The Best Cleaner

This is the last in my 3-step series, How To Housebreak Your Dog in 3 Easy Steps!

Nature’s Miracle Cleaner

This is the best cleaner ever! My friend Kathy turned me on to this. You can get it at Tractor Supply, and I highly recommend that if you have animals, you keep it on hand.

Not only does it clean, but it also removes the odor so they don’t keep using the same spot over and over. You simply spray, wait a few minutes, then clean it up.

It is an enzyme cleaner, which removes even old deep-set stains and odors. It’s also safe to use around kids and other animals. You can use it on furniture and clothing too!

As you can see, I keep the handy refill size on hand at all times. If I had carpet (other than rugs), I would probably try to order it by the gallon. Because while my girls don’t have accidents often, when they do, it’s a doozy.

Like the time Ekko decided to “educate” her dad that when she “told” him she wanted to go out, he shouldn’t ignore her and get in the shower. Lucky him, he got to not only clean the rug, but also Ekko…and the sofa. 😀

Charra in Her Crate

This is the second post in a series of three to help you housebreak your dog fast!

BUY A CRATE.

Let me be clear.

Crate-training is NOT cruel.

Crate-training helps them stay in your home forever.

Crate-training gives them security and protection.

Really. Their crate becomes their safe spot when they are scared or simply tired and need to rest. (Doesn’t everybody need some quiet time once in a while?)

Assuming you are progressing with Step 1, keeping your dog on a regular routine, Step 2 will be a breeze.

At bedtime, put them to bed in their crate. Do NOT put food or water in the crate! They aren’t going to die overnight.

When you leave for work, or errands, put them in their crate. Do NOT put food or water in the crate! They aren’t going to die while you’re at work.

Leave them with a toy and a hoof or something to chew on. Puppies NEED to chew, it’s an important part of their development and, with the appropriate hoofs or bones, will help keep their teeth clean.

I don’t usually let them have toys at night, especially noisy toys. They need to learn that bedtime is BEDTIME.

During the middle of the day, come home and let them out to potty, or have someone else do it if you can’t be home. Have a parade for them, and give them a little treat when you put them back in their crate. (If you have more than one dog, you should give everyone a treat.) In the very beginning, they may need to be let out during the middle of the night, until they learn to hold it through the night.

For the first few weeks, I usually put just a towel in the bottom of the crate rather than a bed, so that it’s easy to wash. If they are pottying in their crate, the crate is either too big, they have a medical or dietary problem, or they are just not mature enough to hold it for the period of time you’ve required them to.

If your dog is naughty, scold them with a firm “no” and simply put them in their crate for 10 or 15 minutes. That’s an eternity to a dog!

Charra wanted to play with Daisy once, and Daisy objected. Charra informed Daisy that SHE would be the one to decide if, and when they played, and she wanted to play. NOW. And Charra was promptly escorted to her crate to chillax.

When we returned from Florida, I ‘retired’ Ekko’s (formerly Charra’s) crate to the basement. We had crated her for over a year because of a random chewing habit, and she finally grew out of it. She followed me down and inspected it for one last time, and looked at me. She was ready. She was a Big Girl now! And she was proud. 🙂

Ekko’s First Picture

Some of you may be getting new puppies now that school is out for the summer. This series of posts is for you!

I have a significant amount of knowledge and experience with this topic. Over the years, I’ve housebroken at least 6 dogs of my own, as well as a number of foster dogs from my time volunteering for Field of Dreams Rescue.

My record is two days. The longest actually took several weeks, but then she had some quirks.

Assuming your dog is of average intelligence with no mental issues, is already spayed or neutered (or you have plans to) and doesn’t have any other health problems, you should be able to housebreak him or her in two weeks or less if you consistently follow these steps.

Step 1: Be Consistent!

Dogs love routine. A consistent routine gives them a feeling of security. They know what to expect from you, and that’s how they know when to do what they are supposed to.

The most important thing to do with a new puppy in the house is to get them on a schedule.

Do the same thing, at the same time, in the same place, in the same order, every day. Our dogs go outside to potty in the same order, every day at almost the same time. They are fed in the same order, in the same bowls, in the same place, every day.

In the beginning, puppies have to piddle often! Watch closely for their signs…sometimes they’ll get anxious, or get really wild all of a sudden…until they get old enough to tell you that they have to go. So in the beginning, take them out often. Like, every 30-60 minutes. You’ll soon get to know how often they need to go out. If your dog is a little older, say 10-12 weeks, they can usually hold it a little longer than that. You’ll just have to get to know your dog.

When you take them outside, use the same phrase every time. At our house, it’s “Do you need to go outside and go pee-pee?” Then once you’re outside, use a phrase to encourage them to go (with puppies, it’s to remind them…they are easily distracted!) I always say, “Go pee pee!” Keep repeating it, until they finally actually go. The first time they potty outside, have a PARADE!!!! Lots of love and kisses and hugs.

The next time you go outside, go back to the same spot. EVERY TIME. They’ll quickly get the idea that’s where they are supposed to go. With Ekko, I had to choose my battles. It just so happened the first time she went poopie, she chose my flower bed. SIGH.

What’s more important, housebreaking her, or picking up some pooh from my flower bed? I went with the housebreaking. I’m rewarded for that decision with no accidents in the house, and the occasional opportunity to pick up pooh from the flower bed…still to this day.

While it was about two weeks before I actually felt confident that she was housebroken, Ekko really only had 3 accidents in the house, and that was during the first three days.

But then I’m not counting the time that Ekko educated Jimmy that he should not ignore her and get in the shower when she told him she had to go potty. But that’s another story! 😀

Mr. Turtle

Dogs have their own idea of social networking. And social media, in the dog world, is the equivalent of sniffing where everyone else has peed. I read somewhere that a dog can tell the breed, sex, social status, and even the mood of a dog by just sniffing. Just think, when your walking your dog, it’s the equivalent of letting them read the doggie newspaper.

We were both working in the yard one day last week when we had a visitor. This was a nice Husky mix boy I’d seen once before, but never met. He was very interested in what I was doing, so I said ‘hello’ and asked him if I could pet him. He was very gracious, and allowed me to do so, before resuming his inspection of the perimeter. He was less appreciative of the squirt with the water hose as I educated him on the necessity of not tinkling on my plants.

He would have liked to have met our girls, but because Jimmy and I wanted to actually be productive, we’d left them in the house. So Mr. Husky went about his business. He knew that if he were going to call on the girls unexpectedly and convince them to come out to play, he needed to bring them a gift.

So he brought them a turtle.

I have no idea how long poor Mr. Turtle had laid upside down on our front deck in front of the sidelight beside our front door. I hadn’t even seen Mr. Husky venture up on the deck.

But I’m quite certain Mr. Turtle was less than impressed with Mr. Husky’s polite efforts to meet the girls. He was probably just wondering how in the hell he was going to get himself out of this predicament.

Thankfully, he was still alive, as he ducked inside his shell when I picked him up. I promptly returned him to our pond, which is where I suspect he came from in the first place.  I wonder what gifts Mr. Husky will bring the girls next? 😀