House Training Dogs: The Power Of Instincts, Incentives & Routines

House training dogs can be a breeze when you use your dog’s own instincts to your advantage.Anyone who walks their dog knows that dogs have their own standards as to where and when they want to go.

How many times have you waited so long for your dog to go that you wished you could just squeeze your dog to get it over with?

While we may not be able to completely control all of our dog’s instinctive behaviors, we can take advantage of the ones that work in our favor.

We are far from powerless when it comes to house training dogs. Learn how to use your dog’s instincts, rewards and incentives, as well as biorhythms and routines to your advantage.

Remember the old adage…You can lead a dog to the park but you can’t make him stink... or something like that.

But we can certainly set the conditions for the time and place to be more convenient to us.

Get expert help solving your dog's behavioral and training problems!

Setting The Right Conditions For
House Training Your Dog

There is a natural instinct not to mess where they sleep. Many trainers take advantage of this instinct when they crate train their dogs.

By confining the dog to an area small enough to prevent the dog from finding a place away from its bed to go, the dog will tend to hold it. This can also be accomplished by using a shortened leash and harness when potty training a dog.

Of course, you need to incorporate a consistent routine of letting the dog out of the crate and bringing it outside so it can go. This works well when house training dogs because it becomes easy for the dog to make the connection between being let out of the crate and being able to do its business away from is sleeping area.

Avoiding Accidents While House Training Dogs

We’ve all seen how dogs will try to sprinkle everywhere their nose tells them that another dog has gone. They seem to have an instinct to declare their presence. And they’ll usually opt for adding to their own previous declaration rather than start a new one.

For this reason, when potty training a dog, if your dog has had an “accident” in the house its important to thoroughly clean up the scent so your dog isn’t invited to grace it again.

And when housebreaking dogs, it also helps to provide your dog with a positive incentive such a treat when the correct behavior has been accomplished. Dogs are social creatures just like us. Praise and positive attention can also be one of the greatest incentives to reward your good dog.

Tips on Controlling Time & Place

After feeding, when your dog’s digestive system kicks in is an important time in house training dogs.

The intake of food triggers the body to finish processing what’s there, and that means it needs to make room.

Exercise is another trigger for the digestive system to eliminate the leftovers. When your dog starts to move and jump around is a smart time to keep a close eye out for the little behaviors that signal your dog needs to be let out.

Maintaining consistent routines are vital to house training dogs. Keeping the same feeding schedule allows you to take advantage of your dog’s biorhythms, the natural patterns that your dog’s body gets used to.

Keeping a consistent potty training schedule when letting your dog out is also important. If you unexpectedly come home hours earlier than usual, it may be unrealistic to expect that just because you let your dog out that he or she will be ready to go.

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