Housebreaking-how do you "punish" after accidents?
 

Okay, so I am in the grueling process of housebreaking. I just caught my Yogi peeing on the carpet. I clapped my hands together loudly and yelled, "No!". I then brought him to the pee-pad for him to finish his business. He seemed pretty scared and did not finish and went to his bed instead. Right now, I have him confined to a leash in an area in the kitchen. He has just enough length to do his business on the pee pad and to sleep in his bed. Is this efficient to do? Does him being confined like that really teach him anything? Honestly, I just brought him home from a friend's after being out of town and I want to play with him but since he had an accident, I just don't know if that "clap and no" is good enough? :(

What do you guys do? Also, since he is not fully potty-trained, does this mean that he should not be allowed to have any freedom. I supervise him 100% when I take him off of his leash but I read somewhere that they should be confined most of the time until they are better trained so that they associate going potty in the right place with freedom.

Honestly, I think crate training is the most effective method. MOST dogs won't potty in the place where they sleep, so he should have just enough room to stand up and move around comfortably. Like you are doing, if you can't watch him 100%, put him in his crate. The very second he comes out, take him to his pad until he goes to the bathroom. If he doesn't go, then he needs to go back into his crate for another 10-15 minutes and continue until he goes. At night he should be crated and when you are gone, he should be crated. It's tough to put them in there, but this is the method that I have found to be most useful.

When you are watching him and you see him going somewhere else, just a firm "NO" and then pick him up and put him on his pad. Tell him, "This is where you POTTY" emphasizing the "potty" because you want him to learn that word. When he does pee on his pad, make sure you give him lots and lots of praise and a treat.

The "clap and no" method is fine if you catch your baby in the act. Be sure to reward the good potties with a treat as much as you use the "clap and no" when he misses. House privileges are earned. You can play with him after he has eliminated, but return him to the pee pad as soon as play time is done. Some advocate crating to facilitate potty training, but I think confinement in the kitchen is fine. I would worry about leaving baby unattended on a leash. Can you put up some baby gates or perhaps put an ex-pen in a part of the kitchen so you don't have to keep him on a leash?

Many experts don't believe that you should punish for making mistakes, just praise for correct actions. Punishment such as clapping your hands and a loud no, can get their attention, but often have consequences such as a fearful puppy, and building trust can take loads of time, and can go out of the window in a second, so that's why some experts so no punishment. Ignore the mistakes, and praise success. Also, not giving them a chance to make a mistake helps too. Crate training is effective because dogs don't like to mess their beds, and if the crate is the proper size, they will hold it for several hours rather than soil their bed. You then place them on the pad as soon as they are released from the crate, and praise the heck out of them when they do their business. Most people suggest confining them to the crate overnight, and an x-pen during the day where there are plenty of pads. I'm a little concerned about the leash, are you using it with a harness or collar; a collar can hurt their trachea. This link has a step by step guide for house breaking using either pads or the outdoor method. Free House Training for Puppies and Adult Dogs - No More Accidents Starting Today!

When I would catch Sydney or Chloe going where they weren't suppose to I would also say "NO" (loudly but not "scary") and take them to where they were suppose to go ( pee pad or outside) and say ,"potty outside or potty on your pad" ( one is outside trained the other pad trained) If they finished there I would praise them and treat for doing it . If they didn't I would put them in their crate and then try again in 10/15 minutes or so , they usually went.

Every time I take them out of the crate the first place they go is outside or to the pee pad. So they know what is expected. I still do this and my older dog is 3 years old. She will go right to the door and wait. Chloe (8 mo.)is pee pad trained so I take her to her pad. I think it helps to let them know what is needed before they get fun time. They make the connection ..O.K> get out,go pee,have fun :D....get out , No pee...no fun:(

He most certainly should have freedom , no one wants to be confined all the time......BUT supervised freedom only ;) Never alone unless he is in his playyard/crate. If you want to have playtime with him you just need to let him pee first . He also may have to go more while you play because he is excited. keep him in the same room as you for playtime and keep pads around so if he does have to go he can run and use it and get praised for it.

What worked for me was having lots of pads at first to give Chloe every opportunity for success , then I slowly dwindled the pads down to one or two , and she knows where they are. The more opportunity the have to get it right the better they will do.

"A rolled up newspaper can be an effective training tool when used properly. Use the rolled-up newspaper if your dog has a housebreaking accident. Bring the dog over to the mess, then take the rolled-up newspaper... and hit yourself over the head as you repeat the phrase,"I FORGOT TO WATCH MY DOG, I FORGOT TO WATCH MY DOG!" :D

HAHA when I first started reading this I was getting upset, but then I had to laugh at the end! lol

LOL to that newspaper one :D As far as crate-training, I was told it might be a little too late to start as he is almost 2 years old (I recently adopted him from a family member who trained differently). Is that true?

As long as you are consistent, it's not too late.

My mouth started to drop in disbelief as I read this...........then broke into a wide grin:D Thanks for the tip Ladymom! xxx xxx

LOL, got me!

Ditto...at first I had my jacket on & was on my way to take your baby away from you!:p

Thanx Ladymom
For making me laugh in my coffee :p

No yelling .... a No! and bring him to his paper
is enough
Praise him when he does do right
But Like Ladymom said
You need to watch them .... I know there's lots to do
but if you want them trained it's top priority

This is a great one.......... my blood pressure started to rise when I first began to read this post..:eek::eek::eek::eek:..... now I can settle down... whew! :rolleyes:

That's hilarious and SO TRUE!! I always feel hitting myself over the head with more than a newspaper when I realized i waited too long to take Paddy out and he had an accident b/c I messed up. It can be frustrating. But I would say definitely try the crate training and supervised freedom. Supervising them while they are free in a new environment is good for more than just the potty training. It also prevents them from developing habits of getting into mischief.