.

  3. A cozy dog bed or blanket. I like these waterproof blankets
    because they can be used anywhere and washed and reused.

How to Prepare the Crate:         1.      Put the
crate in a central location, you don’t want the crate to seem isolating or like
punishment. Ideally, you want your puppy to accept the crate as a safe and cozy
place to hang out. Put food and water bowls in there. Your puppy should eat and
drink in the crate as well.

         2.      If possible, move the crate
near your bed at night for the first couple weeks. This may help ease any
separation anxiety the puppy is feeling and will also wake you up to take her
out if she whines or acts restless, indicating she needs to go.

First Steps:Dogs are naturally territorial and will
mark their territory with urine. Once a dog has marked off an area she will
always be drawn back to those particular spots to mark again. This is called
scent posting.  In the beginning, a puppy sees your whole home as her territory
and will not discern that the whole house is in fact, a “den.”


  1. The first time you bring your puppy home, carry her to the spot you want her
    to pee in and set her down. On a leash, lead her around your backyard or
    whatever area it is you’d like her to urinate in.

  2. Be sure to have treats and praise at the
    ready any and every time she pees outside.

TIP: From the age of 8
weeks, a puppy will sniff for another dog’s (or her own) scent to pee over. You
may want to have a friend’s dog come and pee in your backyard or collect your
own puppies urine (if you are able to) and deposit that in the area you want her
to go.  However, sometimes a timid dog will not go near another dogs urine,
every dog is different.

First Time in the Crate:

  1. The best time to put the puppy in the crate is after she’s tired from
    exercise and ready to sleep.

  2. Lead your puppy into the crate while giving praise and positive
    reinforcement.

  3. Give your puppy a kong with peanut butter
    or some food to enforce that the crate is a happy place to be.

  4. If your puppy whines and cries and you know she doesn’t have to go out,
    you must ignore it. If a puppy doesn’t get any attention (negative or positive)
    after 20 minutes or so they usually quiet down. Letting the puppy out of the
    crate when she cries will only enforce the behavior and let her know that’s what
    she must do to get out. I know it’s hard but very important not to set negative
    patterns.

Signs Your Puppy Needs to Go:A puppy’s bladder is
small and her digestive system works quickly. There is a very short amount of
time from feeling the need to go and actually doing it. Remember that until 4
months of age, puppies don’t have control over when they eliminate.


  • If your puppy barks or whines at you, starts sniffing the ground in little
    circles, panting or raising her tail while doing any of these things, it’s time
    to take her out and quickly.

How Long Can a Puppy Wait:

  • Before a puppy reaches 12 weeks old, he will need to go every 1 to 2
    hours.

  • A loose rule of thumb is that a puppy can “hold it” for the amount of
    hours that corresponds to his age in months, plus one. So a 3 month old puppy
    can hold it for 4 hours. 4 hours is the maximum and he may feel the need to go
    out more frequently than that.

  • Smaller breed dogs have smaller bladders and will need to go out more
    frequently regardless of age.

Gating Off Sections of the House:During the
housebreaking period, it’s important that you always have eyes on your puppy.
She shouldn’t roam free in the house, not until she understands that all the
rooms in the house, even the ones that aren’t used that much and are dark and
quiet, are her den.

You may want to get a
gate or two and gate off
rooms in the house. This gives her more freedom than being in the crate but
doesn’t set her up to fail by allowing her places to get into trouble
unsupervised. A gate is a very handy housebreaking aid and useful in raising a
dog in general.

Accidents Will Happen:The only time you can really
scold your puppy and have her make the association is if you catch her in the
act. Clap your hands together and that may stop her in mid pee, either way,
scoop her up and take her outside. Once she finishes outside, give her treats
and praise. Though our natural reaction would be to get upset, actually, you’ve
just caught a lucky break for training. Accidents will happen and housebreaking
can be a messy process.

Cleaning Up Shopping List:

  • Odor Eliminating cleaner for carpets and fabrics.
    These products work by breaking down the waste with enzymes and neutralizing the
    smell, this way, a dog won’t re-mark the spot.

  • Lots and lots of paper towels.

Cleaning Up:

  1. Clean up any messes immediately. Once urine has soaked through to the
    carpet pad it’s very difficult to clean. Soak up urine with paper towels and
    then saturate the area with enzymatic cleaner. Let it sit for an hour, then soak
    that up with paper towels. Later, you can sprinkle it with baking soda and
    vacuum it up for good measure.

  2. If you have tile or hardwood, these messes won’t be a big deal, just wipe
    up and clean and dry the area thoroughly.

  3. For old messes: enzymatic cleaners can work to break down old stains with
    a few treatments. Locate the old stains using a black light (works on carpet,
    wood and walls) and retreat those areas.
* No puppy or dog is going to
respond the same way to these techniques, the important thing is to keep trying.
 
Bringing your new puppy                              
home
Now that you’re home                               with
your puppy, it becomes your responsibility                               and
challenge to educate and socialise this puppy                               so
that it may become a pleasant, useful, happy                               and
well adjusted companion.


It is important to understand                            
   that a eight week-old pup is just a baby. He has                              
just been separated from his mother and litter mates,                           
    from familiar faces and surroundings. This is a                              
BIG adventure for him and your job is to make the                              
experience as pleasant as possible while not overindulging                      
         him. You should try to be reassuring and friendly,                      
         and avoid having many people over to meet the pup.                      
         There will be plenty of time later for getting to                       
        know friends and neighbours. You need to be careful                      
         not to overwhelm him, let him get used to his new                       
        surroundings.


Physical Surroundings


You should provide a quiet                              
area to place his crate, a place where he can rest                              
in peace. He will need a lot of sleep. In fact,                               at
that age, a puppy spends more time sleeping than                              
doing anything else. You must never disturb or disrupt                          
     his sleep. Do not put a blanket or pillow in the                            
   crate, as this could encourage him to relieve himself                         
      during the night.
                              You should puppy-proof
the house, remove all sources                               of potential danger
for the pup. Electrical wires                               must be protected
from his sharp teeth; small objects                               like coins and
marbles should be removed, plants                               should be out of
reach, and generally anything you                               don’t want
chewed up should be stored safely                               out of his
reach.
                              You should put his feed and water bowls
in a quiet                               area and make sure he has access to
clean water                               at all times.
                     
         I suggest keeping a box in which you can store his                      
         toys when he is in his crate.


Puppy psychology


The first thing you have to                              
think about is your general attitude towards the                              
pup. Most people want their dog to be a friend,                              
companion, playmate and guardian. If you want your                              
dog to love and protect you, you must first bond                              
with him and earn his trust and respect. Raising                               a
pup successfully is a lot like raising children.                              
You must determine which behaviors are acceptable,                              
desirable, and unacceptable. You must think of how                              
you will encourage and nurture the desirable, and                              
avoid and discourage the unpleasant behaviors. You                              
need to be consistent and never let him get away                              
with something he isn’t allowed to do.


Puppy Discipline


One must realize that there                              
is no use in punishing a young pup. This puppy is                              
the equivalent a young baby and we would never think                            
   of expecting good manners from a six-month old child,                         
      would we? This is not the time for punishments and                         
      reprimands. This is the period for imprinting and                          
     encouraging positive behavior. This is the best                             
  time to show the puppy that when he pleases you,                              
he is rewarded with attention, and this is how he                              
will learn to want to please you. A dog that wants                              
to please you will be easy to train and will generally                          
     not need harsh discipline.
                              So if I can’t
punish him, then how do I keep                               him from doing
things I don’t want? For example                               biting hands,
chewing the furniture, eating shoes,                               peeing on the
floor!!!
                              It is important to understand that a
baby can do                               no wrong. He simply does what he does
because he                               is a puppy. It is your job and
responsibility to                               ensure that he doesn’t get into
trouble and                               do things that are annoying to others
or dangerous                               to himself.
                     
         The best way to ensure that he doesn’t get                              
into trouble is supervision. Pay constant and total                             
  attention to the pup when he is not in his crate.                              
If you are watching him, he can’t get in trouble.                              
This is also the best way to toilet-train him very                              
quickly. By this I mean that the puppy should be                              
in his crate at all times if you are not actively                              
supervising him.
                              This may sound harsh, but it
is only for a while                               in the puppy’s life; he will
sleep when you                               put him in the crate and he will
learn his place                               in the house. You are the boss,
not the other way                               around. When you have had
enough, it’s time                               to go. If he cries, ignore him.
If you cave in,                               you are giving him control and
loosing your role                               as pack leader. He will not
respect a weak leader                               and will always seek to
challenge your authority                               and, as he grows older,
this will become more and                               more problematic. This
is the ideal moment in your                               relationship to
ingrain that principle firmly in                               his head. You are
the boss, you decide what goes,                               you are a constant
and fair leader, and you will                               absolutely not give
in or take no for an answer.                               That is the sort of
person a dog respects. The parameters                               are cristal
clear, the dog knows what is acceptable                               and what
is not. The dog is comfortable when he                               knows where
his place is in the pack. If you are                               fair and
loving even in discipline, he will respect                               and
want to please you.



                              Avoiding Undesirable
Behaviors



Since we agree that there is                             
  no reason to discipline a young pup, how then do                              
we deal with annoying habits they have?


Biting:
                              It is a
good idea to always have a toy between you                               and the
dog when playing so that your hands and                               clothes
are not the object of the play, so that                               he directs
his attacks at the toy. When you do put                               your hands
on the pup, it should be in a calming                               way, to
soothe, pet, stroke him. He should associate                               your
touch with love and nurturing, calm and pleasure.                              
Play games that are not confrontational (tug, roughhousing,                     
          etc.). Encourage games that will bring you and the                     
          dog closer to each other such as fetch, hide-and-seek,                 
              etc.
Jumping up on people
It is very annoying when
people come to the                               door and the puppy jumps all
over them. The best                               way to avoid this is to put
the puppy in his crate                               until the guests are
settled in and you are ready                               to focus on the pup.
Then you take him out of the                               crate and (after
peeing outside) introduce him in                               a controlled
setting.
                              You can also put him on his leash and
control his                               jumping by keeping him at a distance
if you want                               him to be at the door when the guests
arrive.
Chewing objects
The best way to deal with this is supervision.  You must remove all objects from his
grasp or consider  them fair game. If he is chewing on objects such as table or chair legs, then you
can simple say a firm NO and pick him up and simply remove him from the area. You can try spraying
some repellent on the  surface such as Citronella or Bitter Apple available  in pet supply stores.
Hitting or screaming at the  pup will not make him stop: it will only make him fear and avoid you.
(keep in mind we are talking  about a very young puppy here, not a four month old pup).



If things seem unmanageable…call for back         
                      up!



Do not hesitate to seek help  from a professional dog trainer. I recommend the                              
trainer visit you in your home with all the family  members present. This way the trainer can best assess    
the situation and see how the dog behaves in his environment. In home training may seem a bit more expensive, but in the long run it is more efficient and addresses issues in a much more personalised  manner. Get references form your veternarian clinic to help you find the right trainer.