The Dog Site

On taking a new puppy into your house, you can follow this step-by-step process. There are nine steps in the process of house training outlined here. You are going to need to be very consistent and persistent in order to be successful.

1.Before your puppy arrives: get yourself a dog crate which is the right size for your puppy. This means it should be big enough so your puppy can turn around in it and lay down in it but not much bigger than that. A puppy’s instinct is to not soil his den and the crate will become his den. If the crate is too large, he may soil it away from his usual sleeping position. You have been warned!

2. Make sure you are free for at least the first couple of days, so that you can be with your puppy. He’s going to require taking out a lot to begin with – from every thirty to sixty minutes.

3. You may want to limit the puppy’s access to certain areas of the house until he is house trained.

4. There are particular times when he will predictably need to go outside, so take him out at these times: when he wakes up in morning, when he awakens from a nap, after he’s been exercising (for example, playing hard), after eating or drinking and before he retiring to bed at night.

5. When he arrives you are going to need to take him outside every thirty to sixty minutes, until you learn to recognise the signals that he needs to relieve himself. The signal may be sniffing, circling or backing up.

6. Once you recognise the signal that he wants to relieve himself, you need to take him outside as fast as you can and wait until he does his business.

7. When he does his business, immediately give him lots of praise and attention.

8. You can leave your puppy in the crate for an hour when you cannot watch him for a time. Firstly, however, your puppy must be content to stay in the dog crate. To do that give him small treats while he is next to the crate and gradually lure him inside with them. Once he’s been in a few times, shut the door very briefly and then open again. Gradually increase the time with the door shut. You should put a chew toy, a dispensing toy or an interactive toy in the crate with him to keep him amused.

9. If he does have an accident and makes a mess in the house, just ignore him when he does it but be sure to clean it up and clean the area with an enzymatic cleaner or hot biological washing powder solution. If you just clean normally, some scent will remain and your puppy will be tempted to soil the same area again.

For more information about puppy crate training and house training your puppy, visit my Training Puppy Tips website.

You may not have realized it, but bladder infections in dogs are very common.  But quite a few dog owners have questions about canine urinary tract infections.  Here are answers to your questions.

What Is Canine Cystitis?

This condition is a bacterial infection of your dog’s bladder that causes inflammation.  Your vet may refer to it as an “ascending” infection.Your dog’s intestinal tract is usually the source of the bacteria that causes bladder infections in dogs.  The bacteria start out at the skin around the anus, and “ascend” through the urethra to the bladder.

Are There Other Causes Of Canine Urinary Tract Infections?

Yes.  Your dog may have bladder stones, which can make it easier for him to develop a bladder infection.    

Other factors include tumors in the bladder, not being able to empty the bladder completely, and diseases like diabetes or Cushing’s disease.  If your dog is being given drugs that suppress the immune system, like cortisone or chemotherapy, he may be more prone to a bladder infection.

What Symptoms Should I Be Watching For?

Bloody urine, frequent urination, and straining to pass urine are all indicators of a bladder problem.

But sometimes it’s not so obvious.  If your dog is acting restless and wants to go out all the time, or starts urinating all over the house, this may not be a behavior problem.  It could be signs of a canine bladder infection.

How Does Your Vet Diagnose Canine Cystitis?

Ideally, your vet will run a urinalysis first to determine if there are bacteria or bladder stones in your dog’s urine.  If bacteria are present, the next step should be a dog urine culture and a sensitivity test.  

A urine culture is necessary to identify which bacteria are present.  The sensitivity test tells your vet which antibiotic is the best one to do the job.  

Do I Really Have To Give My Dog ALL The Antibiotic?

Absolutely.  If you stop treating bladder infections in dogs too soon, the infection can come back.  Plus, stopping the treatment too soon encourages antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.  

If your dog has side effects from the antibiotic, contact your vet.  Don’t just stop giving your buddy the medication.

Why Can’t My Dog Get Rid Of HIs Bladder Infection?

It’s possible that it’s the same infection that was never completely eradicated.  A dog urine culture and sensitivity test should be done before you treat him again.  After treatment is over, you can see if it was successful by repeating these tests.

How About Natural Remedies For Pets?

People have been using safe, effective, natural treatments for bladder infections for centuries.  Many dog owners ask if natural remedies for pets can help dogs with canine cystitis.

Make no mistake about it, the answer is yes.  But you do need to be sure you’re using remedies gentle enough for animals, not people.  Do your homework and purchase your remedies only from a company with a great reputation for producing the highest-quality herbal remedies for pets.These remedies are easy to give to your dog every day to prevent bladder problems, besides being safe and effective.

Take the next step and learn how these remedies can help protect your best buddy from canine urinary tract infections.

Every competent puppy or dog trainer follows clear principles to make their training effective. However, some do not succeed in training their puppy. The most common errors they make when training their puppy will now be discussed.

1. They don’t put themselves into position as the leader of the pack.

One successful approach to dog training is based on knowing the instinctive way dogs behave within a pack. A rule the dog pack adheres to is dominance. There is a heirachy within the pack. At the head of this are the pack leaders, a male and a female.

They eat first, lead the hunt and sleep on higher ground than the rest of the pack.

To be successful in dog training, we put ourselves into position as the leader of the dog pack. We can do this by not allowing our puppy onto higher ground such as sofas and beds, making sure we eat a little token food before we give our puppy its own food: so that he sees us eat first clearly.

We need to have a calm and assertive manner. We must not be nervous or indecisive.

2. They don’t understand the concept of positive reinforcement.

We must clearly understand that we must reinforce wanted behaviors in our dog by giving treats or attention the instant our dog engages in the behavior. We can associate a verbal command with the behavior as it occurs and give a reward immediately after it.

Negative reinforcement such as shouting at a dog or punishing him in some way is nevertheless giving the dog attention and since he craves attention, the attention can act as a positive reinforcement rather than a negative one. It has been found to be ineffective. What is effective is to give no attention at all to the dog when it engages in an undesired behavior. We may need to physically intervene if we need to stop some destruction going on, but we should keep the same calm and assertive manner and not give any more attention than we have to.

3. They make dog obedience training sessions too long.

Sessions are best kept brief so that your puppy’s energy and attention are good. Learning works best for puppy if it is kept short. We should make the sessions only ten minutes for young puppies and up to twenty minutes for older ones.

4. They do not appreciate the amount of time and energy required to train a puppy.

Puppy training requires a commitment of time and energy in order to be successful. The owner will need to have great patience and to be persistent. He will also need to be very consistent.

5. They think that training only occurs during an organized training session.

Training actually occurs whenever the puppy is with its owner or with any other person. The owner needs to ensure that everyone who comes into contact with the puppy always behave in a consistent manner i.e. always positively reinforcing desired behaviors and ignoring undesired behaviors.

It’s best to keep your puppy training sessions enjoyable and fun. They should never become a chore.

For more detailed information about training your puppy or dog, see my reviews of the best dog training guides.