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How do I potty train my puppy?

Our puppies leave our home already crate trained or on the Potty Park. Or you may use newspapers in an enclosed exercise pen area, which has an airline kennel crate in it for a private, safe sleeping place of their own. Most dogs will not soil in their sleeping area, but go out to the newspaper area. You later reduce the newpaper area to one smaller area. This will later transfer to placing newspapers in front of the door you would take them out most often. If you make an effort to take your puppy outdoors immediately after waking up from a nap, just before or just after mealtimes, and make a habit of taking them out every 2 hours or so, they will quickly learn where it is acceptable to "go". As part of a good obedience class, which we highly recommend to all our families, they will even learn to "pee on command". When you are outside, and when they "do their business", simply praise them with "good boy", etc. This is an especially nice command if you live in an apartment or walk your dog at night, or live where it is very cold in winter. These little guys are very intelligent and love to please - it's just a matter of adequately conveying to them what you desire, and rewarding them when it is accomplished. But you must be consistent and vigilant with yourself to monitor the situation.


Some suggestions:
1) Designate an area in the yard for the puppy to use.
2) Take him there regularly throughout the day, try not to talk as sometimes this is a distraction
3) When the puppy eliminates, give lots of praise.
4) Play outside for ten minutes before taking the puppy back into the house.
5) If the puppy fails to perform, or 'go', try again 20 minutes later.

If your puppy has an accident it is YOUR fault - not his - he has NOT been taken out frequently enough, or you missed him circling and looking for a good spot or you have MISSED the key points throughout the day, which are:

1) First thing in the morning.
2) After eating, and after every nap.
3) After exercise/play.
4) Last thing at night.
5) Whenever you see him sniffing the ground or making circling movements.
6) Just before dinner and just after dinner, yours and theirs both.

Never punish your puppy by pushing his nose in 'it'. If you see him prepare to start eliminating, quickly take him outside to the designated spot. Yelling or punishing your puppy can damage your relationship and can erase all of the house-training progress you have made together. The puppy will not realize why you are angry (he's only acting on an instinct) - and that "guilty" look is a "submissive" one, with the puppy doing his best to please his owner, who is angry for some reason. Punishment can also result in hiding to do their business, behind a couch for instance. All training should be a positive one, it does more damage if it is punitive.

We feel that crate training is very beneficial to lead up to potty training. Feed the puppy in or near the crate and after a certain amount of time - take the puppy outdoors. If the puppy does not eliminate, place him back in the crate and wait additional time and repeat the process as necessary.

 


 

If done properly, housebreaking your Jack Russell Terrier does not
have to be as much of a hassle as some owners make it
to be.

Your Jack Russell Terrier is a creature of habit. If he or she is taught where you want it to eliminate, and you control  it's
food and water intake to regulate when it will eliminate, you will have a happy relationship relatively free of accidents.

The biggest mistake made by Jack Russell Terrier owners is
inconsistency. It is important that you first choose the method of housebreaking appropriate for you and your pet and secondly stick with it. We know of many Jack Russell Terrier owners who are impatient or inconsistent when housebreaking their pets. The end result is a pet that is never fully housebroken.

So, remember the three P's - persistence, patience and praise, and you are guaranteed success.

Here are the 3 methods you can use to housetrain your
Jack Russell Terrier:

i) The Paper Method - The paper method seems to work
better with a puppy than with an adult Jack Russell Terrier,
although it can be used on both.

To begin housetraining your pup with the paper method,
first you must choose a location where your puppy will
be staying until housetrained.

Make sure the room is puppy proofed and that elimination on the floor in this area will not cause permanent damage to your home.

A bathroom or small kitchen is usually a good place for
this.

Once you have chosen an area, cover the entire floor
with newspaper.

If you have a young puppy, it will eliminate much more often than when it is older. So, just be prepared for many messes in the beginning.

In the beginning, it is important to replace the paper as soon as possible after the elimination has occurred.

This helps your puppy establish the area as its own, and it will help you get a better idea of where it favors doing its business.

As your puppy eliminates throughout the day, it may go
in several different areas of the room.

But, as it gets a little more used to its room, it will choose a certain area where it prefers to eliminate.

When its preferred area for elimination is established, begin removing the paper from the rest of the room, only covering the area it uses.

Make sure you leave its papered area large enough so that it does not miss the paper.

If it misses the paper, the area is too small and you need to add more paper.

When it uses its papered area, praise it. The more your puppy associates a reward with its choice of the paper instead of the linoleum, the quicker your puppy will be trained.

After it has established that it will use the papered area instead of the floor, begin moving the paper towards the area (presumably somewhere outside your house) where you want it to go when fully trained.

The paper should only be moved a little at a time towards this location. If moving the paper confuses your puppy, you may only be able to move about one inch per day, until the paper reaches its final destination.

Once your puppy understands that it is to eliminate only on the paper, and you have been able to move towards the area where it will eventually go outside, monitoring its habits will be much easier.

Once the paper is completely removed, it will go to that area automatically and sniff or turn circles, letting you know it has to go out. Tie a small bell to the door handle and ring it when you take the dog out. He will learn to associate the bell ringing as a sign to go out.


Crate Training - Crate training can be used on both a puppy and an adult Jack Russell Terrier and is probably the most effective and efficient way to housetrain your pet.

No Jack Russell Terrier will want to eliminate in a place it considers to be its own and therefore, unless left in its crate for too long, it will not eliminate in its crate.

Once every hour, place your Jack Russell Terrier on a leash and
walk it in the area where you want it to go potty.

If it has not gone in five minutes, return it to its crate for another hour.

After another hour goes by, the dog that did not go last time will most likely go this time.

When it does go, be sure and praise it profusely and return it to its crate. The excitement in your voice when you are praising it will help it better understand that THIS is the place you want it to go.

Once that is established, it will do its best to make you happy by eliminating in its designated area.

Once you feel it understands where it is to go to potty, you may lessen its crate time, and begin opening up its area to more than just its crate.

Be sure and open up its area a little at a time so it clearly establishes the larger area as "its area", increasing the desire to keep its area clean.

Eventually, you will be able to open up your entire home, but this is only after a lot of time has been spent training and proof that it understands.


Litter Pan Method - This method will have the best chance of success with an young puppy but an older Jack Russell Terrier may be able to litter train with success as well.

Similar to paper training, litter box training begins in a confined area such as a bathroom or kitchen.

Although you may be able to use a traditional cat litter box for this purpose, pet supply stores do sell doggy litter boxes. They are shaped a little different and are a bit larger than the traditional kitty box. Also available are special litters and papers that should eventually be used in the box.

Like paper training, the beginning stages have paper lining the entire floor of the room. You continually change any soiled paper until the puppy chooses a place on the floor it likes to eliminate.

Once the puppy has eliminated in an area about the size of a litter pan for approximately two weeks, place a litter pan on the floor and paper inside the litter pan.

When it goes and does its business inside the litter box, make sure to praise it profusely. It has got to establish this is the correct behavior before it will be comfortable with it.

Once it is used to the litter box with the paper, you may begin the change to doggy litter if desired. As time goes on, you may add additional litter until eventually the paper is gone and only litter remains.

If you choose this method, you must clean the litter box every time your Jack Russell Terrier eliminates. It will notgo in a dirty box. Failure to consistently clean thelitter box will result in your puppy reverting back tothe floor.

Follow any of the above 3 methods consistently, and you should soon have a fully house-trained Jack Russell Terrier!


Dog Food Facts | Health Research | 49 days of growth | Dogs & our health | Housetraining | Training Tips | Photo gallery | Neat dog photos