Originally Posted by kalina82  Was your method cruel? No. Did you make some mistakes? Yes
I'm happy you didn't return him to the breeder and tried to fix the problem you two were having. I still wouldn't call him housebroken yet. Two months with out an accident is nothing, hahaha. plus he may have had accidents, you just haven't found them yet. Also, withholding food and water for an hour isn't going to kill him, however it isn't going to prove anything either. he has no idea that the reason why there is no food/water/toys in his crate is because its part of a punishment. heck, he probably doesn't even notice those things are missing.
With your method, there are a few things I would change. First off, I would make sure your taking him out enough times and at the right times. First thing in the morning, 20-30 minutes after breakfast, late morning, mid afternoon, after dinner, evening, and right before bed. Dogs usually have to go to the bathroom after sleeping, eating, and playing, especially when they are puppies or haven't learned to completely control their bladder.
Second, If he does have an accident in the house in front of you use a stern voice and say no or bad dog and clap your hands to startle him out of the action. You don't want to scare him because then he'll just run away while peeing or pooping all over the place and that's just no fun for anybody. Once you startle him out of peeing/pooping, pick him up, carry him outside, and place him in the area you would like him to potty. After he finishes, praise the hell out of him. If he has an accident and you don't see him do it, just clean it up and move on. There is nothing you can do about it. If you don't get their attention within 5 seconds of them doing something then they are not going to know what you are yelling about. example: he pees on the floor while you are in another room then he goes off to play with a chew toy in his crate. You go in the room and step in the pee spot, which in turn ticks you off (nobody likes pee sock). So you go over to him and start yelling bad dog while your in that furious mood. You are yelling about the pee, but what he is getting is that you are yelling at him for being in his crate or playing with his toys which will create a bad association with those things.
Third, putting him in "time out" for an hour is excessive. After 5-10 minutes he is going to have no idea why he's still in there. If he does something wrong, and you think he needs a time out, you need to correct him immediately. remove him from the situation and put him in a quiet room or crate area and leave him be. Do not force him in the crate or put him in there with anger because he will sense it and make him afraid of the crate. After 5 minutes, or when he becomes quiet and relaxed, calmly let him out of the time out area and continue with what you were doing. don't make a bid deal about it.
Fourth, no more swatting his behind. These guys are tiny and what you make think is a light touch can actual be a hard touch to them. You can cause damage to their back, hips, and or knees. Hitting is wrong. Period. |