Never treat him after he gets in the house after you have praised him outside for going. Only treat him outside. You should treat and praise simultaneously, outside. If you wait to treat him in the house, you have just rewarded him for coming in, not for going potty outside.
I used a clicker to let Millie understand exactly what I needed her to do when she went outside. (In order to do this, you dog has to have a basic understanding of what the clicker is for; so you may have to start out with some basic training). But what I did was state the command "go potty"; I waited and if she got distracted I would repeat the command again, I kept this up until she would squat. As soon as she squatted I clicked, and told her "go potty". When she finished I treated and praised. After a while she expected the treat when I clicked, so I had to click after she finished and then she was praised and treated. But the click would tell her the EXACT behavior I was looking for, for her to get her treat. It did not take long for her to "go potty" when the command was made (because she wanted her treat). After a while you don't have to click anymore. You just state go potty, treat and praise. |