House Breaking Basics
Dogs, just like the wolf, have a den instinct. For them, the den is where they eat and sleep. Wolf puppies will leave their den to go outside and relieve themselves, and then return to the den when they are ready to eat or sleep. Most dogs, whether they sleep in the barn or doghouse will not pee there and lie in it. Assuredly, this is not the case with every dog, but for the most part dogs don’t like to relieve themselves where they eat and sleep.
The purpose of crate training is to prevent peeing and pooping in the home. It helps to stimulate the den instinct. In the first three to four weeks, most mothers will clean up after their pups. Because dogs like routines and develop habits easily, they will develop the habit of relieving themselves on certain surfaces. Many times that will be a carpet or a ceramic floor if they get into that habit early on.
Teaching a puppy to relieving himself outdoors, instead of on floors and carpets, can speed up the housebreaking process. If there have already been some accidents, which can easily happen if they have been raised with siblings in a whelping box, try to use a cleaner to neutralize the odor of the mistakes. Puppies will usually try to urinate or defecate where he smells the odors from previous happenings. White vinegar is one of the most effective cleaners to use in neutralization.
It is important to teach your dog to love the crate and come to think of it as his own personal den. That is why it so important that they never associate the crate as a place of punishment. Be sure to put the crate in a confined area when possible, simulating the den. If you haven’t already, now is the time to start to teach them commands. Be sure to stick with the same words each time as you do this. You can teach them using commands like “Go to your home,” “Go to your bed,” “Go to your den.,” or whatever you want it to be. The main thing is that you are consistent, so that he learns where you are asking him to go.
Put his bedding or whatever he sleeps on and coax him inside and leave him there without closing the door. Try to make sure that he has a positive association with the crate. Whenever he is in there, talk to him kindly and toss in some treats.
Some owners may disagree, but I have found it to be very helpful to feed him his meals in the crate. You can do this, leaving the door open at first. Do not lock him in at this point. When he’s going in on his own and you feel the time is right, which can be a lot sooner than you may think, close the door. Allow him a little freedom to enter and leave on his own at first. Continue to lure him in and give him things that will occupy his time, enabling him to spend more time in the crate, until he becomes comfortable with being there. You will know when it is time to start closing the door.
Slowly, increase the confinement time. If he complains and wants out, tap on the crate lightly, say “not now,” and walk away. Be sure that you do not let him out when he is begging and complaining. Only let him out when he’s not complaining. Let him spend the night in his new private room or den.
Now it is very important that whenever it is not possible to keep an eye on him, that he’s confined in his den area with toys or treats. No exceptions. The reason why is because every time he relieves himself in the house, that behavior becomes more likely to be repeated.
Feed him three times a day, until he is about four months old, then twice a day should be sufficient for a few months. By the time they are a year old, most dogs, and border collies in particular, will do just fine with once a day feeding.
They will usually eat pretty fast when they are hungry, but if they don’t finish within 15-2- minutes, take up the remainder of the food. That way they will learn to eat on schedule, which is an important part in helping to housebreak them. Do not leave food out for them all day to finish anytime they want. If you do, the majority of dogs will not pay any attention to your efforts to try and get them on a schedule.
You should try to allow them access to water throughout the day, but cut the water off by 6: 30 or 7:00 p.m. to help the pup have a better chance of holding it all night. A dog needs plenty of water to be properly hydrated. It is true that some owners actually end up dehydrating their dogs by holding water back to eliminate the peeing mistakes. However, many dogs will drink just because the water is available, and they do not know how to monitor their intake, which is why it is recommended to not make water available at night after 7 pm. My wife and I used to go around and round about this, because she felt they were only drinking, because they were thirsty. But as mentioned above, that is usually not the case.
Keep an eye on him and take him outside to relieve himself when he shows signs of needing to go. Some of the signs will be apparent when they start sniffing around the floor area looking for a place to pee, or they will start circling around looking for a place to poop. Take them outside and set them on the ground, and help them understand where that place needs to be. Then praise them when they relieve themselves, telling them they did good, or even reward them with a treat. Do this immediately, so that he associates the treats and praise to having done the right thing in the right place.
At night, your pup should be in his crate/ den. A couple of ways to handle the night hours. You can place a puppy pad off to the side of the crate. Before you place the pad down, you may want to place a little of his poop or pee on its surface. The smell will help to lure him to the pad to do his business. Keep the crate door open so he can easily exit and reenter, keeping his sleeping area clean. Or if you have easy access to an outdoor space, place the crate near your bed with the crate door closed. When you hear your pup crying or whimpering, they are probably telling you they need to go. You have to get up quickly and get them outside immediately. When outside, the instant he finishes relieving himself, praise him quietly. Don’t get them too excited though, so they can go back to sleep. Most dogs have the ability to hold it all night when they are about ten or 12 weeks old.
Number one thing to remember during this training time, is that when indoors, if your puppy is not in the crate, he should be supervised. If you are busy and do not have the time to watch him, be sure he is in the crate with toys.
Every time he has a mistake, it’s a step backward. It will serve to prolong the learning time. Eventually, you will want to expand the den from his crate to the whole house so that he learns to only relieve himself outdoors.
