meet the instructors | news | links | testimonials | special events | our graduate brags
 

Housebreaking Myths
By Lisa(Laney) Patrona,  Dip. DTBC, CPDT, CBC, and Devene Godau, CPDT

Everyone wants to give you advice about the fastest way to housebreak your dog. And as an exhausted dog owner, you're willing to try anything! But following advice that is not based on fact will not help you housebreak your dog, and in fact it could hinder the housebreaking process as well as hurt your relationship.

Following are some of the biggest myths we come across when trying to help our clients housebreak their dogs:

Myth: "My dog knows that he shouldn't potty in the house because he looks guilty when I scold him."

Truth: Believing this will only weaken your chances at helping your dog build solid housebreaking habits, not to mention the damaging effects on the relationship because you believe that somehow he's doing this on purpose to upset you.

He looks "guilty" because you are frightening him. He is simply trying to make you stop your scary behavior toward him using displays that, in a dog's mind, should work. Submissive displays like cowering or, as we humans call it, "looking guilty" have nothing to do with your dog "knowing that he's done something wrong". His submissive postures should tell you that he is recognizing your anger and potential for continued aggression toward him, and that he's asking you to please stop. Whether the scolding happens during the behavior or after-the-fact is not the important factor; the response from the dog will be the same because of your aggressive behavior toward him.

Serious problems resulting from punishments during the housebreaking process will develop if you continue to use punishment based on your belief in the myth that "he knows he's shouldn't potty in the house because he looks guilty."

Myth: "Never clean up an accident in front of your dogs.  This reinforces their behaviors, gives them the attention they crave and indicates your approval for continuing  with their elimination behaviors."

Truth: Ok, now let's think about this one. What does cleaning up urine or fecal matter have to do with giving your dog attention? Behaviorists have clearly established dogs have no moral codes when it comes to their behaviors. Therefore, dogs simply repeat behaviors that have been reinforced (been successful...for them) in the past. In addition, reinforcement (for a dog) only occurs at the time of the behavior, not an hour or even a minute after, which is usually when  you have discovered the mess. 

So...scrub away!  Your actions or even your grumbling (as you clean up the mess) will not reinforce the actual act of eliminating!  Your time will be better served applying the principles of a sound housebreaking program.

 Myth: "Taking my dog to the mess, rubbing his nose in it and scolding him sufficiently will teach him not to go potty in the house."

Truth: Remember that dogs can only associate their behaviors with consequences that fall within 2 seconds of an occurrence! Taking the dog to the mess after the fact and introducing this type of punishment may create an even larger problem...Coprophagia.  Coprophagia is the scientific term for eating feces, and this is a very difficult behavior to correct. If and once established, punishment, focusing on the site or actual fecal matter, creates anxiety surrounding the presence of feces, not the act of elimination. A dog may actually begin to eat fecal matter in order to get rid of it. Think about it.  Eating it (removing it) will stop your aggressive behavior (punishment). Dog think...”If the mess isn't there, my human doesn’t act crazy!” Dogs quickly learn to associate that feces + human means...trouble.

You need to work with your dogs in an arena that addresses the issue...”go here” (outside).  Trying to teach outside of the 2-second window of opportunity is only an exercise in futility.

Myth: "Taking my dog to the spot where she soiled and spanking her will eventually teach her not to eliminate in my home."

Truth: Any type of punishment beyond the 2-second window of opportunity will not serve you or your dogs in any way.  This technique does not teach a dog what to do, which is how dogs learn most effectively. Spanking, hitting or swatting can produce the same dastardly effects as rubbing their noses in their pools of elimination. In addition, your dogs may become nervous around you...you become the objects of their concerns!  Your dogs may begin to worry about you coming home, or approaching or touching them.  Your relationships (that should be based on trust) may be seriously damaged as a result of punishment oriented training.

Myth: "I can't get my dog to go potty outside.  It is obvious that she is spiteful and stubborn."

Truth: Dogs do not think or learn like humans. They neither process nor assign moral values to their behaviors. Primates can, canines cannot. This statement is not based on opinion; it's based on cognitive and behavioral science. If you truly believe that your dogs are acting out of spite, we suggest that you conclusive scientific study to prove that premise. You would probably win a Nobel Prize. Rest assured that conclusive research has already invalidated any possibility of the existence of moral codes directing canine behaviors.

When words like "spiteful" and "stubborn" are used to describe a dog's behavior, we need to move our thinking to reflect the real problem...the dog has not been not trained properly or effectively.

Myth: “Disciplining by spanking or scolding my dog when I catch him in the act, and then putting him outside, will teach him where he is supposed to eliminate.”

Truth: One thing is for sure, this approach will teach your dogs that it is definitely not a good idea to eliminate in your presence. An intensely frightening experience delivered by you during the act of eliminating inside your home will serve only one purpose; to teach your dogs that eliminating in your presence is not something they will ever do again.

The result may be that your dogs become “sneaks,” simply waiting until your back is turned or you leave the room.  They may find "safe" places that are free of humans, like a basement or an unoccupied room! Unfortunately, they will NOT learn that they should not go in the house.

The key to redefining your housebreaking routine is to understand that improper elimination behaviors are simply mistakes that the human has made in management and training!

Punishment during elimination behaviors inside your homes may make it much more difficult for your dogs to feel comfortable eliminating in front of you...even when they are outside. Therefore, if you catch your dogs in the “act”, gently interrupt them just as they begin to display their "potty prep" behaviors.  Quickly usher them outside to your elimination spot, and praise them for those eliminating outdoors.

Of course, this process requires close supervision on your part. Catching pre-elimination early in the sequence, before the actual "accident" has occurred, will have a learning impact on your dogs.

Myth: "I have a small dog and she just can't be housebroken. I’ve been told that little dogs are difficult or impossible to housebreak."

Truth: Physiologically small dogs function the same as large dogs...pound per pound everything works the same way. And, they are just as capable of becoming housetrained as their larger counterparts. The principles of behavioral learning theory and science apply to a Maltese or Toy Poodle just as they do to a Great Dane!

The truth of the matter is that cleaning up a tiny mess does not affect us as much as cleaning up a large mess!  In other words, we are simply more likely to concentrate on getting larger dogs housebroken.

A commonly reported problem is that small dogs react more to inclimate weather. This is understandable.  There are some things that we can do for dogs of all sizes:

• Buy a doggy coat for extra comfort when it is cold or chilly outside.
• Build a small sheltered area right outside the door and train them to use it for elimination.
• Teach your dogs to do their “business” quickly.  Their reward is not only relief, but a quick return to the comfort of your cozy house.

Sign up to receive Woofology's Tip of Week via email: woofologist@yahoo.com