Guess where I'm headed?  The door!

Hi everyone - it's me, Tucker!  Uncle Chris and I thought we'd share some tips for something everyone always seems worried about...

House Training!

Did you see that first picture?  I was just hanging out in the living room, when I suddenly got up and headed down the hall all on my own.  This is my signal to let UC know I have to go outside to potty.  Pretty smooth, huh?

Getting your new dog housetrained isn't hard - it just takes a little bit of time and patience.  Uncle Chris has a method he uses that usually only takes about 48 hours!  Just follow the steps below and your dog will be letting you know when they need to go potty in no time.  If you walk your dog, just substitute that for letting them out in the yard.  *note: this method is for adult dogs, puppies are a whole different animal*

UC has used this method successfully with greyhounds that had never even been in a house before and with us shelter dogs.  Heck, Selma was a stray dog, and even she learned it right away.

Are you ready?  Let's do this!

5 Tips to Housetrain Your Dog in 48hrs ~ By Tucker

1. Make Time - UC says the best time to pick up your new dog is when you'll have time available to do the training.  Clear a weekend on your calendar, then pick your dog up on Friday and plan to spend the weekend doing this easy and fun training!  Decide before you get your dog home which door is going to be the "Go Out to Potty Door".  Use this door exclusively during the training.

The back door is the place at UC's house!

2. House Introduction - We said this would be easy, right?  Okay - when you get your new dog home, spend a few minutes in the yard first (or go for a short walk) so your pooch can do whatever business they need to right away.  Then keep them on a leash when you go inside and explore a little bit of the house - just show them the main living areas for right now, they don't need to go upstairs or in the bedrooms or anything.  Let them get a drink of water.  Five minutes is all you need for exploring - then right back outside.  Wait until your dog has done some business again before you go back inside.

3. Ten Minutes - Send your dog outside EVERY 10 MINUTES.  If they don't want to go, lead them gently or put on the leash and gently guide them outside.  Wait until they go potty.  As soon as they do, open the door and invite them back in.  Keep this schedule going.  Don't deviate!  Send them out every ten minutes.  If you need to miss one, put the dog in their crate with a frozen peanut butter filled kong, but then get back to the schedule as soon as possible!  Have the dog sleep in the crate overnight, then get right back to the schedule in the morning.

Ahem! It's been 10 minutes, where are you?

4. Not Until... - Make potty the priority for these couple of days.  No treats, toys, or play outside happens until your doggy does their business.  Then?  Throw a party, play, run, chase, fetch, wrestle - whatever.  If you aren't planning on any other activities for them, have them come right back inside after they do their business (obviously leave them time to decide if they need to poo or not, but skip any extraneous stuff).

5. Get Up or Eat - Your new dog has had a busy and strange day or two with lots of excitement and change, so they are eventually going to settle down and curl up somewhere.  The minute they get up?  Outside!  They can go explore stuff after they go out to go potty.  Keep on the schedule.  Same goes for eating - send them out immediately after every meal.  And if they happen to wander toward or near the "potty" door?  Out they go!

Stretch!!!  Send them outside!!

That was really easy, right?  Trust me, the tiny little bit of time and effort to send your dog outside will create a lifetime of satisfaction for both you and your new pal.  Now when your dog needs to potty, they know right where to go - all you have to do is let them out!  Note: some dogs might take a little longer, but not much - but when it doubt? Let them out!

What does success look like?  How about a demonstration?  You'll notice that I perform the advanced version where I sit like a good boy before I go out the door...



Not bad, if I do bark so myself, thank you very much.

Now the Do's and Don'ts.  Hey Tuck, did you just say something about Donuts??  Dude, how about a little love for your roomie?  No, Selma, I did not say anything about donuts.  Does your stomach ever take a break?  Sheesh.

DO:

• Make it fun - use a happy voice and a gentle hand.  Your dog's memory is like a camera - make every memory of going to the door to go outside a good one.  If you need to lure them with a treat or toy, no problem (but they don't get to play until they've done their business!).
• Throw a little party - reward your dog with love and affection when they do their stuff.  A treat when they come back in is okay, but understand you are setting a precident and they'll be expecting that from now on.  Either way, there's nothing wrong with throwing a little pee-pee party!
• Be patient - you have no idea what kind of background your new dog might have had before they met you.  I promise (and I woof from experience here) they are doing their best to please you, but they might make a mistake once in a while.  Us doggies aren't perfect, you know...