Dear Housebreaking: I have heard so many times before the “I wanted to save the poor puppy from the pet store” scenario followed by the list of problems the new owner is facing. Buying a puppy from a reputable breeder not only reduces the likelihood of behavioral issues or health problems, but they are available 24/7 when problems do arise.

Unfortunately, for puppies that must go through the broker system to get to the pet stores, they usually leave their mother too early, sometimes as young as six weeks so they are ready for sale at eight-weeks-old. If the puppy isn’t purchased immediately it could stay at the retail establishment for up to two months getting no training or socialization for its new home. After that, many times stores then turn over un-bought “product” to the local shelters for placement. It appears you stepped in just in time and did the pet store a favor by saving them a trip to the pound.

Since your new pet obviously spent a good deal of time in his crate at the store he got used to that behavior. And in some pet stores they have wire bottoms to allow excrement to fall below so the dog doesn’t have to sit in it. The dog grows up in his young impressionable age thinking it is okay to relieve in the crate.

Downsize His Crate

You bring ‘big boy’ home, put him in his crate and he continues the same learned behavior. To further annoy you he wants to go indoors versus outdoors. How do you fix this? A two-tiered approach will help. First, you must downsize his crate. Remember, they usually don’t like to sit where they have soiled because puppies are inherently clean. If your crate is too big and allows the puppy to eliminate and then move away from the mess, he will take that opportunity.

You may have bought the largest crate to allow for your puppy to grow, which provided this free space. Fix this with a crate divider to block off the back portion so the puppy only has enough room to stand, turn around and lie down. You can find crate dividers online at: www.cherrybrook.com or www.drfostersandsmith.com or www.petsmart.com. Now if he makes a mistake in his crate, it should happen only once or twice before he realizes that he “messed” his home and has to live with it.

Limit His Freedom

For the time being, keep him on a leash when you take him out in the yard to do his business. Take him to the same place to poop each and every time. This repetition along with the scent of the previous outing will help direct him to the best and only spot for this activity. Make a big deal of it when he goes there and give him some really cool treats, like chunks of salami or liverwurst that are really meaty and smelly. Not a dry, boring biscuit. Soon he will get a clue.

Back in the house, clean those soiled areas really well with Nature’s Miracle® or other odor-eliminator product and keep those areas blocked off until his new habit of outdoor relief is solid. And back outside, mucking the ‘pooping fields’ once a day will leave enough scent for training purposes.

Lisa’s Pick of the Litter

This past weekend I attended a fund-raiser for Puppies Behind Bars, a non-profit group founded by Gloria Gilbert Stoga with the mission, Training Inmates to Raise Puppies to be Guide Dogs for the Blind or to be Explosive Detection Dogs for Law Enforcement.

This incredible program, in area prisons, not only helps the blind and law enforcement with needed canines but also teaches inmates how to contribute to the community instead of taking away from it, according to its founder.

If you are looking for an innovative, worthwhile charitable donation put this organization at the top of your list. For more information or to make a donation visit their website at: www.puppiesbehindbars.com.

 

Lisa Peterson, a breeder and exhibitor of Norwegian Elkhounds, is a Delegate to the American Kennel Club. Send questions to ask@lisa-peterson.com or Dogma Publishing, P.O. Box 307, Newtown, CT 06470.