Housebreaking association

A

andre normand

Forums Novice
Hi

I have 8 weeks old sheltie puppy. I have read and watched tons of videos on YouTube on house training a puppy. We had the puppy for 4 days and we have been watching him like a hawk since day one. We have put him outside after naps, meals, playtime etc... and he is doing his business (peeing and poo) as expected. . , we give him lots of praise after he does. He is doing really well
,Here is my question
How does the dog associates the fact that he cannot do his business inside, say if he did not do one incident for 4 weeks straight, how do puppies associates outside for peeing? Why would they just not do it inside
Do we need to actually catch him while doing it inside and say a " NO" for him to understand that he can't do it inside?
I am just trying to figure out what goes inside a puppy mind
Thanks​
 
Personally, I would never say "no" to my little puppies, but just take them out, it's us that has not been fast enough so we can not blame a little puppy by accident.

At the present time they have no control over their pee or poop they only get at 4-6 months

It is important not to make the puppy sad, so take it slow.

Stay out with the puppy until it has done something, although it may take a long time, remember with praise and love, we will come a long way
 
As Hanne said, accidents are inevitable with a young puppy until the muscles that control elimination develop. The way they learn to go outside is to be sure you're there with them. When they perform, immediately give lots of praise in a happy voice and special treats that you only use for this. Shelties are very smart and figure this out quickly. But be patient with accidents.
 
andre normand said:
How does the dog associates the fact that he cannot do his business inside, say if he did not do one incident for 4 weeks straight, how do puppies associates outside for peeing? Why would they just not do it inside
Click to expand...

I am not a dog, but I've known a few...

Here is how I think they think about it: imagine that you've lived in North America your whole life, using an indoor, sit-and-flush toilet.

Now imagine that you take a trip to rural China, and the first night there, the only toilet available is a squat-toilet in an outhouse.

Now, logically, you know what you need to "do"... but you're so accustomed to performing this vital task in a very specific context and manner that it may be very difficult to get your body to cooperate. It just feels "wrong"! And it isn't very comfortable. With practice, you get the hang of it, but that first time...

I think that dogs operate in much the same way. If they are only ever given the opportunity to eliminate outdoors, then it just feels "wrong" to eliminate indoors. They don't need to be scolded or disciplined; you just need to anticipate their needs and set it up so that they only ever eliminate outside. (Accidents happen, of course, but do your best.) And every time they eliminate outdoors, it reinforces the "good" habit and the "bad" habit of eliminating indoors fades away a little more.

Interestingly, I have seen this happen with dogs who came to our house and had never been in gravel pens (the dog WOULD NOT eliminate on the gravel for the first few days... we have to let her out onto the grass to "go") or who knew how to walk on a leash but had only ever eliminated in a pen or fenced yard (the dog WOULD NOT poop on a leash... he eventually learned, but it took time).

In sum, it works because you set the dog up for success, and because you build the "right" habit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top