{"id":6307,"date":"2016-01-12T17:45:36","date_gmt":"2016-01-12T17:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hartz-v2.local7\/january-is-national-train-your-dog-month\/"},"modified":"2023-02-24T15:32:40","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T15:32:40","slug":"january-is-national-train-your-dog-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hartz.com\/en-ca\/january-is-national-train-your-dog-month\/","title":{"rendered":"January is National Train Your Dog Month"},"content":{"rendered":"
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  1. Set Up Your Dog to Succeed<\/strong>\n

    Setting a feeding schedule in combination with a potty schedule will help your dog adapt to a routine\u2026and make it easy on your busy life. Dogs should go potty after eating, drinking, playing, training, and napping. Be sure to also take them out before you go to bed or leave him alone for any amount of time. Remember consistency is key \u2013 avoid having different schedules for the weekdays and weekends.<\/p>\n

    Once you have the routine down, you can assign your dog a certain potty area. Take your dog out on a leash to a specific spot and wait for him to go potty. Stay in that spot for at least 15 minutes to give him enough time. Avoid taking him inside right away after he goes because you don\u2019t want him to associate going potty with the end of outside time. It\u2019s important to not allow your dog to play or give him any attention until after he goes potty. He needs to understand the difference between potty time and play time. If your dog hasn\u2019t gone potty after 15 minutes, bring him inside and watch him closely for signs that he has to go like sniffing or circling. If he does start to go potty inside, quickly take him outside to the designated spot.<\/p>\n

    If you\u2019re training your dog to go inside on a training pad, you should define the living and potty areas for your dog. Your dog's \u201cliving area\u201d is a place where he is free to roam when he is unsupervised like a certain room, pen, or crate. His \u201cpotty area\u201d is designated by the training pad. Instinctually, dogs don\u2019t want to go potty in their living area so, as he is gradually trained, the whole house may eventually become his \u201cliving area.\u201d Until he is though, confine him to a room, pen, or crate. If your dog starts to go potty outside his potty area, make a noise to startle him, interrupt him before he finishes, and take him to the pad. Wait there until he goes potty.<\/li>\n

  2. Reward Good Behavior<\/strong>\n

    Yay\u2026he did it! Always reward your dog immediately after he goes potty in the right spot \u2013 even if you had to take him to his potty spot. Wait until he is done going potty to reward him. Praising while he is going potty may make him stop. Once your dog has developed a successful routine, some owners find it helpful to assign a phrase so your dog knows it\u2019s potty time. Watch for cues that your dog is about to go potty and say something like \u201cgo potty\u201d or \u201cpotty\u201d before he starts to go. Try to avoid saying the phrase too soon, overly excited, or when he doesn\u2019t have to go.<\/li>\n

  3. What to Do When He Misses the Mark<\/strong>\n

    First off, avoid reprimanding your dog for an accident. It may be hard since it\u2019s instinctual but your dog may not know he\u2019s doing something wrong or think that he is not supposed to go potty in front of you.<\/p>\n

    If you catch your dog mid-accident, make a noise to startle and interrupt him before he finishes and immediately take him to his potty spot. Clean up the mess right away with a stain and odor-removing cleanser to prevent repeat accidents in that spot. If accidents persist for more than a week with no reasonable explanation, you should take your dog to the vet to rule out any medical problems.<\/li>\n

  4. Show Your Dog Who\u2019s Boss. Establish Yourself as the Pack Leader<\/strong>\n

    You love your dog but you have to show him who is boss. It may be hard to reprimand your dog but the foundation of every dog training program starts with leadership. Since dogs are pack animals, they need a leader. Dogs that don\u2019t have a human leader will become dominant and assume the role of the leader by manipulating inexperienced or submissive owners. In either case, this can lead to unruly, possibly aggressive behavior toward the human as the dog tries to establish and maintain control of his pack. This behavior may include insubordination, growling, or food aggression. Follow this easy exercise to teach your dog who\u2019s in control.<\/li>\n

  5. The Dinner Time Rule<\/strong>\n

    In a pack, the leader always eats first \u2013 that means you. Your dog should see you eating first so he makes the connection that you are the leader. When feeding time comes, don\u2019t just put food down for the dog. Call him to attention and make him calmly sit and stay as you present his food and until you give him the ok to eat. Slowly lower the bowl towards the floor. If he makes a move toward the food, pull back and return the food to the counter. Tell him to sit and slowly lower the bowl again. Repeat the process until he waits for the ok from you to eat. Eventually, he will get the message that you are the leader because you control the food. Simple!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n