About Housetraining Siberian Puppies

About Housetraining Siberian Puppies
SINCE SIBERIANS ARE VERY CLEAN CANINES, housetraining a Siberian puppy can be very easy if you use proven methods. Before you begin, however, you must be sure that YOU possess both some physiological and psychological knowledge about your puppy.

NOTE BENE: FROM THE OUTSET, YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND, AND ACCEPT, THAT A PUPPY HAS NO PHYSIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF EITHER ITS SPHINCTER OR ITS BLADDER UNTIL HE IS ABOUT THREE (3) MONTHS OF AGE. Infants have the benefit of diapers; usually puppies are not afforded this luxury. As long as you have, AND ACCEPT, these facts, you may be able to proceed with the below written training regimen. The factors affecting how rapidly you get your puppy trained are his age, his living quarters, the type of food he eats, and most importantly, the amount of time YOU devote to actual training.

Preventing your puppy from having accidents in the house in the first place is the single most important thing you can do to assure rapid success. The first few days you take your puppy home are of paramount importance. If you allow him to eliminate on the carpet, or other inappropriate areas, he will often want to return to this "favorite spot". If he does use an inappropriate area, it is very important that you immediately clean and sanitize the area with an odor eliminating product such as "Nature's Miracle" or AIRCHEM'S "A33". These products will help assure that your puppy won't be attracted back to the area because it smells of his urine or fecal odor. The training method that will achieve the most rapid results utilizes "CRATE" training. For housetraining, I prefer the plastic "airline type" crates because they are the easiest to clean, light to move around, are very durable, and because they have solid, water proof bottoms, which protect any surface they rest on from stain and odor. Some people prefer metal cages, play-pens, a small bathroom, or even a cardboard box for very small breeds. Once housetraining has been successfully accomplished, as I have elsewhere discussed (see "About 'Crate' Training), I prefer the Kennel-Aire wire type crate (for Siberians, the #52 is perfect) because these allow the dog to look out into his surroundings and avoid that shut away or isolated (banished) feeling; they collapse easily, and are easy to store or to move about from home, to vehicle, to show grooming area, etc.

It is very important to remember, that when training young puppies, crates are to be used for "short term" confinement ONLY. This means that initially you should not leave your puppy in the cage for longer than two (2) hours at a time, especially during the day. Night-time is a different matter; many puppies, especially those over three (3) months of age, often sleep in a crate all night without having accidents.

I caution that IF YOU ARE WORKING DURING THE DAY, AND THERE IS NO PERSON OR FELLOW CANINE TO SERVE AS COMPANION FOR YOUR SIBERIAN, THAT YOU NOT GET A SIBERIAN HUSKY PUPPY AT ALL. SIBERIANS ARE SOCIAL ANIMALS, AND REQUIRE COMPANIONSHIP OF SOME KIND. The SHCA confirms this important advice.

You must first get your puppy used to the crate. As I have above mentioned, I have elsewhere written "About 'Crate' Training", but to summarize, the first day you should open the crate door and place a soft blanket inside. Next, put the puppy's food dish directly in front of the open door. As the pup becomes accustomed to the crate, place the food dish just inside the open door. After a short time, move the dish to the back of the crate. Once the puppy is inside and eating, close the door and talk to him saying "good (name)". When he is finished eating, let him out, but don't praise him; he gets praise for being in the crate, and for not fussing. Never praise or let the pup out of the crate if he is crying or fussing, because by doing so you would merely be reinforcing his crying and fussing behavior. Wait until he has stopped crying, then let him out, and offer profuse praise and perhaps a treat at that time.

The frequency of feeding, as well as the type of food you offer will greatly influence when the puppy has to eliminate. Highly digestible, premium puppy foods, such as IAMS, make housetraining much easier than the cheaper varieties sold in many grocery stores. With premium foods, the puppy will require less food because they contain high quality, highly digestible ingredients. This usually means less stool volume, and less frequent bowel movements. As mentioned here and elsewhere, I recommend Iams Puppy Food.

When a puppy eats, there is a "gastro-colic" reflex that occurs internally. When food enters the stomach, it triggers a signal to the large intestine saying, "Get ready to empty out, there is more on the way down". This means that your puppy will usually have to have a bowel movement anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes after eating; the time, of course, varies slightly with each animal, and with his age and acquired ability to retain.

I suggest feeding young puppies three times a day: The first feeding, just after being taken outside to eliminate in the morning, the second mid-afternoon, and the third at around 8:00 P.M. I strongly advise that you keep a written schedule/record of feeding times and when the pup eliminates, and by doing so, you should be better able to predict when your puppy will have to eliminate. These extra few seconds will more than compensate you in results.

Because mornings are usually a very busy time for everyone, with people getting ready for work, and kids getting ready for school, puppies are often left unsupervised. During these people-busy times, nobody is paying attention to the puppy's signal that he has to go outside, and his neglect almost always leads to accidents - accidents which can be prevented by YOU! Remember, neglect makes waste in unwanted places!

Neglected or unsupervised, the puppy can easily wander off into the living room (or other inappropriate area) to eliminate. For this reason, and for the added insurance that he will not slip out the door with the comings and goings of his guardians, I prefer to put the pup in his crate during these busy times, and allow him to eat, and to observe the busy life of his environment from the safety of his "den". I think it best if the crate is near the kitchen or the central activity area, so you can notice his message that he has to go outside. The pup will eat, and usually within 10-20 minutes, will need to eliminate. Remember, SIBERIANS DO NOT LIKE TO SOIL THEIR LIVING QUARTERS! If you cannot watch your pup, it's better to have him safely confined rather than to allow him to wonder off on his own to find a spot in the house in which to eliminate. Also, for the purpose of consistency and continuity, I suggest that there should be ONE person designated with the prime responsibility of his housetraining, especially during busy and hectic times in the life of his family.

When the pup is in his crate and you observe his signal to go outside to eliminate, open the crate door, and say "Do you want to go out?" and physically take (carrying at first) the pup to the outside area you have designated as his "official toilet area". Stand back and wait. Usually the puppy will urinate first, then, after meticulously sniffing around for just the right place, defecate a short time later. When the puppy goes, you should drop to the ground as if the puppy just laid a golden egg! Don't hold back here! Lavish him with abundant praise! Once he has voided, your puppy has earned the privilege of some freedom to play outside for awhile with YOU. He has also earned the privilege to be loose in the house, with some supervision, for 45 to 60 minutes.

If the puppy doesn't go when you take him outside, take him back inside; after 10-30 minutes of close observation, or being crated, again take him back outside for another try.

After being loose in the house for a short time, put the pup back in his crate for some "nap-time", or "time-out". For the most rapid results, you should take your puppy outside every hour, and repeat the praising process, then, once he successfully eliminates outdoors, and after some outside play time, let him loose in the house as a reward.

If you go out for dinner, or must leave the house for short periods, such as 2 to 3 hours, you can leave the puppy in his crate; this is considered appropriate "short-term crating".

I am a firm believer that one of the best rewards you can give your puppy for successful training is a nice walk or play-time WITH YOU (or his designated trainer), in a fenced area. This will make it much easier when the dog is older and you start taking him for a daily walk. It is much easier to clean feces up in your own yard than carrying a "poop scoop" everywhere you go.

Some Siberian puppies, thanks to their extremely high level of intelligence, all too soon realize that as soon as they go "potty", they have to immediately return inside, and do not get a chance to stay outside and play. Time outside, for a puppy, is like recess at school for a child. Also being very receptive to routine, once the puppy learns your schedule of going immediately back into the house, he will withhold his "pottying" as long as possible, so he won't have to immediately return inside. When you buy into this, his game, and you take him back inside without his earned outdoor romp, mark my words, he will promptly (and most quietly) slip away and do his "duties" on your carpeted floor.

Once a puppy understands just what you want him to do, and he has the routine down pat, you may, as a matter of course, start giving him a food reward. I suggest keeping a small, plastic container with his favorite food treats by the door through which the two of you go outside together, and in this way you can easily take a few small tidbits with you. When your pup starts to go, slowly get ready to offer him his favorite treat IMMEDIATELY as soon as he finishes; this reward must be given within one second of the time he finishes. Never call the pup to you to give him the treat, because he will think he is being rewarded for coming to you when called, and not for satisfactorily eliminating. Give the food treat, then lavish the puppy with praise. Be sure to let the puppy play with you for a short time also. You have just given your puppy three great rewards for doing nothing more than appropriately going "potty"! This is the fast track to housetraining, and will accomplish much more than the use of inappropriate punishment when he does go in the house.

Take the pup back inside, and, because he has just earned some bonus points for appropriately going outside, let him be loose for awhile, under supervision. These bonus points can be varied with food, praise, playtime, and/or exploring the house with you; repeat this routine every hour or so. The more frequently you take your pup outside, and the more often you can repeat this reward process, the faster he will housetrain. It is important to start watching for those little signs your puppy will be giving you just before he has to eliminate. They may be as simple as wandering around immediately after waking up, looking for (smelling for) a suitable place to urinate, or frantically spinning in circles and sniffing the floor for a spot on which to defecate.

You may want to hang a bell from the door handle, or from a hook, just within reach of the puppy. Every time you go outside, ring the bell just as you open the door. Many puppies will learn to ring the bell when they have to go out. Should this be the case, when the pup rings the bell, praise him, then IMMEDIATELY, WITHIN ONE SECOND, take him outside.

At night time, I suggest feeding around 8 o'clock, and allow at lease one hour after feeding to take the puppy outside to eliminate. If you feed earlier, such as 5 o'clock, your puppy will probably require a bowel movement around 4:00 A.M.

Some people might be horrified at this suggestion, but with a very new and young puppy, I take him to bed with me and allow him to sleep with me the whole night through. In this way, since the puppy will not want to soil his nest, he awakens me when he needs to go outside, at which time I hand carry him to the door and to his "designated toilet area" outside.

If you do not want your puppy in your bed, after his final nightly eliminations, place the pup in his crate with a soft blanket and a few select chew toys, but with no food nor water. Puppies under 3 months of age will often have to be taken out mid-morning, at least until they get better control of their bladder and bowels, so set an alarm clock for YOU.

It is preferable to keep the crate in the bedroom at night, next to one's own bed. In this way, one can reach out and touch the insecure puppy that is spending his first nights away from his mother and litter mates. Once he accepts the fact he must sleep alone, you can gradually move the crate away from your bed, a little bit each night, eventually moving it to its final destination (hopefully in your bedroom so that he can awaken you should his need arise).

Working Owners, and Longer Term Confinement
NOTE BENE: See above written caution.

NOTE BENE: No Siberian, puppy or adult, should be left crated for longer than 4 hours' time! If your absence requires more than 4 hours' time, your Siberian should be taken to an outside, properly secured, kennel, or you should provide for him an appropriate area in your home for his required eliminations!

Long-term confinement is utilized when you must leave your puppy unattended for periods of 3 to 4 hours. Very young puppies, much like newborn infants, need to urinate frequently, and will often have 6 to 8 bowel movements each day. If you must leave the house, or be away from your puppy for long periods of time, you cannot, and should not, expect him to stay in a small, confined space without having eliminations. Puppies do not eliminate because they are mad that you have left them alone; they eliminate because they must, and no one is home to let them outside. Please remember, IT IS CRUELTY TO THE ANIMAL SHOULD YOU COME HOME TO A SOILED CRATE, AND SCOLD OR OTHERWISE PUNISH YOUR PUPPY; THEY HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHY YOU ARE SCOLDING/PUNISHING THEM. As with a child, DELAYED PUNISHMENT DOES NOT WORK!

Proper "Punishment"
Please remember this: DELAYED PUNISHMENT DOES NOT WORK!

If you are not watching your pup, and he wanders into the living room and has an accident, the evidence of which you find some time later, it does absolutely no good to scold him when you discover the mess. IT IS YOUR FAULT FOR NEGLECTING HIM! He may cower because you raise your voice, and scold "What did you do?", but not because he knows he did anything wrong, BUT BECAUSE HE IS AFRAID OF YOU.

RUBBING A PUPPY'S NOSE IN ITS OWN FECES OR URINE, AND HITTING OR YELLING AT IT, IS BARBARIC, AND VERY COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE.

Remember: SUBMISSIVE AND FEARFUL ANIMALS URINATE AS PART OF THEIR SUBMISSION DISPLAY! Be careful not to instill these responses in your beloved Siberian!

If the puppy continually has accidents when he is out of your sight, and you later find the mess and scold the puppy, you will create what we refer to as the "owner-absent elimination syndrome". What the puppy learns is that every time there is a bowel movement or puddle on the floor, his owner gets extremely angry and punishes him. He does not realize that going on the floor is wrong. The pup knows by your body language and the tone of your voice, that he soon will be punished, and he immediately starts shaking and trembling as a "fear reaction" to YOU, not to making the mess. The poor little thing knows that when mom, or especially dad, says, "What did you do", he had better tuck his tail between his legs, display submissive, and run behind the couch and not come out for fear of being beaten. After having his face shoved in a pile of feces enough times, and being yelled at, or worse yet, beaten, the pup soon learns that it is the feces that makes everyone so mad, not his actual behavior of actually making the mess in the first place. He doesn't realize that going on the floor is wrong because when he does go on the floor, and no one is around, he doesn't get yelled at or punished. Some unknowledgeable people say that the pup knew he did something wrong because he started shaking and tried to hide when they discover his mess. However, nothing could be further from the truth! When a pup hears his owner coming home, and there is a pile of feces on the floor, he immediately tries to hide because he knows he is going to be abused. Also, some puppies eat their own feces, and in your training you must be alert not to foster this syndrome!

Because the pup thus learns that it is the feces which make his owner mad, he will wait until you are gone to have a bowel movement. This is the unwanted behavior which "owner-absent elimination syndrome" actually elicits.

It is important that, if you find urine or feces, and you did not see your puppy do it, you ignore it, no matter how hard you have to grit your teeth at the time. If you catch your pup in the act of going, simply say in a firm and disapproving, but not frightening manner, the puppy's "name" and the word "outside" in an attempt to get him to immediately stop urinating. Sometimes, because of your verbal intervention, he will stop; sometimes, he will not. But in either event, you need to gently pick him up and CARRY HIM outdoors to his "designated toilet area" outside. Never say "No, bad dog"; remember, it's not wrong or "bad" to eliminate, it's only wrong, or "bad dog" to go on the carpet or elsewhere undesignated inside.

For inside long-term confinement, you should select a relatively small room, such as a bathroom or utility room, preferably with a non-porous surface, i.e., tile or concrete. Try to remove things which the puppy might chew on when he becomes bored. He will become bored! Cover the entire floor with a double layer of newspapers. Place the puppy's crate, with the door open, at one end of the room or area with his food and water next to it. If the puppy has to eliminate, he will usually try to get as far away as possible from his food, water and sleeping area. When you return home, IMMEDIATELY carry your puppy outside, and follow your regular routine of showing him where he should go, and use lavish praise as the reward for the correct response; and since you have left him alone for a lengthy period, it is paramount that you play with him to reassure him of your love and good disposition, and that he is in your good graces.

Once your puppy establishes his favorite toilet location in the long-term confinement area, you can gradually reduce the papers to a smaller area, approximately 3 feet square. Don't forget to leave some favorite chew toys for your puppy to chew on; remember that Siberians become bored easily and have abundant energy.

If your pup sleeps in a crate at night, and continually soils in his crate, you should help him with more frequent trips outside; use an alarm clock. When he gets older, usually around 3 months of age, he will have acquired better control, and then he can usually safely sleep in his crate all night.

Working owners will have to utilize long-term confinement when they are at work. When you arrive home, you should take your puppy outside every hour and use the praise and reward method. On weekends, you can utilize the crate training method to expedite the housetraining process. All those extra trips of taking the pup outside will reap tremendous rewards.

Paper Training
There are certain situations where people live in apartments, and do not have access to an area in which to walk their dogs, and still other people have physical disabilities or handicaps where they cannot walk them. Also, some people just prefer not taking their dogs outside in order to minimize their exposure to fleas and infectious diseases.

This housetraining method utilizes crate training methods, except instead of taking your pet outside, you simply take him out of his crate, and saying "paper", and place him on the papers. You wait, and when he finally goes where you want him to go, use the praise and reward method. If he wanders off the papers, simply place him back on the papers, saying "paper" and wait. When he finally does go, lavishly reward him as above discussed.

Older Siberians
Each of these techniques will work for older Siberians as well. Always remember, housetraining can be very easy if YOU expend the proper effort and time necessary to teach your dog what you expect him to do, where you want him to go, and then follow up with a proper praise and reward technique.

Some dogs are easy, and some take a bit longer to train. At times, almost all Siberians will seem like they are well trained, but will still have occasional accidents. Not to worry! Just back up a few steps and repeat what worked before, and begin anew with the last phase he successfully accomplished. Then gradually proceed to the next step. Don't get frustrated, and don't lose your temper, or you will frighten your pup and slow down your progress, and perhaps ruin his temperament completely and irreparably.

BE PATIENT WITH YOUR PUPPY; HE LOVES YOU, AND LOOKS TO YOU FOR YOUR LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE! He does not yet know you well enough to do things out of spite! Remember also that even a well trained adult may still have an occasional accident when he is excited, when he is submissive, or when intending to "mark".

Many of the techniques I have above described are methods I have employed for many years. Others I have here borrowed from techniques suggested by Gary Clemmons, DVM, in his various writings, and while I realize that this "epistle" is long, it is so because I intend you to know and accept that YOU are the main contributing factor to your Siberian being "clean" in your shared home.

Fredric R. Cornell, M.I.S.
ARTYK Siberians