Dog Training San Diego Puppy Training

At K9 Coach San Diego & Temecula we provide dog obedience training camps that produce results! 5 month old Poo-chi, Zoey was headed in the wrong direction.  She nipped a little too hard & way too often. Her play was too wild for the kids and she barked incessantly if you didn’t pick her up hold and pet her.  Last but not least, Zoey needed potty training.

This little dog is typical of what I see as a dog trainer where the people have good intentions, but didn’t realize what they where doing was encouraging bad behavior. When Zoey’s vet told her family they needed help, fortunately, they listened.  The sooner you get help for a dog behavioral issue the better.  If left unchecked, nipping and rough play from a pup can turn into seriously aggressive dog behavior.

This Carlsbad, CA family is very happy they invested in K9 Coach dog camp.  The kids can now hang out and play with Zoey, her behavior is calm and fun now that she has focus and direction in her life.  Zoey is a very lucky dog too, because her family is walking her on the leash and practicing her new found skills as a part of their daily life and she is happier than she has ever been!

No matter what age your dog is, we can help you improve your relationship with your dog!  Here are some of the housebreaking tips you can use when potty training your dog!

Supervise, supervise, and supervise.

• Use a crate; this is a safe den for your dog and much easier to clean than carpet!
• Use a couple of pieces of kibble to entice and reward your dog with the crate.
• Dogs should be able to sit up and have their head just clear top of the crate and have just enough room to turn around and lie down, think small den not a whole house.
• Tap on the crate and calmly say quiet if they fuss, give them an opportunity to settle down.
• Feed your dog all meals in their crate, so they will associate something they really like with the crate. Pick up any food not eaten in 10 to 15 minutes.
• Use controlled feeding, no free feeding. Take them to go potty outside after they are done eating. If they do not have a bowel movement, return them to the crate and try again in 10 to 15 minutes until they accomplish their task.
• If your dog evacuates in the crate AND the crate is not too big, get a second back-up crate.  Clean your dog and the crate and try again, if you don’t give in, they will!
• Do not put water in the crate.  They should only spend 2 hours max in the crate or exposed to extreme heat or cold when crated. A pup 8 weeks and even up to 16 weeks old cannot hold “it” more than 2 hours. I offer them water on their way outside or you can offer it to them outside depending on their behavioral patterns.
• If you work long hours… get help with a dog walking service or friends.
• Tether the dog to you with a 3-4 foot or so parachute cord, use a drag leash or hang onto a leash OR put your dog in their crate when you cannot directly supervise them.
• Make sure your dog just fits in the crate, if it’s a pup, block off part of the crate, until they grow to fit the crate.
• Make sure you give your dog every opportunity to go potty outside.
• Use the same phrase when you take your dog outside, praise them with the same phrase with every success.
• Do not punish your dog for mistakes:  If you see them in the act, use a firm “NO” pick them up & take them to the place they should go, if they do finish their business outside be sure to praise them.
• Do not punish your dog for mistakes:  If you DON”T see them, it is your fault, clean up the mess and try to do a better job of supervising your dog.
• Besides praise and petting, give them a small play session & supervised free time in the house after success.
• Keep the crate within hearing distance when sleeping, if your dog wakes up and makes noise, take them outside to potty and return them to the crate. Limit water late evening, after dinner depending on the activity of the dog
• Take them outside to potty whenever:

1. You take them out of their crate.
2. Before you put them in their crate.
3. Wake up from sleeping.
4. Eat a meal.
5. Drink a bunch of water.
6. Play excitedly.

It can take several weeks to the worst case I’ve heard of several months to potty train your dog, so most important don’t give up and remember it is your job to train your dog. If you are having problems get professional help, dogs often don’t know what we want, because you are not showing them in the right way!