Housetraining a Small Dog

Posted on Mar 04 in Small Dog Care, Training A Small Dogby Jeff K.Print

Little Dogs: Training Your Pint-Sized Companion

I do not want to send mixed messages to you. Let the Dog Decide: The Revolutionary 15-Minute-a-Day Program to Train Your Dog – Gently and Reliably is still the best reference on how to train your dog, period. When I discuss another book in this article, please, please do not construe that to mean I am waffling on my original recommendation. Let the Dog Decide is the go-to source. Having said that, I would like to add another tool to your toolkit that complements Let the Dog Decide. Please take a look at Little Dogs: Training Your Pint-Sized Companion. This book is worth your time because Ms. Wood addresses the specific training needs of small dogs. I have said elsewhere, and especially in this previous article, that small dogs are different. Deborah Wood understands that difference. Let me give you an example by quoting her introduction to housetraining a small dog.

“It’s not your imagination. It really is harder to housetrain a small-breed dog. You may have reliably housetrained your Golden Retriever when he was eight weeks old; however, that is not likely to happen with your small-breed dog. In fact, housetraining problems are the most common reasons that people return their dogs to the breeder or take them to a shelter. The question is: Why?

“If you think about it, it’s logical that small dogs are going to have more housetraining trouble than big dogs. Here are some of the reasons:

“
• They have a different sense of space. A small dog might pee in the corner and feel proud of himself. In his mind, he’s gone as far away from his bed as a full-sized dog who has gone to the far end of the yard. Lots of small dogs have trouble grasping the concept of distance.
• “They have small systems. It can take a long time for systems to mature. Your puppy may be six months or older before his system is mature enough to hold back from urinating or defecating right after meals, exercise, or sleep. Expect to continue to work on the fundamentals of housetraining well into your puppy’s adolescence.
• “Their genetics may be different. Let’s face it: If a Great Dane or Saint Bernard doesn’t get the hang of housetraining pretty quickly, he’s not likely to stay someone’s pet for long. The odds are that dog will never, ever be bred. Because small accidents are much less difficult to live with, small dogs who have housetraining problems have reproduced for generations, probably since small companion dogs first appeared in medieval castles. Also, a toy dog may not have the same strong instinct to ask to be let out that a big dog has.

“Don’t worry! With a little patience and a lot of consistency and vigilance, your little dog can be reliably housetrained.”

The author understands small dogs. Her training method aligns closely with the system described in Let the Dog Decide. I believe Little Dogs: Training Your Pint-Sized Companion is a complementary reference and another superb tool to add to your kit.

As an addendum, let me tell you about our experience trying to housetrain Royce, our Miniature Pinscher. Our trials can be summed up with this statement: Royce did not fully get the idea of going outside to pee and poop until he was almost 2 1/2 years old! That equals a lot of paper towels, floor cleaner, and anxiety. We did all the recommended business, i.e. kept him in a crate at night; took him outside immediately after sleeping, eating, or any activity; and, praised him up and down for doing business outside. Still, the Hundred Years War of housetraining raged on. It was not until we installed a dog door that Royce finally “got it.”

Miniature Pinchers, like many small dogs, are either completely switched off or completely revved up. When Royce is on, he is really on. Not only does he go-go-go, he also goes and goes and goes. I mean he poops and pees like nobody else. We have adjusted his diet to reduce the amount of going, but he still goes. Continuous access to the outdoors was the key that allowed him to relieve himself as often as needed. This should tell you that where housetraining is concerned, what works for one small dog may not necessarily work for another. I will also say I am now a big fan of dog doors.

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• Dog Anti-Bark Collars says:

  July 1, 2009 at 4:41 pm

  [...] 10 pounds but he can be a lot of trouble. You have read in other articles how hard it has been to housetrain him and to get him to heel on a leash. What you have not heard about is his bark. It’s loud. It’s [...]