Ask a Trainer: Peeing on the Couch
Getting to the bottom of site-specific "accidents."
Snapping At Treats
Q: How do I teach my puppy not to snap food from my hand when I give him a treat? I’ve tried withholding the treat until he calms down a bit, but by that time he’s forgotten that he’s getting a treat for going potty, so now the potty training has gone backwards a bit. —Overeager in Ohio
A: Young puppies snap at treats due to the teething process and youthful exuberance. With training, this is not a behaviour that will last. Getting your dog to multitask by incorporating a directive such as a training command will help him focus on a positive action.
The easiest way to teach a puppy not to snap food from your hand is to change when you give treats. To prevent snapping, the best time to give a treat is after a meal so that some of the edge is taken off. Combine the act of giving the treat with a hand signal to teach your pup to sit so that you use the treat to reinforce training and focus your pup’s enthusiasm in a positive direction.
To do this, put the treat in your right hand under your thumb with your palm facing the floor. (This also means your pup will be unable to snap the treat from your hand.) Use the hand that is holding the treat to gesture the letter J while saying, “sit.” To do this, motion your palm downward toward the floor then scoop upward to form the curve of the J, which will bring your puppy’s focus up to your eyes as you say “sit.” This motion, along with the word “sit” and the scent of the treat, will create an automatic signal for your puppy to sit. Your pup’s focus will be on your hand and the verbal cue of “sit.” Repeat the gesture until he sits. Another tip if your puppy doesn’t sit is to take one small step toward him while doing the hand signal. Once he sits, crouch down and lay the treat flat in your hand before giving him his tasty reward. By applying these tips, the hyper response will subside on it’s own with time.
I should note that I’m not a big fan of treat giving as a reward for going potty for the very reason you mentioned in your question. In my opinion, going potty should be rewarded with your voice only. Puppies love high-pitched sounds so rewards can be praise and touch, which are equally exciting. Treats for going potty can amount to needless distraction.
Remember too, people often attempt to hold the treat in the opposite hand from the one they’re using to motion to sit, creating a focus on the wrong place. This can also instigate jumping up for the treat. But do it right and treats plus training is the perfect way to combine leash work, focus, and learning to accept food in a graceful manner. Inger Martens is a celebrity dog trainer and behavioural expert. An author, television and radio personality, she has been dubbed “Best Dog Trainer in LA” by Los Angeles magazine. She is currently excited to announce her new online resource-for dog owners, pawsforaminute.com.
Peeing on the Couch
Q: I have a Boxer in rescue that pees on the couch. She had been used in a puppy mill for three years but has been out for four years and is not adapting as well as needed. She lost a forever home due to dog aggression that turned out to be improper socialization and that is being rectified... but peeing on the couch is not cool. I take her out least four to six times a day but it seems that it is something else. She has seen the vet.— Couch Problems in Pensacola
A: You are brilliant to get your dog checked out by your veterinarian first. If this was a physical problem, no amount of training would help you. Since your vet has eliminated a physical cause, it’s time to treat this behaviourally.
This is a housetraining issue—it’s not one of spite or dominance. Your dog isn’t “mad” at you for anything. She’s just never been properly housetrained. Puppy mill dogs can be notoriously hard to housetrain.
A mother dog licks her puppies to stimulate them to eliminate and then she licks them clean. As they get older and are able to start moving around, most puppies will instinctively move away from their dens to eliminate. But if puppies are stuck in a cage, there is nowhere else to go and they are forced to eliminate where
To prevent snapping, the best time to give a treat is after a meal so that some of the edge is taken off.
they live. Thus, instead of learning to pee and poop somewhere else, they learn it’s okay to live in their messes. To top that off, puppy mill puppies are taken from their mothers at extremely young ages, so that they will still be small and cute after shipment over long distances and therefore more appealing to buyers. This means they don’t get necessary lessons in staying clean from their mothers. They learn to be “dirty dogs” and it is not their fault.
To remedy this, you’ll have to housetrain your Boxer using an approach very similar to that you would use with a puppy— confinement. Except in this case, crate training is probably not going to be effective because your dog will probably eliminate in a crate as that is what she’s used to. Instead, use an exercise pen or confine her in a small room with a floor that is easy to clean, such as a laundry room. Employ vigilant supervision. She should never be unsupervised, ever. She should never have access to your couch unless you are right there to see when she starts to eliminate. If she has an accident that you find later, the supervision is not adequate. The more she practices eliminating outside rather than inside, the better she’ll get.
Give her two scheduled meals each day. Do not leave food out at all times. This will train her body to eliminate at the same time each day. Increase her number of potty breaks and always take her out on leash so you can control the environment and be right there to praise her when she eliminates outside. When she does, praise her and give her treats.
If you catch her in the act of eliminating indoors, just use a stern voice to interrupt her, then rush her outside on leash to finish, praising her when she does. Be sure you are cleaning up all messes with an enzymatic cleaner. I also recommend getting your couch professionally cleaned. Even if you can’t still smell the pee, she might be able to, so she may continue going to the same spot over and over.
Puppy mill dogs can learn to be housetrained with your patience, supervision, and consistency in positive training. Your Boxer had a terrible start in life … but you are working to make it so much better!