Handling and Avoiding Puppy Accidents
You can cement your puppy’s understanding of housetraining by following some basic tips about accidents in the house. If you outline your ritual and highlight your plan to anyone involved in the process, your puppy will be housetrained in no time!
Here are some quick tips for avoiding and handling puppy accidents:
Limit her to a small confinement area. If your puppy is eliminating in little-used corners of your house, she may have too much freedom. Puppies are den animals. Most young or untrained dogs won’t soil the area right around them, but if they can race upstairs or into an adjacent room outside their “den,” they’re more than happy to relieve themselves there.
So keep your puppy confined. Crate your puppy at night and when you’re out, or station her. After she learns the rules, you can grant her more freedom, but not now.
Clean up accidents privately. If your puppy eliminates in an unacceptable place, don’t let her see you clean up her mess. Doing so signals a nurturing acceptance that encourages a repeat performance. Calmly place your puppy in another room or with a family member as you clean it up.
Neutralize the odor. Your puppy has a very sensitive sniffer. She’ll automatically return to areas where her smell is concentrated. Use a pet store formula or a 50-50 mixture of water and vinegar to remove the scent.
Know when corrections count. If you catch your puppy in the process of eliminating in the house, startle her just a little (shouting and running at your puppy is way too scary). Clap your hands as you say “Ep, ep, ep!” After you’ve interrupted your pup, relax your posture and calmly direct her to the elimination area as if nothing happened. When she’s done, praise her for finishing.
Know when corrections don’t count. As much as you want to think your pup’s human, she isn’t, and your frustration and anger toward your puppy just make you look foolish. Sure, you can frighten a puppy into looking guilty, but scaring her isn’t going to teach her anything — except to be leery of you. If you catch your pup soiling someplace other than her designated area, you can interrupt the process, but lay off all other corrections.
Maintain a stable diet. Avoid changing dog food brands unless your veterinarian directs you to do so. Your puppy doesn’t digest food the way you do: Her intestine is small and unable to process and absorb a varied diet.
If your puppy is pooping in the house, lay off food treats. If you give food sporadically throughout the day, her elimination habits will be random.
Watch the water intake. Puppies, especially young ones, drink water excessively if they’re bored or nervous. If your pup is having housetraining problems, monitor her water intake by giving her access to her water bowl only during meal times and as you take her to her area.
Be careful not to dehydrate your pup. If she’s panting or very lethargic, give her a bowl of water. Remove water after 7:30 p.m. If she needs a drink after that time, give her ice cubes to play with or a small amount of water (1/4–1/2 cup) to quench her thirst.
Dogs Glossary
A-B-C assessment
Checking a dog’s airway, breathing, and circulation.
Dogs Glossary
animal shelter
1. An animal control agency run by local government to protect people from animals, take in strays, and manage animal issues and problems within the community. 2. A privately run shelter managed by individuals who want to protect, advocate for, and find homes for animals.
Dogs Glossary
BARF diet
A method of feeding dogs as closely as possible what they would eat in the wild: raw flesh and bones, along with vegetable matter from the stomachs of their prey. The acronym stands for either Bones and Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.
Dogs Glossary
blow out
A twice-yearly shedding of a dog’s undercoat.
Dogs Glossary
blue slip
An application to register a purebred puppy.
Dogs Glossary
breeder
A person who raises, sells, and often shows dogs of a specific breed. Reputable breeders screen parent dogs in an effort to produce healthy dogs that conform to breed standards.
Dogs Glossary
castrate
The removal of a male dog’s testicles to render him infertile.
Dogs Glossary
clicker
A small hand-held device that makes a sharp cracking sound when pressed. Paired with a food reward, an effective dog-training tool.
Dogs Glossary
cohesive bandage
A stretchy wrap that clings to itself used to cover and secure gauze bandages without tape.
Dogs Glossary
come into season
The advent of a female dog’s term of fertility.
Dogs Glossary
dead ring
The stationary ring on a training collar that pulls on the collar, not the dog’s neck.
Dogs Glossary
double coat
Two layers of fur — a top coat of stiff guard hairs and an undercoat that serves as insulation.
Dogs Glossary
dropped ears
The term for hanging or drooping dog ears.
Dogs Glossary
Elizabethan collar
A wide, cone-shaped plastic or cardboard collar that prevents a dog from being able to scratch her head. Used to prevent further injury or hasten healing.
Dogs Glossary
euthanize; put to sleep
To kill an animal to relieve suffering.
Dogs Glossary
fall
Hair that extends over a dog’s eyes.
Dogs Glossary
feathering
Long hair that runs from armpit to paw on the backs of a dog’s legs.
Dogs Glossary
free-feeding
Keeping a constant supply of dog food available so that the dog can decide when and how much to eat. It works best in single-dog households where there’s no competition for food.
Dogs Glossary
heartworms
Parasites that live in dogs’ hearts and cause heart failure. They’re transferred through mosquito bites.
Dogs Glossary
heat
The period when a female dog is fertile.
Dogs Glossary
heel
A command and position in which a dog walks at your left side staying with you as you change direction or pace.
Dogs Glossary
hip dysplasia
A painful malformation of a dog’s hip socket. Some breeds are genetically predisposed to the condition.
Dogs Glossary
hot spot
A localized area of skin infection. It’s usually round, red, and warm to the touch.
Dogs Glossary
live ring
The floating ring of a training collar. Attach a leash to this ring for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
neuter
A general term to describe either spaying or castrating a dog to render it infertile. Neutering and castrating are often used interchangeably.
Dogs Glossary
pantaloons
The tufts of hair on the backs of a long-haired dogs legs that make him look like he’s wearing bloomers.
Dogs Glossary
pedigree
A diagram of a dog’s ancestors for three or more generations that lists the registered names of the dogs and the titles they earned.
Dogs Glossary
pinch collar
A training collar with interlocking prongs that pinch a dog’s neck when tugged on. Some veterinarians recommend them above all other collars for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
praise
A verbal reward for a dog , such as an enthusiastic “good dog!”
Dogs Glossary
prong collar
A training collar with interlocking prongs that pinch a dog’s neck when tugged on. Some veterinarians recommend them above all other collars for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
pulse
Normal dog pulse is between 70 and 120 beats per minute. The pulse of a puppy ranges from 120 to 160 beats per minute.
Dogs Glossary
puppy mill
A place that supplies puppies to pet stores, usually without screening for possible genetic defects or properly socializing the puppies.
Dogs Glossary
registration certificate
The paper certifying a dog’s registration with an accredited organization.
Dogs Glossary
registration slip
An application to register a purebred puppy.
Dogs Glossary
release word
A word that lets a dog know that she is free to move.
Dogs Glossary
rescue group
A network of animal lovers who rescue and find new homes for their favorite breeds or animals.
Dogs Glossary
reward
To give a dog a treat for a correct response while he’s still in the desired position.
Dogs Glossary
ruff
The long, thick fur around a dog’s chest, shoulders, and neck.
Dogs Glossary
separation anxiety
A condition in which your dog becomes anxious and stressed when you leave him.
Dogs Glossary
shed
A twice-yearly process of casting off the undercoat in a double-coated dog.
Dogs Glossary
single coat
A single layer of hairs that comprises a dog’s fur.
Dogs Glossary
spay
To remove of both the uterus and the ovaries of a dog to render her infertile.
Dogs Glossary
stripping
Plucking the dead hairs from a dog’s coat.
Dogs Glossary
titer tests
Tests that check a dog’s immunity levels to determine exactly which vaccinations are needed.
Dogs Glossary
top coat
The top layer of a double-coated dog composed of stiff guard hairs that tend to be naturally water-repellant. The top coat protects the dog’s skin and undercoat.
Dogs Glossary
training collar
A collar that enables you to guide your dog and to check her as necessary — a brief, sharp tug tightens the collar around the dog’s neck.
Dogs Glossary
treat cup
A plastic container filled with small treats or dog food. Shake it and give treats from it as a reward as you train a dog.
Dogs Glossary
undercoat
Fleecy or downy fur shorter than the top layer of a double-coated dog. The undercoat serves as insulation.
