The scream of being stepped on in the morning, and the "mine" in the living room after working overtime late at night, these scenes make many novice dog owners collapse. But please believe that dogs are not born to like to defecate indoors. Their ancestors are wild animals that follow the natural rhythm. They just need human patience to guide them to establish correct defecation habits in modern life.
The bladder and intestines of puppies are not fully developed. A two-month-old puppy may need to defecate once an hour. Understanding this physiological characteristic is the basis of training. When you find that the puppy suddenly stops playing and starts sniffing the ground, turning in circles or whimpering, these are signals that it is about to defecate. At this time, you should quickly but gently pick it up and take it to a fixed outdoor defecation area, avoiding distracting its attention on the way.
When choosing a defecation area, try to choose a quiet corner where few people pass by to prevent the dog from holding back its stool due to unfamiliar environment or fright. Some owners will lay newspapers stained with dog urine in the area to use the smell to guide them to form a conditioned reflex. It should be noted that once this area is selected, it should not be changed easily. A stable environment can help dogs establish a clear understanding of excretion.
In the early stage of training, a strict schedule should be set for dogs. When they wake up in the morning, 15-30 minutes after eating, after playing, and before going to bed, these are the times when they are most likely to need to excrete. The time taken out each time should not be too long, 5-10 minutes is enough. If the dog completes the defecation within the specified time, immediately give warm verbal praise and small snacks as rewards, stroke their chin or chest, and repeat key words in an excited tone, such as "poop is great", to strengthen positive memory.
But the training process is not smooth sailing, and accidents are always inevitable. When you find that the dog is defecating indoors, do not beat or scold them or drag them to the "scene". In the dog's cognition, the owner's anger is only a punishment for the current behavior, which will make them learn to hide the excrement out of fear, or choose a more hidden corner to defecate. The correct way is to use a paper towel to absorb the urine, spray a special bio-enzyme cleaner to completely eliminate the smell, and prevent the residual smell from attracting the dog to defecate again.
For older dogs, especially those who have had the habit of defecating indoors, training may require more patience. You can try to move the food bowl and water bowl closer to the door, and use the dog's instinct not to defecate in the eating area to gradually shorten the indoor activity range. When the dog actively approaches the door and shows the desire to go out, take it out immediately and give it a reward, so that the logic of "going out = defecation = reward" is deeply rooted in their minds.
In cold winter or rainy weather, it may be difficult to defecate outside. At this time, you can lay a pet-specific urine mat at home and place it in a fixed position near the door, so that the dog can gradually adapt to defecation in the designated alternative area. But this is only a stopgap measure. After the weather turns better, you still need to take them outdoors for training to avoid developing the habit of defecation indoors.
During the training process, you should also pay attention to the dog's health. Frequent diarrhea, constipation or abnormal urination can all lead to disordered defecation habits. Take your dog for a regular checkup to ensure that there are no potential intestinal parasites, urinary tract infections and other diseases. A healthy body is the basis of good behavioral habits.
As the training progresses, you will find that the dog begins to actively wait at the door, tapping the door with its paws or barking, which is their unique way of communicating with you. When you see them wagging their tails to ask for credit after successfully defecating outdoors, all the hard work will turn into comfort. The establishment of this tacit understanding is not only a reflection of the training results, but also a sublimation of the relationship of mutual trust.
When you drag your tired body back home, you find that the door is wide open and the dog who was supposed to be waiting obediently is missing. At that moment, anxiety and worry surge into your heart like a tide.
When night falls, the dog at home still lies around casually in the living room, or jumps onto the sofa and gets into the corner,
When we happily take our dog out for a walk and enjoy the wonderful time with it, but then we see it lowering its head to sniff and suddenly picking up an unknown object on the ground and preparing to swallow it. At that moment, our heart seems to stop be
In the long years of accompanying humans, dogs, with their loyal and intelligent image, have become an indispensable member of countless families. From wagging their tails to welcome their owners home to learning various commands,
When you carefully hold a 6 week old puppy in your palm, its soft fur rubs against your palm, and its ignorant eyes are full of curiosity and dependence on its new home.
When we walk our dog on the street and see it shivering in fear at other animals or pouncing on passers-by out of excessive excitement,
